Fasting is often discussed as a wellness trend, yet it is a long-standing practice found across traditional healing systems, religious observances, and cultural health routines worldwide. In this educational course, you explore fasting through both modern physiology and traditional Ayurvedic frameworks, gaining a clear understanding of what happens in the body during periods without food and why fasting can be supportive when approached thoughtfully.
The course examines how the body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy, how insulin and metabolic signaling influence fuel selection, and how the body transitions through distinct stages during fasting. You also learn how fasting has traditionally been used alongside seasonal changes, dietary simplification, and reflective practices to support balance rather than deprivation.
Rather than promoting extreme protocols, this course emphasizes discernment—how constitution, lifestyle, digestive strength, and timing influence whether fasting is appropriate and what form it might take. You are introduced to gentler approaches, such as mono-diets and structured dietary pauses, as well as considerations for when fasting may not be advisable.
This class is for individuals seeking an informed, balanced understanding of fasting grounded in physiology, traditional wisdom, and practical context.
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Fasting is one of the most widely practiced health traditions in human history, appearing in medical systems, seasonal rituals, and spiritual disciplines across cultures. This course provides a structured, educational exploration of fasting that integrates modern metabolic science with Ayurvedic perspectives, helping you understand not just what fasting is, but how and when it may support balance.
You begin by examining how the body processes food at a biochemical level, including the roles of insulin, glycogen storage, fat metabolism, and protein conservation. The course outlines the major metabolic phases the body moves through when food intake is reduced, clarifying how energy production shifts and why the body is capable of maintaining function during periods without eating.
From there, the course places fasting within a broader traditional context. You explore why many cultures aligned fasting with seasonal transitions and how these practices parallel modern understandings of digestion, metabolic rest, and recovery. An Ayurvedic framework is introduced to explain why individuals respond differently to fasting and why body type, digestive strength, and current imbalance are essential considerations.
Rather than emphasizing prolonged or extreme fasting, the course highlights preparatory and supportive strategies, including mono-diets, timing of meals, and gradual dietary simplification. You also learn when fasting may be inappropriate and why factors such as medication use, life stage, and nutritional status must be taken into account.
Throughout the course, fasting is presented as one tool among many—best understood within a larger system of daily rhythms, nourishment, and self-observation—rather than as a universal solution.
What you’ll learn:
How the body transitions through metabolic phases during fasting
The role of insulin, fuel selection, and energy conservation
How traditional systems understand fasting in relation to constitution and season
Differences between full fasting, mono-diets, and dietary simplification
Key considerations for safety, preparation, and individual suitability
This class is ideal for:
Individuals curious about fasting who want an educational, non-extreme approach
Students of Ayurveda, herbalism, or holistic nutrition
Practitioners seeking conceptual understanding of fasting frameworks
People exploring intermittent fasting or seasonal dietary resets
Anyone interested in how metabolism, digestion, and rhythm interact
Get access to this class PLUS our entire Foundations Library (200+ classes!) for only $47/month. Members also get access to all new Foundations classes taught live every month!
