10/07/2015 00:03
Cynthia Gonzalez who is a certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator approaches her 18th Ramadan session and she asks herself “Will I renew the personal vow I took with myself to experience Ramadan even though I am not a Muslim?” The answer continues to be yes. She will once again join the collective mass of Muslims who say no to food, drink, sex, cigarettes and alcohol from sunrise to dawn for an entire month She also have learned to desist from uttering scorn words.
-Physical Detox-
For many, the onset of Ramadan is met with the challenge of a caffeine and cigarette withdrawal headache-for those who smoke-. The first three days are the most challenging. Stored toxins in the liver begin to release themselves and they start circulating in the blood stream until their evacuation a few days later. A tonicity permeates the body which tends to make your skin glow and your eyes become luminous.
-Getting enough nutrients-
If one eats so litter as the prophet-PBUH-did with two dates and a glass of laban or milk, the how is sustenance reinsured? My experience has shown me that instead of eating and indulging food, we should ingest “God” instead. This may be in the form of prayer, meditation or reading of spiritual texts. I personally return to the spiritual source.
-Emotional Detox-
As one continues to pass the day with only prayer, contemplation and rest, the inter-personal conflicts that keep niggling inside us, demand to be reckoned with. Anne Wilson-Schaeff in her book, Escape from Intimacy, gives the best advices about escaping from food, alcohol, cigarettes and seduction.
-Spiritual Detox-
Cleansing the psyche of life related fears that inevitably become a part of human beings, the fear of no control, the fear of death, the fear of losing someone or someone losing you and the dread of suffering is a must. All those fears need to be demolished in this holy month because that is when we become closer to God. Fasting takes away any avoidance of such suffering. Prayer and meditation as well are vehicles that can be supportive in this spiritual challenge. Zakat which is a form of charity also helps in spiritual detox. Aside from the compassionate charity to those in need, charity also helps to strengthen the trust we have in God because you have to believe that the money you give to a poor person, will be compensated by God. Definitely, God always rewards your good deeds
