Solar Gazing -- What in the World is Sungazing?
76Solar Gazing -- a Brief Study
A couple of days ago, while having a conversation with my mother, she began to tell me about a very odd practice called solar gazing that I had never heard of before. In disbelief, I went right online to do some research of my own. Lo and behold, I'm here to report that she was right. Did you know that there's an active practice going on in our world, where people actually stare directly at the sun for healing and energy? They call it solar gazing, or solar healing, and they claim it does some very intriguing things. The practice is actually an ancient one, dating back thousands of years. I took this quote directly from the website www.Sungazing.com:
“It should be written that the sun holds incredible power for those who wish to obtain it, are willing to change how they view the universe and how they currently live their lives. Light is the basic nutrient of all life, how we utilize, metabolize and understand this light can help us evolve.”
 | This book has more information into the subject, but for anyone interested, I recommend the book above. I always prefer to just go straight to the source. Amazon Price: $20.99 |
Solar Gazing -- Some Research
Interesting? We've known for many thousands of years that the sun contained energy. Sunlight warms the Earth, after all. But who in the world ever thought that our bodies would somehow be able to metabolize direct sunlight for energy while solar gazing? Many remain skeptical. I'm still on the fence.
Sun gazing, which is also known by a variety of other names, including solar healing, solar gazing, sun staring, Sun Yoga, Surya Yoga and Solar Yoga, is the term for the practice of staring directly at the sun at certain times of the day, most often sunrise or sunset, to receive nourishment and energy that either complements or replaces normal solid food. Solar gazing takes place for a maximum of thirty minutes, either just before the sun sets, or just after it rises. This is the time of day when the sun's rays are least damaging to the eye. Apparently, when following this main law, a person can keep their optics undamaged.
Doing a little bit more research, I learned that there's actually a man alive today who has survived only on “sun energy” for many hundreds of days without eating any food. His name is Hira Ratan Manek and I've included his book. His ideas about life and the sun are both fascinating and compelling.
I found this idea fascinating, not only because it's something so counter-intuitive to what medical science is telling us, but also because of the way mankind has viewed sunsets throughout history. One of the things that Hira Ratan Manek said about gazing at the sun is that, on the spiritual/emotion side, it produces a deep sense of wellbeing within the watcher. This intrigued me because throughout history, poets and philosophers have associated sunsets with a profound sense of peace.
My own experience with sunsets confirms that feeling. When I watch the sun descend upon the world, I'm often struck by a strange and timeless notion that the world is still full of possibilities. I feel connected to that grand, elusive scheme intertwining all of humankind, and am struck by those subtle mysteries the world has to offer. The scientific community has neither confirmed nor denied the practice of sungazing for solar healing. As a disclaimer, this article is purely informational. I do not sanction or recommend this practice. Thanks for reading!
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Thanks! I'm glad you found it interesting as well. We have mountains everywhere in San Diego so I never get to see the sunrise.
Interesting Article. To me it only shows the longing people have to be "spiritual" Personally, I like SONgazing and keep looking to that one day when I see the Son and look Him in the eys. But for now I am just gazing toward Him. By the way Sunsets and Sunrises are indeed beautiful
Hmmm very interesting hub here Benji. And now that you mentioned, I think I'm into it but just didn't know it - some careless habit I suppose. Though I must admit that lately I've been spending considerable time moongazing - la luna mystica :D
I have been known to stare at the sun myself, though not for healing but like you, that sence of peace. Often times too, just before sun goes down, if I am in a car, I like to pretend that if I just kept driving straight, I could drive to the sun.
Course then it strikes me that, between us and the sun is darkness and how darkness and light exist in the same space is sometimes enough to make me appreciate just being a simple human.
Interesting hub Benji. Though it does remind me of this story I once read called the "breatharian diet". People lived off eating air. I wouldn't try it myself cause I get way to hungry after just a few hours. :)
Tomorrow I will be getting up before the sun and driving in to work as it is bound to be breaking through the rain clouds that will be lingering. That's always something special for me to see, the ray of hope breaking through the clouds of doubt.
