A woman claims she doesn’t need solid food anymore to stay alive as she gets most of her energy from tea, smoothies, and breathing exercises.
25-year-old Audra Bear from Minneapolis says her lifelong interest in healing, health, and well-being has led her to the bizarre practices of ‘prana’ and ‘breatharianism.’
Prana is a type of energy. Audra says we breathe in not only oxygen but also prana. Breatharians claim they get their daily nutrition by breathing in the air instead of eating solid and delicious meals.
Audra says her 40 minutes of breathing exercises per day make her capable of living with only juices, smoothies, and tea.
But a nutritional scientist has warned that this kind of lifestyle is ‘harmful’ and there is ‘no scientific evidence that breathing offers essential nutrients.’
Before she converted to breatharian life, Audra said she had been living the raw vegan lifestyle. Before that, she was a regular garden vegan.
Audra thinks breathing ‘to receive energy and nourishment’ has significantly improved her health. Her longest fast was 97 days and during those times she only ate pureed vegetables and fruits.
The 25-year-old also does breathing exercises for longer periods throughout the day.
She still gets proper meals whenever she goes out with her family and friends. But Audra says she feels much better after converting to breatharian.
“Prana is another word for energy, also known as Qi or Chi. It is a life-giving force that flows in, through and around all things, it’s in the air we breathe, the sunshine, nature, connections with people and all living things,” she explained.
She added: “It started by practicing breathwork. There is something magical about conscious, controlled breathing that brings you with a face to face meeting with yourself, it brings you back to the core of your being.
“Breathwork helps you to realise who you are and what you need or don’t need. I never intended to ‘quit food’ I just started practicing for 40 minutes a day and after about five days I no longer had such a hunger for dense foods. My first fast lasted 97 days.
“This is not about restriction or living in lack. Living in this way is very big step away from a traditional life but the lifestyle also brings about so much abundance, health and happiness. That is where my focus will always be.”
Nutrition scientist Helena Gibron-Moore warned: “A diet that only includes fruit juices and teas is likely to be low in energy so although initial weight loss may occur, in the long term you will be missing out on important nutrients for good health.”
What do you think about Audra’s diet? Do you also agree that it is a ridiculous fad? Let us know in the comments section!