Sungazing Quickstart Guide

[Yoda]

 

Watch the sunset.

 

Lovers are drawn to sunsets. My psychologist friend who has a lot of experience treating Seasonal Affective Disorder says the first thing he tells a new patient with SAD is to watch the sunsets. He says that the brain serotonin levels go up with just that one habit in place. He said that when people are in love, they naturally gravitate to watching sunsets as looking into the sun at that time supports the physiology of that emotional state. The next step in his treatment is to get them to watch the sunrise as well. Doing so, helps get the day started off well. Obviously, his very depressed patients can't make it out of bed for that, so sunrise treatments are strictly for folks on the mend with enough energy. Lovers aren't known for getting out of bed super early, either.

 

So that's a good place to start. Just get into the habit of admiring the sunsets. Even if you can't see the sun due to clouds, trees, or buildings, just take in the radiance. Even after the sunset, there's a lot of great vibes in the air and worth taking in.

 

That's it! You've already mastered one of the easiest and most powerful practices around. You are a natural mystic and a few minutes watching the sunset will remind you of this eternal truth.

 

In the words of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov, a Hungarian mystic:

"As soon as you begin to breathe and drink the life of the sun, everything changes because your soul opens up, a spring gushes forth and you are imbued with the splendour of the dawn. Something of the pure light in which you are bathing slowly penetrates you and you want to spread these blessings everywhere so that all beings may taste the same happiness."

 

And as Ken Cohen points out in "Way of Qigong" one of the very earliest Chinese ideograms for chi was a picture of light radiating from the sun, so practices such as admiring the sunset and sunrise may be one of the first energy practices ever discovered.

 

That's all you need to know to get rolling. If you are interested in sungazing as a yogic practice, check out www.solarhealing.com and www.rawpaleodiet.org/sungazing for various perspectives, techniques and safety guidelines.

 

If you find yourself drawn to this practice, please limit yourself to five minutes or less per day of direct sun exposure initially and gradually more as time goes on. If you begin to feel stressed out during the course of daily life, please curtail the duration and/or frequency of your practice. In the meantime, feel free to watch the radiance of the sky for as long as you like after the sun has set. I call this practice, Vespers, and it allows one to deeply experience the beauty and bliss of the sun's energy while very slowly and comfortably introducing the practitioner to the transformative power of sungazing.

 

6/6/05 Update:

 

According to Michael Winn and other sungazing teachers, sungazing energy is hard to digest. The side effects of overdoing it can include nervousness, agitation, temper, etc. Running seems to be the solution. It has been noted by regular sungazers that their energy levels often increase and adopting a regular program of exercise seems to be fairly common. Walking immediately after sungazing is another beneficial practice to help circulate, ground, and process the energy. For males, sperm retention is another important practice to amplify the benefits of the practice.

 

I'm currently at the 6 month mark with the practice and it definitely is not a 9 month, one time practice as portrayed in solarhealing.com. I agree with Winn on this one: your first year of sungazing is just the introduction to the practice where one is simply getting used to the basic stimulation it provides. For me, I've experienced nothing particularly mystical or hugely transformative, but my energy levels are definitely growing b/c of it.

 

10/3/05 Several Updates:

 

Michael Winn recommends following sungazing with Primordial Chikung or mixing it with Deep Healing Chikung. Doing Primordial after sungazing is an awesome way to process the energy after sungazing. It's awesome!! Better than walking afterwards. Also, try healing sounds and inner smile during sungazing. Another insight--stay off the grass, water and wet ground during and immediately after sungazing unless you are wearing shoes. Grass sucks the energy right through you. Wait at least an hour before going barefoot on grass. I didn't believe this at first, but have experienced the truth of it.

 

11/8/05 Update

 

Through the influence of 'Advanced Yoga Practices' I've come to appreciate the distinction between meditation and pranayama and the necessity of practicing both. Sungazing is an energy cultivation/pranayama exercise and needs meditation to smooth out the ride. I still feel that exercise is extremely useful in processing sungazing energy, but meditation is imperative to orient the energy in a blissful, peaceful direction. If you have to choose, meditation should be a higher priority, then energy exercises like sungazing, then exercise like running, yoga, PCK, etc.

 

8/14/2007 Update

 

So I had quit sungazing as it carried too much energy and even negative energy. Now that I look back, I realized that I had done mostly sunset sungazing. Some sungazing gurus say it doesn't matter, but some are very adamant about only doing sunrise sungazing as the energy is cleaner and more beneficial. I'll have to check that out, but I think this was the mistake I had made. I can't sungaze in my yard in the summer months (too much foilage) but I can sungaze with my eyes closed when the sun is higher or sunbathe in the morning rays to check out this angle.

[TimBlack]

Very interesting. Every November I feel my energy being sapped as we move into winter. By march, I can almost no longer tolerate it. Energy work is ineffective until spring brings the sun.

