This was 1 experience that brought me many emotions. First came nervousness as I began mixing salt water to drink, wondering whether it would work. Why did it seem so simple, yet the results sounded miraculous? Then came anticipation and restlessness as I saw others already beginning to have bowel movements, while I had drunk nearly half a 5L container and still nothing happened. Perhaps it did not work for me?
Then, half an hour into the afternoon class, my body finally began its purification process, and I was excited and happy. Wow! My first watery bowel movement felt so… strange. Both worrying and comfortable; I even thought of doing purification weekly to stay clean. I felt clear water moving through each section of my intestines, washing away sediment. The feeling of cleanliness was so unusual, cleaner than taking a bath!
At first, my bowel movements were normal, as every day. Later, they became more watery, and the water began to clear. During the final purges, when the water was clearer, I could smell a fishy odor from my large intestine. I felt such tenderness for every part of my intestines, realizing how hard they had worked because of my unhealthy, indulgent eating habits. I ate whenever I craved something, ate before bed, ate when sad, and invited friends to eat when happy.
Over the past 1 year, as work did not go smoothly, I experienced a lot of stress, so eating became my way of satisfying my fatigue. In addition to 3 main meals each day, I sometimes snacked to satisfy cravings, so I was very worried when starting the cleanse, unsure how far I could manage.
And strangely, on the first fasting day, I did not feel hungry; my body felt light and very comfortable. Unlike after a full meal, when my mind becomes sluggish and I then keep craving this or that, while fasting I craved nothing. By day 2, what I wanted was light-flavored plant-based vegetarian food, not strongly flavored nonvegetarian dishes as before.
From the first fasting day through day 2, I was constantly sleepy and could lie down and immediately sleep well. This morning I could dream and remember my dream very clearly. Normally, remembering is very difficult; I might not even recall whether I dreamed, or the details are very vague. This will greatly help me interpret the messages in my dreams. I am sleeping much better than before, a truly precious gift.
On day 2, while arguing with my husband, my anger erupted, but I noticed it was much smaller than before. My chest no longer pounded, and the anger passed more quickly. I found it easier to initiate reconciliation rather than wait for him. My anger felt small and light, ordinary and easier to step out of rather than spiral into. Perhaps fasting left no excess energy for pointless things?
The only thing that made me uncomfortable in this experience was terrible pain on the left side of my head. Waves of throbbing pain exhausted me, and again I only wanted to sleep. In addition, my mouth felt tasteless, my muscles felt a little tired when moving, and my ears rang. Overall, it was somewhat like cold symptoms and still within what I could handle; there was nothing worrying, I was just a little tired.
It is now the morning of day 3, and my hunger is mild, without the gnawing, stomach-twisting sensation I used to have. Hunger used to make me extremely irritable; if I could not eat, I became sluggish and uncomfortable—what people call “hangry.” Since starting cleansing and fasting, I have deeply realized that my body does not crave food as my mouth does. Eating feels graceful and meaningful: it nourishes and brings life energy, rather than feeding 1 hungry ghost inside me.
Dear organizers, over the past 1 year I restarted healthy eating many times without success, still craving chicken pho, broken rice, crab noodle soup, milk tea… It was so hard to give up those delicious flavors, yet after just 2 days my body feels very comfortable, relaxed, and light. If I crave anything, it is only a bowl of rice with boiled vegetables. I can imagine the sweetness of a carrot on my tongue—delicious.