Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A Breatharian is one who follows a diet in which no food (and possibly no water) is consumed. Breatharians claim that they are sustained by 'light energy' (or prana) alone, and that this 'diet' is an option for anybody, once the proper techniques for accessing it are made known. Both current scientific theories about nutrition and generally accepted common sense indicate that a person who followed these diets would die of starvation or thirst. There is no accepted scientific evidence for any of the claims put forward by the breatharians. The only breatharian to undergo scientific scrutiny -- Ellen Greve (aka Jasmuheen) -- became ill and bowed out after a few days without food or water, citing stress as the cause for her symptoms. Read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda for 2 historical examples. The well-publicized deaths of Verity Linn and Lani Marcia Roslyn Morris whilst attempting to enter the breatharian "diet" have helped ensure hostility towards the movement. The breatharian movement also suffered a credibility blow some years ago when another of its leading lights, Wiley Brooks, was caught sneaking into a hotel and ordering a chicken pie. See also Qi Qigong Fruitarianism Liquidarianism Vegetarianism New Age Occultism Esotericism Mysticism Spirituality Religion Cults Diet External Links Skeptic's dictionary article about Breatharianism BBC story: Guru condemned as 'dangerous' BBC story: Woman 'starved herself to death' BBC story: Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.