WORKOUT:

It's Ramadan, and Shazma Gaffoor hasn't eaten or drunk for seven hours when we speak. She still has another two hours to go until she can break her fast.

The practice of fasting from dawn to dusk is central to this Muslim holy month and its purpose is to to develop God-consciousness, or Allah's awareness ("Taqwa" in Arabic).

Many of the world's religions incorporate some kind of purification ritual into their practice -- whether it's baptism, bathing before prayer, or engaging in sweat lodges as some Indigenous Americans do.

And fasting too is common across faiths. Jews have Yom Kippur, Christians observe Lent, Hindus commonly fast on a new moon day, and Catholics traditionally don't eat meat on Fridays.

But the Ramadan fast is definitely one of the more challenging purification rituals practised in Australia today.

"It's just like a workout," says Shazma. "It's an amazing mechanism. Your body just remembers it, just goes with it.

"I feel quite full now that my stomach has shrunk. You become very comfortable and you get used to it."

As well as developing godliness, fasting also helps cultivate concern for those less fortunate than yourself.

"There are people who live like that ... not knowing where they're going to have the next drink of water. That's a reminder of it, when the stomach rumbles," she says.

"There's the control. We can walk to the fridge and grab a drink but we choose not to. Many don't have that choice."

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