Slim, trim and 'lives mainly on life-force'

Dubai: The slight, blonde woman sitting upright on a mound of pillows looks remarkably good for her age. Her face has aged well and her small frame is thin at around 55 kilograms, but healthy-looking. Jasmuheen, 50, says she enjoys an active lifestyle, including looking after her grandchild, dancing and practicing yoga.

However, it is not just her daily fitness regime that she credits as her secret. Jasmuheen claims that she does not eat, living on nothing other than what she describes as a life-force.

She maintains that for the last 14 years she has not eaten regular meals, existing on "pranic" energy. She has reached the point now where she only has a small amount of water every few days. According to this leading proponent of what is known as "breatharianism," she has not eaten regular meals since 1993.

"I simply eat from an alternative source of nourishment generated within the system - it is the universal life-force, otherwise called prana, chi or cosmic energy," she explained during a recent visit to Dubai, as part of a seminar tour that will wind up in the US.

Born Ellen Greve in Australia in 1957, Jasmuheen became a controversial figure after going public with her assertion that she is sustained by elements other than food and water. The promotion of her philosophy that humans can attain a higher spiritual state by starving themselves of food only generated more interest.

The majority of the people who exist on a 'normal' lifestyle of food, has a weak internal energy flow, she says. But, for those who live a "Yogi-type" life, centred on meditation, the flow is increased, which allows people such as herself to source their nourishment from within.

But is it physically possible for someone to exist on next to nothing? Not according to senior specialist at Dubai's Rashid Hospital, Dr Victor Mickaeel Boutros.

"If she really does not eat or drink water, she could only live for one week or ten days, after that it's impossible from a medical perspective," he said.

But, Jasmuheen says she has come to expect such responses from the medical profession.

The height of the controversy surrounding Jasmuheen came in the late 1990's after her teachings were linked to the deaths of three people. The tragedy led her to revise her work, but she says she does not believe she should be blamed.

"If you are drunk, go driving and drive the car into a tree, are you going to sue the car company? We actually have a very responsible programme. The three people who died were not following the programme properly."

Other critics have pointed to the potential influence 'breatharians' might have over people with eating disorders. But Jasmuheen says anorexics and bulimics are characterised by their "lack of self-love".

The author of 26 manuals, Jasmuheen claims there are another 30,000 people around the world living on 'prana', but everyone is physically capable of doing so.

The "universal-life force" is so strong in Jasmuheen that she claims she can tap into it not only for sustenance, but when seeking answers.

Although she is one of the most high-profile "breatharians", she rejects the 'guru' label and says that she is just trying to share her work and 'research' with others. Similarly, Jasmuheen - which she says means 'energy of divine sustenance' - is keen to stress the potential dangers of the lifestyle.

"For me, this has been a very gradual process - about 22 years. I didn't just suddenly say that I am not going to not eat anymore. This is not a diet and is dangerous if you do not do it properly."

So, what is her motivation for going public, travelling to and holding workshops in places like Dubai? Jasmuheen says she has pledged her life to her research with the aim of ending world hunger. "We want to take our research into third world countries and apply it there."