Fasting with Purpose: Rediscover Balance through Langhana

Let Your Body Feel Light, Not Languid

Have you ever woken up feeling overly heavy or sluggish, despite getting enough rest? Ayurveda calls this a signal that the digestive fire (Agni) is overwhelmed, and impurities (Ama) are piling up. Langhana—a therapeutic fasting is the ancient answer.

A Modern Pause for Restoration

Just as today’s intermittent fasting invites a metabolic reboot, Ayurveda’s Langhana offers a time-tested strategy to ease digestion, balance doshas, and support the body’s natural healing—used for millennia to treat conditions like indigestion, obesity, and sluggish metabolism and many metabolic disorders.

What Is Langhana – Fasting with Purpose

Langhana (लंघन) means “to fast” or “to lighten.” As one of Ayurveda’s fundamental treatment principles, it’s designed to dissolve heaviness—particularly excess Kapha and Ama—by balancing the three doshas.

• 1. Light (Laghu), Warm (Ushna), Dry (Ruksha) qualities
• 2. Sharp (Teekshna), Subtle (Sookshma), Penetrative—helping unclog blocked channels
• 3. Relying on mono-diets, herbal regimens, physical exercise, sun and wind exposure, and fasting itself

Why It Matters – Benefits of Langhana

• Clears Ama & Opens Channels: Eases digestion, reduces bloating, and supports toxin elimination.
• Balances Doshas: Especially effective for Kapha and Kapha–Pitta imbalances.
• Kindles Agni: Rejuvenates digestive fire for better metabolism and nutrient absorption.
• Lightens the Body and Mind: Brings clarity, energy, and a sense of renewal.
• Supports Health Conditions: Useful in IBS, obesity, sinus congestion, chronic low-energy states.

How It's Done – The Art & Science of Fasting

A. Types of Langhana Therapies

• 1. Shodhana (Purifying): Includes fasting/Upavasa, thirst control, exercise, sun/wind exposure, herbal enemas or nasal drops, plus light herbal cuisine.
• 2. Shamana (Palliative): Involves light mono-diets, stimulating teas, gentle herbs—continuing the lightening process.

B. How Long & How Often?

• 1. Customized per dosha type, season, age, and health condition. Kapha types may fast weekly; Pitta monthly; Vata very gently and sparingly.

C. Signs of a Good Fast

• 1. Lightness, clear digestion, appetite, thirst, energy
• 2. Feeling sharp-minded and internally cleansed and enthusiastic

D. Caution & Contraindications

• 1. Overdoing can lead to dryness, weakness, anxiety, reduced digestion, joint pain
• 2. Not suitable for Vata-weak, high Pitta (fever), pregnant women, or elderly without supervision

Integrating Langhana at Sanjeevani Ayurveda

At Sanjeevani Ayurveda, under Dr. Geeta Patil’s expert guidance, Langhana is customized according to your Prakriti (constitutional type), digestive strength, current health challenges, and stage of life.

Sample Protocol:

• Preparation: Light meals, herbal deepana/pachana, detoction, gentle early fasting
• Fasting Phase: Herbal teas, warm water, light mono-diet as needed
• Refeeding: Easing in with khichdi, mung soup, herbal gruels—igniting Agni gently

Conditions Treated:

• 1. IBS/Grahani, indigestion
• 2. Chronic fatigue & Ama-related sluggishness
• 3. Metabolic congestion, weight gain, Kapha or Pitta imbalances

Conclusion – A Journey Toward Lightness & Balance

Langhana isn't about starvation—it’s a purposeful pause that honors your digestion, clears toxins, and realigns your body with natural rhythms. When conducted thoughtfully—through guided protocols, mindful timing, and appropriate refeeding—it becomes a powerful friend on your path to holistic health.

Interested in experiencing Ayurvedic fasting under expert care? Reach out to Sanjeevani Ayurveda today for personalized consultation and embark on your journey toward renewed energy, clarity, and balance.

Dr. Geeta Patil

Sanjeevani Ayurveda