I am going to try the sungazing.

If interest is there, I will report on my virgin sungazing experience!

 

Tim (aka Tao1776)

[TimBlack]

found this interesting link

 

 

http://www.seekeronline.org/journals/y2003/dec03.html

 

 

 

 

12-25-03 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

* find a training seminar or course somewhere on sungazing unless you are very much in touch with your inner guidance or intuition. I strongly recommend for beginners the guidelines and the individual guidance offered by Hira Manek (aka HRM, mentioned elsewhere on this page many times), who is now located in Florida in the USA;; his website and contact information may be found at http://www.solarhealing.com

 

* start by letting the full sun hit your closed eyelids for many minutes at a time first - you get some of the same benefits, but it is far less intense! Then, after a week or so of doing this practice only, you may feel ready to move into looking at the sun with open eyes during the early day or late day time windows recommended below.

 

* make sure, whenever you are sungazing, that your back is straight and that your feet are firmly on the ground. This seems to be very important, in both my own experience and in a number of traditions.

 

* again, feet firmly on the ground... Barefoot (even in winter) is best, socks or stocking feet is next best, and even shoes are far better than not having the feet on the ground at all.

 

* especially when first starting, try to sungaze only within the time windows of the first 1/2 hour after sunrise or the last 1/2 hour prior to sunset, or, even the first and last hour of each day. I note that Hira Manek always recommends the first hour after sunrise or the last hour before sunset only, and he has told me that these are the times at which he has always sungazed himself. (For a number of reasons, I never followed these time-of-day guidelines during my first ten years of sungazing, and even today almost never do so; rather, I started by sungazing only between 10 AM and 3 PM in summertime in Western Pennsylvania while in graduate school; rather amazingly, I still have excellent vision.)

 

* start slowly, perhaps sungazing during the early day or late day time windows for only 30 to 60 seconds at a time in the beginning, and increasing the time slowly over ensuing weeks.

 

* when finished your sungazing session, stay outside with your feet on the ground, either standing or walking, for at least 20 minutes. Hira Matek has told me that he recommends walking barefoot for at least 45 minutes after each sungazng session. This sounds ideal. I personally have found that even 10 minutes of barefoot standing our walking outdoors is far better than no "post-sungazng" time at all.

 

* sungazing outside the two early and late 1/2 hour or 1 hour time windows listed above can possibly be very risky, and I am NOT recommending that practice to anyone at any time.

 

* most importantly, never sungaze between the hours of 10 AM thru 3:30 PM unless you know exactly what you are doing. See note below regarding eclipses...

 

* lastly, never sungaze during an eclipse, as your pupils may be tricked by the apparent lack of light intensity into letting too far much light into your eyes.

 

* listen to your body and intuition

 

* Incidentally, if you ever plan to sungaze, it does help if the following conditions -- in addition to those basic considerations listed in a section above -- are observed while sungazing:

 

 

* early AM or late PM only, within an hour of sunrise or sunset, unless and until you know for sure that you are guided to sungaze at other times of day....

 

* works best and with least problems if your heart is already somewhat open. If not, heart-centered tools (Heartmath tools, etc.) are probably best to help you allow your heart to open and connect with what I call Divine Heart or Supreme Heart.

 

* do it and only it while doing it -- no distractions such as walking the dog, minding the kids, talking to spouse

 

* face the sun squarely with entire body and face

 

* feet flat on ground

 

* be either standing with knees slightly bent, or sitting in a chair

 

* start slowly, and build gradually... starting with only a half-minute per day, and slowly building...

 

* consciously "open" the spine channels from top of head to pelvis by visualizing beforehand a large tube running from crown to pelvis; do this visualization for only a few second in the beginning, and then let go of it...

 

* gently, for the first few seconds, "pull" the light energy from sun first to heart and then to belly (solar plexus) and then to lower belly (navel chakra). From here, especially on the exhale, you can allow the energy to flow throughout the body.

 

* fully expect that you may experience a strong "negative" sun image in yellow or blue afterwards for up to an hour, particularly if you neglect to stand or walk on the earth for at least 10 to 20 minutes after sungazing.

 

* fully expect that you may feel some slight visual impairment for up to an hour afterwards

 

* fully consider that you may have old repressed emotional material come up

 

* while looking at sun, go to heart center and thank sun for all it gives us and express gratitude and appreciation for life it gives

 

* some Native American traditions claim that if you look at the sun with gratitude, anything you sincerely ask for at that time will be granted or will manifest

 

* learn to listen to your body and intuition

 

* my own feeling is that if heart center is relatively closed and one sungazes, one may experience heart "problems" (pain, angina-type stuff, spasms, weakness) in the days, weeks and months afterward, till the blocks are cleared.