Actually, I read this article about this gentleman a couple of years back in the newspapers. He claims to have survived ONLY on sunlight (and little else) since many years. I have also noticed a lot of (mostly elderly) people have taken up this practice since then. I can see them gazing at the sun when I go jogging in the morning. You are right in that there is a half an hour window that is available in the morning when this should be done. Any other time of the day (even with weak sunlight) can have really bad consequences for the eyes!
well nice hub and I think I may try this...love to watch the sunset here they are so outstanding and I agree with Goldentoad when the rays come shining through is breathtaking...and food life begins in the sea from the sun so it must be true...Smart mom you have Thank her for me...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY SWEETIE G-Ma :O) Hugs & Peace
Howdy all! Sorry, I've been out of town all weekend. Thanks very much for reading.
Cris, I'm all about the moongazing as well.
Sandra, that's totally deep. "It strikes me that, between us and the sun is darkness and how darkness and light exist in the same space is sometimes enough to make me appreciate just being a simple human." I love it!
GT, sorry you have to wake up so early man :( Before sunrise is just brutal. But that's awesome that you get to appreciate the sunrise.
SS, I think the man you're referring to is the one I mentioned in the article
G-ma! Thanks for the happy Valentines wish. It's awesome to think about how many people are watching the same sunset at the same time. It's setting now in fact. I should go watch it :)
Coffeesnob, sorry, accidentally posted the comment before I checked it. I agree completely, "Let us fix our eyes on things above, not on earthly things." Thanks for the good reminder.
Appreciating the sun is important. We take so many things for granted... great article.
Thanks foxility. I always took the sun for granted, living in San Diego and all, where we have about 3 rainy days a year :) But now, I'm trying to watch sunsets as much as I can manage. Thanks for reading!
very nice article
Thanks Lgali! Glad you enjoyed.
Great article Benji.
This could just be the new diet method I was searching for =].
Nice Hub~ The good news is: Ray Ban & Oakley should sell a whole lotta shades when these people realize that the retinal damage is gonna catch up with them.
I do enjoy hearing about people crazier than myself...
Haha, yeah, there are definitely some interesting people out there. Thanks Reece and Amy!
Nice Hub Ben. I have always felt a deep connection with the universe when staring at a sunset but I had no idea it is actually some kind of therapy. Sort of makes sense though.
Thanks Dan! Yeah, I thought it was really interesting the first time I read about it. It just seemed to make sense.
My eyes are always in the sky- day and night. And one of these days I JUST might own a telescope! I have found myself sun gazing quite a few times actually... I have been obsessed with the sky and beyond since I was just little, and I find it to be overwhelming sometimes to just stare strait up... And other times, it IS peaceful to focus on the sun, only for a moment... After stareing at the sun for only a second, you will see this DOT in front of your eyes for MINUTES! I wouldn't think it would be good for your eyes, as we have always been told that it will "burn" your eye and make you blind... But who knows? Science is changing all the time, and the universe is supposed to be expanding, correct? If so, the sun wouldn't be as close to us today, as it was 20 years ago...
Great hub Benji! Sorry for rambling... I get carried away on this topic!
The sky is the coolest thing ever. It's always changing. Who knew that that lumbering ball of fire in the sky might actually be good for the eyes, haha. That's cool that you love the sky too. I sungazed for almost a minute the other day. I totally had the little black dots all over in front of my eyes, haha.
I am amazed by the universe. It always ends up leaving me speechless...
Hi!
I actually wrote a similar hub page! I have actually started sun gazing myself, I got to hear Hira Ratan Manek speak in London and was inspired to give it a go. I started at the 10 second time and added 10 seconds each day and have worked my way up to 16 mins today! During the period between about 3 mins and 5 mins my appetite started to change. Fresh fruit and veg began to feel filling and very satisfying, my meal portions started to shrink as I just couldn't finish what I put on my plate to eat. I am really happy about the change in my diet as it has had an impact on my weight, I have very slowly been melting off my cellulite and flab! I am still waiting for the increased energy levels and better sleep and feel like I have reached some sort of plateau and am just waiting to build the time up.
I didn't really have any problem with the idea of gazing at the sun. As a kid in California I used to look directly at the sun during the middle of the day on cloudless days (clouds actually did make it seem and feel to bright) during the summer holidays. I would stare until I needed to blink, thats when I would look away. I was fascinated by the imprint on my vision and when it faded away I would close my eyes until it faded from vision even then. I would then stare at the sun again! I was a weird kid! Thing is I have very strong eye sight, I can read from a good distance as well as right up close. I have even read confidential stuff cause it wasn't really far enough away and I am a compulsive reader (everything including ads, if its there I will read it). It would seem that the sun didn't hurt my vision and it has had 20 years now to manifest.
