In the rush of modern life, our souls quietly yearn for pause. Ekadashi is that sacred pause, not a ritual of restriction, but a pathway to clarity. More than just abstaining from food, the Ekadashi vrat (fast) invites us to abstain from noise, excess, and ignorance. It is a return to the self, to simplicity, silence, and surrender. July 2025 brings two powerful Ekadashi days, each offering a rare window to reset your energy and reconnect with your inner truth.

Why Ekadashi Matters: Beyond Ritual into Awareness

Moon impacts energy; fasting aids spiritual alignment.

Ekadashi falls on the 11th day of each lunar fortnight. The moon's gravitational influence is at its peak, making our body and mind more sensitive. This is why sages recommended fasting, not as punishment to the body, but to allow energy to rise upward, inward. Fasting on Ekadashi is not just dietary; it’s energetic. You withdraw from the outer to nourish the inner. You empty your vessel not to deprive, but to be filled with stillness and clarity.

For those walking the spiritual path, Ekadashi is like a monthly checkpoint. A reminder that we are not just eaters, doers, or thinkers, we are also watchers, seekers, and dissolvers of ego.
Ekadashi Vrat Dates in July 2025:

A time for restraint, silence, and self-reflection.

1. Devshayani Ekadashi – Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Parana (breaking fast): Wednesday, July 9, after 06:03 AM

Also called Ashadhi Ekadashi, this is one of the most significant Ekadashis in the Hindu calendar. It marks the beginning of Chaturmas, the four holy months of introspection and spiritual discipline. Devotees believe Lord Vishnu goes into yogic sleep (Yoga Nidra) on this day, and wakes up after four months, on Prabodhini Ekadashi.

This is a time to plant inner seeds, to reflect, to choose silence over speech, restraint over indulgence, and dharma over distraction.
2. Kamika Ekadashi – Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Parana: Thursday, July 24, after 06:07 AM

This Ekadashi is especially powerful for cleansing past karmas and fostering peace within relationships. The Puranas say that observing Kamika Ekadashi with sincerity washes away sins and brings the devotee closer to divine consciousness.
How to Observe Ekadashi: Vrat Rules That Serve a Purpose

Serve others or sit in deep inner silence.

1. Begin With Intention:

Don’t fast mechanically. Begin with sankalpa , a vow taken in the heart, not just in words. Know why you're observing it: To purify? To quiet the mind? To break an inner habit?
2. Begin Early: Sankalpa & Bath

Wake up before sunrise, take a purifying bath (ideally without soap), and make a heartfelt sankalpa (vow) for your fast
3. Fasting Types:

• Nirjala (no water or food): extreme and rare.


• Phalahar (fruits and milk): widely observed.


• Satvik Bhojan (no grains, onions, garlic): a gentle version.

Choose what aligns with your body and intention. The goal is not punishment. It is purification.
4. Mental Fasting:

Just skipping meals isn't Ekadashi. True fasting includes thoughts, speech, and action. Avoid gossip, arguments, digital noise, even unnecessary speech. Fast from distraction.
5. Seva and Silence:

Serve someone silently. Or sit with yourself silently. Either way, serve. Offer prayers to Lord Vishnu, perform puja with fruits, water, incense, and flowers.
6. Breaking the Fast (Parana)

On Dvadashi, take a simple purification bath. If it’s Nirjala, sip water over a sacred tulsi leaf placed on a Vishnu symbol (paduka) until three spoonfuls. Then offer gratitude and begin meals with sattvic food
Mantras to Anchor Your Mind

Serve others or sit in deep inner silence.

Reciting or simply contemplating these mantras helps align your energy with the purpose of Ekadashi:

• "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya": A timeless anchor to the divine within.


• "Vishnu Sahasranama": A thousand names, yet each one a mirror.


• "Om Tat Sat": A reminder that beyond illusion, only truth exists.

Repeat with sincerity, not performance. Even a whisper from the heart carries more than loud chanting from the mind.
Closing Thoughts: Don't Just Fast, Awaken

You can skip a meal and stay the same. Or you can skip the unnecessary and feel utterly transformed. In times where the body is constantly fed but the soul is starving, Ekadashi is not a rule, it’s a rescue. Every time you fast consciously, you remind yourself that you are not your cravings. You are not your chaos. You are the still awareness behind it all.

July 2025 offers two such invitations. Don’t just mark them on a calendar. Mark them on your consciousness. And remember, fasting isn’t about going without. It’s about going within.