 

* many claim that if you sungaze regularly, it changes your aura and the spirit in your eyes incredibly. Folks on the street may sometimes notice. However, many of these same people (who make the claims about changes in aura and spirit in the eyes) claim that if you are sexually active and have frequent orgasms, this can easily dissipate the added sun/spirit energy. Some sungazers practice Tantric methods to prevent orgasm in order to hold the energy

 

12-26-03

 

My own experience with sungazing is that one should do it while standing (most preferable) or sitting with feet firmly on the ground, and first very briefly visualize (for only a few seconds) a tube running up and down the entire length of the spine, very clear and open (I believe this helps to open the 3 spinal energy channels [central channel, ida and pingala] to the energy flow.)

 

Alternatively, or additionally, one can also briefly focus on, and relax, the throat and jaw areas. This seems to help the energies flow and reduce untoward symptoms or after-effects. Most beginners seem to start slowly, perhaps looking only at the sun with eyes closed for a few weeks, and then progressing to looking at a spot near the sun with eyes open for a few weeks, and then progressing finally to direct sungazing for very short periods at first, at times before 10:00 AM and after 3:30 PM. Some die-hard sungazers in temperate latitudes then seem to sometimes eventually progress to sungazing in midday even in summertime.

 

When I look at the sun, I draw the energy first to the heart center and then to the solar plexus and navel centers, and then, on exhale, out to the rest of the body. We all seem to notice that we may have some loss of vision in the center of the visual field (I see blurred light image of the sun) for about 10 minutes following a session, and some folks report really nasty headaches and sinus pains which may last for days afterward, especially when first starting, and my opinion (and that of others as well) is that this is especially severe if there are lots of pre-existing toxins or damaged tissue in that area.

 

For those who have been practicing for some time and who are serious adherents, sun gazing often may involve staring directly at the sun, often between 10 AM and 3 PM, when it is brightest (even in summer!), with eyes wide open, for many minutes at a time. Again, as noted before, most practitioners feel that one must also consciously circulate the energy received by the eyes through certain energy centers of the body as well.

 

As noted earlier, I have sungazed occasionally for years. The practice can lead to very heavy cleansing symptoms in the beginning if one has lots of toxins on an energy level or the physical level. Again, please note that I am not advising this technique for anyone else.

 

Sun gazing: to stare directly at the sun, eyes open, usually while sitting with the feet on the ground, for anywhere from a minute to a half-hour, with appreciation and gratitude in the heart for all the sun gives us. In the 15-plus years in which I have been practicing this, I, along with others who do it, find that while early morning works well, the best times, at least in cool temperate climates, seem to be between 10 AM and 3 PM, when the sun is at its highest position and "brightest".

 

A newcomer may get rather severe cleansing headaches at first (or is it major damage? who knows?). Please do not do this just on my word; please research it first!

 

For those of us who do sungaze: We usually sit, face the sun, open our eyes, look at the sun, and then allow the the sun energy down to our heart chakra, solar plexus chakra, and navel chakra, and then allow it to flow to the rest of the body!

 

If you are seriously contemplating sungazing, especially just outside the times just after sunrise or just before sunset, then you are likely a bit crazy. If you are considering it, then I would urge you to research the matter thoroughly and to consult deeply and sincerely with your intuition and heart intelligence before doing any sungazing, and do not push yourself if you do not feel ready! I do NOT recommend trying this!

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

This is a great practice that I am taking up again.

 

I follow the Surya Yoga Path of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov.

[Yoda]

TheSongsofDistantEarth,

 

I don't mess with it anymore... my luck crashed on the program, but I'm definitely a huge believer in getting out in the sun on a daily basis. Keep us posted how it goes! If you stop eating be sure to brag!

 

Your pal,

Yoda

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Actually, Omraam's Surya Yoga has less to do with actually gazing than it does with relating to the (rising) sun and working with it's energies. When I have practiced it, I basically do Zhan Zhuang for some time before the sun rises, along with the solar meditations, and only gaze at the sun for about 5 minutes, until it fully clears the horizon. I also sometimes use the 'double breath' that Rudi (Swami Rudrananda) taught, in order to 'eat' the energy of the rising sun. It's an interesting practice, sometimes i also take in other energies the same way...like that energy that comes with the acceleration of a jet as it starts down the runway and takes off, pushing you back in your seat...there are lots of opportunities to take in energy like that.

 

 

 

.

[Yoda]

That sounds much healthier than what I did... 30+ minutes at a stretch. Maybe do some kettlebells afterwards?

[4bsolute]

Let's also add the Sun Gazing techniques originated in India:

 

Sun Gazing is spread all over the world and became quite famous now in the West by a man called HRM (Hira Ratan Manek). You can simply google him or even better, check youtube for videos where he explains everything. There are also many trustful sources on youtube nowadays, since mostly all of them come from HRM's super easy technique.

