The Upvas journal
Notes on build the day you want.
Field notes, guides, and the thinking behind Upvas.
- 01
Building a Year-Round Vrat Rhythm
Building a sustainable year-round vrat rhythm is less about willpower than design: anchoring Ekadashi and weekly fasts to a life so the days return on their own.
2026-06-11
8 min read
- 02
Nirjala, Phalahar, or Ekbhukt: Choosing How Strictly to Fast
Nirjala, phalahar, or ekbhukt — the three depths of a vrat differ more than people think. A clear guide to choosing how strictly to fast without overreaching or undershooting.
2026-06-09
8 min read
- 03
Navratri Fasting: Nine Nights of Vrat Food
A guide to Navratri fasting and vrat food: what kuttu, singhara, samak and sabudana are for, why sendha namak replaces salt, and how to keep energy across nine nights.
2026-06-05
9 min read
- 04
A Beginner's Map of Hindu Fasts
A beginner's guide to Hindu fasts: how Ekadashi, Pradosh, Purnima, weekly day-fasts and Navratri fit together, and how to choose your first vrat without getting lost.
2026-06-02
8 min read
- 05
Why Your Fast Day Falls Apart by Afternoon
The reasons a vrat falls apart by afternoon are rarely willpower: missed chai, quiet dehydration, and a sugar-heavy morning set up the 3pm crash. Here's how to fix it.
2026-05-28
8 min read
- 06
The Lunar Calendar and the Fasting Body
Why Hindu fasts follow the lunar calendar and what the fasting body actually does on a tithi — a deep look at how the moon's rhythm and your physiology meet on Ekadashi.
2026-05-21
9 min read
- 07
What People Get Wrong About Hindu Fasting
Most assumptions about Hindu fasting are wrong: a vrat is not starvation, sabudana is not light, and fruit is not unlimited. A clearer look at how fasting actually works.
2026-05-14
8 min read
- 08
How to Observe an Ekadashi Fast the Right Way
How to observe an Ekadashi fast properly: the grains you set aside, the phalahar you can eat, and the Dwadashi window that quietly decides whether the fast counted.
2026-05-07
8 min read
- 09
Intermittent Fasting for Indian Dinner Times: The Daily Habit That Finally Sticks
Intermittent fasting for Indian dinner times stops working when the app assumes 7pm. Here's what the habit looks like when it's built around 9pm instead.
2026-04-17
6 min read
- 10
Reading Your Intermittent Fasting Progress Chart Honestly
Your intermittent fasting progress chart probably shows a streak. What it rarely shows is whether you're actually fasting — or just starting timers and calling it close.
2026-03-30
5 min read
- 11
The Fasting Data Your Doctor Actually Wants to See
Most fasting apps give you streaks. But the fasting data your doctor wants is completion rate, weight trend, and why you broke the fast — not just when.
2026-03-12
5 min read