Ekasan (ekashan/ekasana) means taking only one meal in a day, at one sitting, with discipline and purity. Here is a simple, traditional way to do it.

1) Preparation (morning)

• Wake up early, bathe, and keep the mind calm.
• Clean the place where you will eat. Keep a stable patla/asana; do not move it once you sit.
• Cook or arrange ahimsak, simple, satvik food. Check it carefully (jiv daya).
• Decide your time for the single meal during daylight.

2) Pachkhan (vow) before starting

• Stand, fold hands, and take a simple pachkhan like:

“Today I take the vow of Ekasan. I will eat only once, in one sitting, at one place, without attachment, according to Jain rules.”

• You may recite Navkar Mantra before and after the pachkhan.

3) During the meal

• Sit on the fixed patla/asana; do not shift it or change place.
• Eat mindfully, without haste, gossip, phone, or distractions.
• Take only what you need; avoid waste.
• Water: take only as per your niyam; many observe water only with the meal, not before or after.
• Do not get up in between; complete the meal in one continuous sitting.

4) After the meal

• Rinse mouth, clean the place, and do short prarthana or kayotsarga, offering the punya for samyak charitra.
• For the rest of the day, do not eat (and, as per your niyam, do not drink water) until the next sunrise/day.

5) Common niyams many follow

• Daylight meal: finish well before sunset.
• One place, one sitting, one focus.
• Care for tiny life: inspect food, keep area clean, avoid moving the patla to prevent himsa.
• Speak less; keep the mind in bhakti, svadhyaya, or japa.

6) Sect-wise notes (brief)

• Shvetambar: Ekasan is usually completed before sunset. Many take only boiled water, and only with the meal.
• Digambar: Emphasis on taking alms/food before noon, greater strictness about water outside the meal. Follow your guru/tradition.

(Always align with your local tradition and the niyam you have taken.)

7) Health and exceptions

• If you are ill, young, elderly, pregnant, or on medication, keep ahimsa to self first. Take guidance and adjust the vow accordingly.

Helpful extras

• You may dedicate the Ekasan to any Tirthankar (Bhagwan na ekasana) with a simple sankalp before eating.
• Recite Navkar Mantra mala, Uvasaggaharam, Logassa, or do short svadhyaya during the day as your capacity allows.

Related simple guides and Q&A

• Pachkhan for Ekasan
• Why we should not move the patla during ekasan
• Water timings and Ekasan (typical practice)

May your Ekasan become a means for samyam, ahimsa, and inner purity.