 

How do you do it?

 

You look Into the sun. Straight into it. You do this at sunrise or sunset. Or both. HRM's method is for people without intention. So most people who do not practice meditation or in general abandoned their natural heart's guidance. You add 10seconds each day up to 44minutes, which is ~ 9months of sun-gazing. Both feed barefoot on the ground. Like written below.

 

The effects are felt immediately. I personally am at 8m50 and have felt the most right at the beginning and then it slowly throttles down until you again reach certain peaks. From personal experiences of others, they all cross eachother at around minute 15 where again your consciousness is boosted and you feel many phenomenas like in advanced mediation happening by themself. And then there are other stages during these 44mins where many more extraordinary things will happen. You also stand on the earth for 45minutes each day ontop of that. You have to do this for grounding, it really is a must. Sand works also, but pure mud or earth is the best. Avoid grass, since it's naturally competes with you as a human to get sun-energy aswell.

 

Hunger is gone for most people who do not force this process at minute 30-35+. That is because your body is so charged by this natural energy, that it does not require anymore food intake. Remember: We only eat food primarily to get Chi out of it. So all your nourishment comes then Directly from a pure source, the sun. No second-/third-hand food anymore.

 

Also it happens naturally that we do not have to sleep anymore. Our regeneration is boosted so much that it requires no heavy periods of rest, such as longer times of sleep anymore. Occasionally a nap is fine.

 

There is no set-back when you have days with no sun. So you continue where you have been the last time you were gazing. If you have periods like I currently do in northern Europe with less sun and much cloudy weather, you repeat your last time and then continue normally. So gazing timer is at 3min30 and you experience not so wonderful weather for 1week+ continously, then you do not continue with 3min40, you do 3min30 again and the next day 3min30. Easy.

 

When you are finished you rub both of your hands together and place them upon your eyes. This is called palming your eyes. We do this because then we absorb all the colors our psyche has avoided during the gazing. So we wait until the Whole picture in our sight is absorbed into our being and we only see blackness, no dots, pure blackness. This completes the sun-gazing process for that day.

 

When you are conntected to your intention you can vary these times and gaze into the sun as long as you want. I personally do this but I still add 10sec each day. So I see my process complete after 44minutes and Not if I am able to go 44mins in one go. This process takes time, for everybody.

 

This practice goes Wonderfully with meditation. Since you integrate all of the pure energy to transform your being. I would not say that throws aside such practices as Chi Kung / Qi Gong or Tai Chi - but when also Add these, you can be sure that you become a Taoist Immortal.

 

Who ever has read or currently is reading Awakening Healing Light Of The Tao by Mantak Chia knows this process is just natural. We drop our animalistic roots and become somewhat like Gods again, like we once were. 500-1000yo sage, not a problem, because you will also automatically discard all your believes you have been fed by society and witnessed only how old a person can become nowadays.. merely 80, which is like an infant to what a Taoist Immortal once was.

 

So sun gazing is VERY important for the health of our very being. You can see this practice as color- and light therapy. The highest form of it on this planet.

 

To explain it easily understandable for anyone what happens in this process: You might have heard of the psychology of colors and that each color is associated with a different emotion. And now guess what! This also goes directly for the sun. The sun itself is pure in terms of the light it radiates. The sun therefor balances all the frequencies in your body that are associated with lower vibes and puts them into the right place. To formulate it understandably without going into much detail.

 

Aside all wrong believes that sun-light is damaging to the eyes... sun-light is pure healing. YES, staring into the direct mid sun is heavily damaging your eyes, no doubt. That is why we go slowly and only do it for the time of being 1hour @sunrise and 1hour until sunset. But there are practices who can bring you there, to also use the noon-sun, which is 100fold high voltage to integrate it into your being (without being desintegrated first). There maybe are Taoist practices, I only know them as Sun-yoga.

 

I assume that any professional meditator (not beginner, not advanced) can do this practice without harm.

 

-

 

Personally I have to say that I became such a sucker for these ancient techniques that I have already made my uncle addictd to them and the list goes on to who-ever is receptive to it, like people were literally Waiting for this information to be releaved again!

 

And we all know that the vibrations of the earth have changed and that all energy practices nowadays are super easy to perfom and you can witness quantum leaps in your personal developments on a Daily Basis! I am really not kidding, since I experience this for myself.

 

Now, get out there, abandon your ego and it's false excuse what you can not be (but already ARE!) and become your Own true master again!!

 

We ARE in the Golden Age, we ARE the "Gods" that realize themselves! Break your bonds with society and realize your true self! For we are eternal and always will be.

 

Love & light!

 

 

PS: Any questions? Feel free to PM me.

Edited June 2, 2013 by 4bsolute