Rajesh dreaded every Ekadashi.

"By evening I'm dizzy and furious," he said. "How is starving holy?"

Here is his mistake.

He thought upavas meant fasting.

It does not.

Break the word open. Upa means near. Vasa means to dwell.

Upavas is to sit near yourself. Not to punish the body. To come home to it.

Fasting is staying away from food. Upavas is choosing the right food.

Light, simple, sattvic. Foods that calm the mind, steady hunger and lighten digestion.

When the gut is not overworked and blood sugar is not crashing, the nervous system finally exhales.

Science calls that a parasympathetic reset. The rishis called it stillness.

So a true upavas leaves you clearer, not cranky. Lighter, not lightheaded.

If yours feels like punishment, the method is wrong. Not your willpower.

Keep your vrat, but do not go empty. Fruit, soaked nuts, or warm khichdi. Eat light enough to think clearly, not so little that you cannot.

If you live with low blood sugar or any condition that makes this delicate, adapt it with someone who knows your case rather than following a rule written for a body that is not yours.

Puneet
aka That Ayurveda Guy