Fasting for Peace

Hello friend – it’s Miriam 👋🏻

Welcome to this week’s Ikigami Insider!

What if peace isn’t something you find, but something you uncover—layer by layer, choice by choice, silence by silence?

Fasting is often seen as deprivation. But what if it’s actually a way to restore harmony, not just in the body, but in the mind, emotions, and spirit?

Not just fasting from food, but from noise, urgency, excess.
From everything that dulls your senses and distances you from yourself.

This week, let’s explore fasting—not as restriction, but as a return to clarity.

Intuition: The Inner Taste of Stillness

In a world obsessed with more, fasting is a radical act of less.

Less distraction.
Less consumption.
Less seeking outside of yourself.

Fasting isn’t about what you lose—it’s about what you hear when the noise settles.

Hack 1: Try a small fast today. Not just from food, but from anything that numbs or overstimulates you.
- A few hours without social media.
- A moment of silence before responding.
- A pause before filling every space with stimulation.

Intelligence: Hunger as Awareness

There’s a hidden gift in hunger: awareness.

True fasting isn’t about starving—it’s about refining your senses. When you remove excess, your ability to taste, feel, and perceive deepens.

Research shows that fasting increases mental clarity, emotional resilience, and even spiritual insight. Many ancient traditions saw fasting as a way to strip away illusions and reconnect with truth.

Hack 2: Next time you feel hunger (physical or emotional), ask:
- What is this hunger really for?
- Is it food, distraction, or something deeper—rest, connection, meaning?

Integrity: Fasting as Alignment

When was the last time you truly tasted? Not just food, but life itself?

We consume mindlessly—not just meals, but information, entertainment, obligations. Fasting is an invitation to choose with intention.

Hack 3: Shift from automatic to intentional.
- Instead of mindless snacking—savor.
- Instead of reacting—pause.
- Instead of saying yes to everything—say yes to what aligns.

Because peace isn’t found in adding more.
It’s found in letting go of what no longer serves you.

Reflection in Verse

To taste, truly taste,
one must first know hunger.

To hear, truly hear,
one must first know silence.

To feel, truly feel,
one must first let go—
of the excess,
of the noise,
of the need to fill every space.

What remains?

Everything.

Thumbnail Photo Aaron Burden on Unsplash

3 Recommended Readings

The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer – A meditation on slowing down in a world that never stops moving.

The Sacred Art of Fasting by Thomas Ryan – A deep exploration of fasting as a spiritual practice across different traditions.

The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo – Daily reflections on living with presence, simplicity, and deep appreciation.

Why This Theme?

I’ve been fasting since yesterday. Once a year, I commit to this personal spring reset—a ritual that clears not just my body, but my mind and spirit. This time, I’m sharing the journey again with my dear husband. And every year, without fail, something magical happens in these fasting weeks. As an extroverted highly sensitive person, fasting brings me back to center. It quiets the noise, deepens my intuition, and creates space for insights that otherwise get lost in the rush of daily life. For me personally fasting isn’t just about food—it’s about clarity, presence, and realignment.

A Question for You

What’s one thing you could fast from today—not to deprive yourself, but to reconnect with what truly matters?

Let me know—I’d love to hear.

With clarity and courage,
Miriam