Living on Breath

Is it possible to live on breath primarily, with just a little bit of food? Is this possible? Can one learn to derive almost all their energy from their breath?

"Mitahar," moderate diet, is one of the Niyamas in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Diet has been the weakest part of my yoga practice. 

After Day 46 of this "Master Fast," I have to conclude the yogis were correct. It is possible to live mostly on breath with just a little bit of food.

I have not yet returned to eating solid food. I have lost 45 pounds and still have flab left on my belly. I feel amazingly full of energy, clear, and focused, pretty much all the time. I feel better now, than when I eat.

We have so many prejudices around food, because we like it. It tastes good. We live for food. Most of us Americans eat unnecessary quantities of food and engorge ourselves three times a day on schedule. We think we need food for energy and that is the ONLY way it works. That materialistic understanding is incomplete.

Whatever it is that keeps us alive and still in this body I have to conclude is a complex mystery. Most of us could eat way less food and be much healthier.

One hour of alternate nostril breath, anuloma viloma, every morning without fail, stores energy in the body. It gives me huge reserves of energy. It is like charging up a cell phone for the day. I can recharge at any time through out the day.

It is also true that my body uses less energy now, like switching from an incandescent to an LED bulb. With a dedicated breath practice, the whole body mind system is growing in efficiency and at light speed. The body is so chill and relaxed, using no wasted energy on unnecessary, unconscious tension.

Fasting is easy; eating moderately, finding "The Middle Way" seems daunting. It is with some trepidation that eventually I will probably return to a raw veganish light paleo diet, with frequent days off from eating. I intend to err more on the side of using breath as a primary energy source and ingesting the least amount of the highest quality food. I don't know, if I will be successful eating lightly. Fortunately, I have a really experienced teacher of fasting/ light eating coaching me every step of the way. Don't try a long fast unless you get some training because it is complicated to do safely.

My belly is completely empty and I am starting my microbiome over.