Anyway I enjoyed your hub! Got me commenting late at night lol. :)
Kirsten
Kirsten, that's awesome!! I haven't gotten to sungaze in a long time now. I miss it. I'm very glad to meet someone else who knows about it and actually does it. Those are some amazing results you've gotten. That's really cool. And I agree, California is definitely the place for it. I live in San Diego, and we get the best sunsets down here. Thanks very much for your comments!
I really enjoyed the article. I've been reading about this for a few years now, and I never get tired of this subject. I found out there are quite a few people doing this, and I'm getting more knowlege about it.
This writer advocates solar gazing up to 30 min. The man he writes about only advocates starting with 10 seconds and increasing by such amount daily. This writer is doing more harm than good.
Haha, good luck with that one man.
This new doc film that examines sungazing might be of interest to your readers. The filmmaker followed around one man, Mason Dwinell as he traveled the country in search of people who were into sungazing. Just a thought.
The film is called Eat The Sun and it will be available on Amazon and other places later this month. You can check out the trailer at www.eatthesunmovie.com.
Very cool. Thanks for passing that along.
Sun holds vast energy that is awaiting to be unleash by us, mankind for our greater benefits. Using the power of the sun will make us reach a greater new heights! I suggest you watch the movie what if? the movie @ http://www.whatifthemovie.tv where Hira Ratan Manek talks about sun gazing benefits and the right way to do it. I learned a lot from it.
Thanks for passing that along! Sounds like a great movie.
Eat The Sun is a documentary film exploring the ancient practice of sungazing and one man's journey to discover the "truth". You can check out the trailer on www.eatthesunmovie.com.
Very good, clearly written hub. The words flow perfectly. A good overview on sungazing. Thanks for the information. I am actually beginning the practice myself, and after doing it for just 10 seconds, I feel like my whole life has changed for the better.
Awesome! I'm not in an area where I can sungaze very easily right now. But can't wait to get back to San Diego so I can get back into the practice. I still only ever do it for about 45 seconds. I don't need any longer than that.
That's great. I am up to 24 seconds now, and I am buzzing with energy. I have never felt more clear, calm, happy. My appetite has gone down completely, making it much easier to get through this 28 day cooked food fast. My dreams are vivid and wild. Nice to meet you.
Right on. I know the feeling, except for the vivid dream part. That's really interesting. I'll have to see if I notice that difference when I get back and start solar gazing again.. I'm stuck in a place with a lot of trees right now. So I don't ever get a clear view of the sun until it's well above the horizon :(
I reached 13 minutes and feel great. my appetite dropped significantly. I feel calm and focused especially while I sungaze. My goal is to balance mind and body, not to stop eating.
I believe that much has already been written but the experiences which are very different from person to person. I decided to write about my experiences and share them http://life-with-the-sun.blogspot.com/
That's awesome that you're documenting your experience. Though I don't think that sungazing will ever be an accepted practice in mainstream society, it's awesome when rational ordinary people can show through experience that it isn't crazy or mystical. Thanks very much for stopping by!
Thank you :)
I believe that people will recognize benefits of alternative techniques, such as sungazing, and perhaps start practicing them in their lives.
Others who will ignore them, don't have much of chance to have happy life in world today.
But that's just my opinion
Great Hub! :)
http://sungazingizamazing.blogspot.com/ This blog is my small contribution to sungazing. I gaze almost 35 min and feel great :)
Very cool. 35 minutes is a long time.
Thanks for this article. I just recently stumbled upon sun gazing, wandering around the internet, and find that I can't get enough of reading about it! I instantly loved the idea of gazing at the rising sun. I've started!! Unfortunately, after just 3 days and up to 30 seconds, it is raining and the forecast looks like it may be a few days before I can get back to it. One thing I was so struck by is how beautiful the sun is, when you gaze right into it...the emanating rays are so alive and moving! The hardest part as a beginner is stopping after the 10 seconds the first day!
I look forward to the 10...20...30 minutes and beyond.
That documentary called Eat The Sun in showing on May 7, the Doc channel
Chris, totally. It's really beautiful staring right into the sun, how it starts turning all kinds of chrome and rainbow colors. I live against the ocean, so I always just catch the sunset. But I hear ya, it's hard stopping after just 10 seconds and having to wait another whole day. That sounds like a cool documentary. Thanks for letting me know.
Marble Venus 3 years ago
Beautifully-written. I have a thing for sunrise, myself. Though sunsets are beautiful as well.