Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor a scientist and am not recommending partaking in the practice of sungazing. If you decide to do so, it is at your own discretion and you are solely responsible for any harm you may endure as a result.

Growing up, we were all warned about the sun. You’ll burn your eyes! You’ll get sunburned!

Obviously, there’s truth to that. If you look at the midday sun with unconditioned eyes, you can damage them. If you stay out in the sun for too long with unconditioned skin (i.e. pale skin), you will get burned. However, abstinence from sunlight is arguably as harmful as getting too much. We’re all natural creatures born of the Earth. The sun provides the basis for all life on Earth. It provides the planet with energy, and we are energetic beings. When we have no direct contact with the energy source of our planet, our own energy centers suffer. Our health and happiness are compromised.

There’s a reason cloudy days feel gloomy, and sunny days feel happy and energetic: the sun nourishes and energizes us.

Plenty of my fellow northerners have experienced the reduced happiness of the wintertime when the sunlight is limited and we spend less time in it. It even has a name: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Experts don’t know what causes SAD but they think it’s from a lack of sunlight. Seems obvious to me.

The point is that the sun is a powerful source of energy, and by taking up the practice of sungazing, we can tap into that energy to help us reach our highest potential as humans, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Even with all of the advances in science, we know very little of the intricacies of the human body and the human brain, and even less of their true potential.

Scientists can’t explain the numerous cases of complete cancer remission in terminal cases. They can’t explain anything psychic.  They can’t explain the seemingly superhuman abilities of Qi masters like Dynamo Jack. We don’t know as much as we think we do.

It is said that by sungazing, we can tap into higher spiritual realms, higher levels of consciousness, and states of pure physical health. Some believe we can absorb energy directly from the sun, thereby completely bypassing the need for food. Are they crazy, or are they onto something?

 

What Is Sungazing?

Sungazing is the ancient practice of gazing directly at the sun as a form of meditation. It is recommended to do so only within an hour of sunrise or sunset during which period the UV index is at or near zero, thereby reducing the potential for eye damage.

 

How to Sungaze

Again, I’m not recommending that anyone sungaze. It’s not for everyone and there are inherent risks. If you feel a strong intuitional pull, by all means explore it at your own discretion.

First and most importantly, use common sense. If you experience pain or extreme discomfort, cease immediately. Your body is telling you something. Listen to it. However, if you start your sungazing at the recommended times when the sun is near the horizon, although it may seem very bright at first, you will not experience pain or discomfort. It will be an alarming experience, but there should be no pain. The brightness wears off after a few seconds and you’re left looking at a beautiful, pulsating orb of light. It has a very calming effect.

The method I’ll discuss in this post is only one method of many, devised by a man by the name of Hira Ratan Manek, or HRM. You can visit his website here for more information, but I’ll summarize his method.

Again, always sungaze within an hour, preferably less, of sunrise or sunset when the UV index is at or near zero and the strain on your eyes is low. You can find your local UV index here. Do not wear glasses or contact lenses. Start by gazing at the sun for 10 seconds. That’s it for your first day. It will be bright and perhaps a bit uncomfortable. It’s recommended that for your first few sessions you wait until just a few minutes before sunset or after sunrise since the sun is less intense at those times.

When you sungaze you should be barefoot and standing on the bare earth. That is, on sand, dirt, or mud. Not concrete, not grass, not rock, but the bare earth. In this way you connect your body directly to Earth while you absorb the energy of the sun through your eyes.

Relax your entire body and try to have no thoughts. Simply look at the sun and allow it to enter your brain through your eyes. Blink as needed, but try to relax your face and not squint.

Each day you increase your sungazing time by 10 seconds, no more. It’s not a race. The benefits can’t be hastened. After nine or so months of increasing your time in 10 second increments, you will reach 44 minutes of continuous sungazing if you are consistent with your practice. Once you reach that milestone, you’re done. Your body and mind are fully “charged” and there’s no reason to continue the practice. You only need to walk on the bare earth for 45 minutes per day to stay fully charged.

Now, if you’re in an environment and situation similar to mine (approaching winter in a northern climate), it’s difficult or impossible to complete the HRM method as recommended. That’s ok. If you’re not able to stand barefoot on the bare earth while doing so, your results may be delayed or different, and that’s also ok. Whatever you end up making of your sungazing practice is absolutely perfect however it happens. It’s a very individual practice and the end results vary with each individual. As with all things in life, no one else will experience exactly what you experience, and you won’t experience exactly what anyone else experiences.

When I was following the HRM protocol, I would set the timer on my phone for the set period of time and use app below for sunrise/sunset times and the current UV index.

Wolfram Sun Exposure Reference App

I’ve sungazed from the roof of a parking garage, the middle of the forest, my backyard, the tops of mountains, and a variety of other places. It’s preferable to do so barefoot on the bare earth, but sometimes you have to make do with what you have.

