Discipline is Freedom: What Hindi 204 Taught Me About Fasting

Before this lesson, my understanding of fasting was fairly narrow. I associated it primarily with intermittent fasting, or with religious observances such as Ramadan or Lent. I had not considered it as a practice with a long, cross-cultural intellectual history, one that extends back to ancient Greece, nor did I expect it to complicate my understanding of something as fundamental as “freedom.”

Our Hindi 204 class taught by Anshul ji recently explored Fasting: History, Tradition, and Practice, and it became one of the more thought-provoking lessons of the semester. We began with its historical foundations, which expanded how we understood the practice. Many of us were surprised to learn that Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato fasted regularly. For them, fasting functioned as a mental discipline, a way to cultivate clarity and sharpen thought rather than fulfill a religious obligation. As Meghan reflected she “was definitely not aware of how these practices date back to the times of ancient philosophers.” Her reaction captured a broader sense of surprise that resonated throughout the room.

From there, we explored how fasting shows up across religions and cultures in ways that are both strikingly similar and uniquely distinct. In Jainism, fasting is rooted in self-discipline and karmic cleansing; in Islam, it's a means of drawing closer to Allah during Ramadan; in Sikhism, honesty sits at the core of the practice. What struck a lot of us, myself included, was how a practice that seems so personal turns out to be this deeply universal human impulse. As Mili reflected, "learning how fasting related to other religions helped me understand how it has roots in discipline but is practiced differently and for different reasons."

The true turning point of the lesson came when we met our guest speaker, Vidya Nahar, a yoga instructor who has practiced alternate-day fasting for over twelve years.  A highly respected wellness expert and founder of VYAYAM, Vidya ji has dedicated her career to integrating physical health with spiritual mindfulness through her unique yoga and language programs. Reading her Facebook post on alternate-day fasting in the target language beforehand gave us context but hearing her speak over Zoom added a different level of depth and clarity. She spoke with a sense of calm conviction that made her practice feel both disciplined and intentional.

She described fasting not as deprivation, but as freedom. This year, she explained, marked her twelfth year of what she calls “freedom” or “independence.” At first, many of us understood that as freedom from cravings or unhealthy habits. But as Srikar pointed out, it reflected “a much more responsible and mature way to look at the notion of freedom”, a discipline aimed at loosening the pull of desire and material attachment, rather than simply abstaining from food.

Connor raised a question about her physical strength, asking how yoga supports her stamina. Vidya ji explained that she teaches five to six yoga classes each day. The practice sustains her physical endurance while also keeping her mentally engaged, which helps redirect her attention away from hunger. The idea that structure and purpose could serve as a substitute for food was something several students found both counterintuitive and deeply compelling. As Karisma put it, hearing Vidya ji's story "helped turn what could have been a theoretical topic into something real and practical." I think that's exactly what a guest speaker can do when the topic calls for it.

If there's one thing I'm taking away from this lesson, it's that discipline and freedom aren't opposites, for Vidya ji, they're the same thing. And that's a perspective shift I genuinely didn't see coming walking into class that day.

​​ This event was supported by Duke Service-Learning and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.