Once your sungazing session is over, your vision will be a bit off. You will see the bright impression of the sun wherever you look for several minutes. This is normal and nothing to worry about as long as you’re sungazing when the UV index is at or near zero. Simply place your palms over your eyes with light but steady pressure so no light enters, enjoy the colorful visuals until they dull and/or disappear, and soon your vision will return to normal.

If your vision still feels off for hours or more after sungazing, you’ve probably just gazed for too long. Still nothing to worry about, but make sure to slowly work your way up to longer periods of sungazing and your eyes will slowly become used to it. Always err on the side of caution, and again, listen to your body. If you experience any pain at all, cease immediately.

 

The Benefits of Sungazing

The benefits can be whatever you want them to be. While sungazing you can pray for or meditate on any benefits you want to receive, whether they’re emotional, physical, or otherwise.

According to the HRM method, when you reach 15 minutes of sungazing, you will achieve mental health. That is, any depression you have will be cured, you will become a compassionate, happy person, and mental confusion will be diminished or eliminated. You will be able to know, on a spiritual level, the answers to any questions you have. You will be in control of your emotions.

When you reach 30 minutes of sungazing, you will be cured of all physical ailments, especially if that is your goal.

At 35 minutes your hunger for food will be greatly diminished. HRM says the body does not need food, only energy. And as your body opens up to receive the energy of the sun directly, your need for indirect energy from food decreases. After all, the energy we consume from food originated from the sun.

When you reach 44 minutes of constant sungazing, your body is fully charged and you only need to walk upon the bare earth with bare feet for 45 minutes per day, 6 days per week. After one year of doing this, you only need to expose yourself to a few minutes of sunlight every few days to maintain your charged, enlightened state.

When you complete the HRM method, you achieve a pure mental state and a pure physical state devoid of any impurities or ailments. You are enlightened. You don’t need to eat food as you are now able to absorb your energy directly from the sun.

Note: Although the HRM method is a good way for beginners to start off, the numbers (10 second increases, 44 minutes final, etc.) are completely arbitrary. HRM invented them. There is no scientific or even empirical basis for these numbers, and as such, there is no reason to follow his method strictly. Nor is there any scientific evidence of the benefits HRM claims to result from his sungazing protocol. That said, sungazing is far from a scientific practice, and I see no reason you cannot experience whatever benefits you wish to experience by sungazing, or for that matter, any meditative practice.

 

My Sungazing Experience + Final Thoughts

Obviously, the claims HRM makes above are pretty far-fetched. Absorb your energy directly from the sun? No need for food? All physical ailments cured? Seems crazy.

While it certainly seems crazy, I see no reason to consider it impossible. As is the theme of this site, Our Mind Is the Limit. What you truly believe is possible truly becomes possible. And I mean anything. What you believe is impossible is impossible. Choose your beliefs wisely.

While I have no specific goal in mind for my sungazing, I am interested to see what, if any, changes happen in my life and how I change as a person as I continue the practice. I think only good things can come from it. At the very least, the actual practice is very pleasurable and relaxing.

I have not completed the 44 minutes, nor do I intend to. The most I’ve sungazed is around 10 minutes, and these days I’m not trying to work up to a longer time. I gaze whenever the conditions are right and I feel like it, and often if I’m experiencing unbalanced emotions I look to the sun for some relief, which it always provides. I sungaze for as long as it feels right, which is usually just a few minutes.

Of course it’s impossible to prove whether sungazing has had any tangible benefits for me, but I feel that it has. It has helped me be more in control of my emotions, be more at one with and appreciative of nature, and it has increased my overall happiness.

The short-term benefits I’ve experienced after my sessions are long-lasting feelings of complete peace, deep feelings of oneness with nature and the world, and a feeling of simple, serene happiness.

I know for sure that sungazing has helped my eyes become less sensitive to light. I used to require glare reducing eyeglasses for driving at night because oncoming headlights would bother me immensely, but I no longer need them. I also believe that sungazing has improved my vision. I used to require those same eyeglasses for computer work without having to squint at the screen, but I no longer need them at all.

In conclusion, sungazing is a highly individual practice and there’s no need to follow any protocol strictly. Do what feels right, and again, use common sense. Our sungazing journeys are strictly our own to experience and whatever we end up doing is correct for us as individuals.

If you have any questions, let me know. Again, I do not recommend sungazing for anyone. If you feel it’s something you’re drawn to, by all means, do so at your own discretion. Use common sense and always listen to your body.

 

Sungazing Resources

I read a great book by a man named Mason Dwinell who documented his own experiences completing the HRM method. It’s packed to the brim not just with sungazing information, but with life wisdom.
The Earth Was Flat

The three sites below are great resources if you’re interested in learning more.
The History and Science of Sungazing
Vinny Pinto’s exhaustive sungazing information
Andrew T. Young’s exhaustive look at the safety of eye exposure to the sun

Thanks for reading, and I’d be very interested to hear about your sungazing experiences in the comments section. Also feel free to sign up for the free Sunday Newsletter to receive a once-weekly update to your inbox. Just enter your email here:

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