The practice described below was brought to the west by Hira Ratan Manek (HRM) in the summer of 2002. Let it be understood that he achieved his results in a very controlled environment under strict Jain principles. In stating that; yes, the sun has enormous power. Yes, you may tap into higher spiritual realms as well as other time and space dimensions. Yes, you can live without food. Please heed the advice that slow and steady wins the race. I do not recommend this practice to anyone. However if you choose to partake be very careful, take your time, be cautious, be humble and document your progress. You can damage your eyes. We are all wired a bit differently; therefore it is impossible to predict how each individual will process the suns brilliant light. And by all means have fun, feel the joy the sun has to offer?if it amuses you to wear a purple wig while sungazing; then by all means, make it a beauty.
Remember this is only a
nine month to a year practice. Once
you reach 44 minutes of sungazing you are finished. You will not have
the need to stare at the sun any longer, your sungazing is complete.
Sungazing is to be
practiced standing bare footed on bare
earth.
Without shoes you could
stand on sand, gravel, mud, or bare
earth. Your bare feet should be in contact with the bare earth. Try to
avoid standing on tar, concrete, granite, stone or even on grass (the
grass absorbs the solar energy).
Begin this practice in the
open, within ten minutes after
sunrise or within a few minutes just before sunset.
While the sun is low on the
horizon the intensity of the
rays will be at a minimum. During this time, the sun´s rays are
tolerable, and the UV radiation is lower, so the potential of harming
your eyes is lower. Use common sense within these parameters, if the
sun is too bright and feels as though it may be burning your eyes,
don´t stare at it. The best time to learn about your limits is right as
the sunrises or a minute or so before it sets.
According to HRM the sunrise
holds more energy, vitamins and
minerals then the sunset. Go figure. Personally I love both the sunrise
and the sunset, it is a wonderful time of day- energetically it is a
beautiful balance of yin and yang. You only need the sunrise or the
sunset, both may be a bit much. Be careful and always listen to your
body.
If you choose to get up with
the chickens, and try gazing at
the rising sun. Stay relaxed and receptive, for greater assimilation of
the beneficial aspects of the sun´s rays. Try to become aware of what
your body is feeling, how is your mental, emotional and physical state
as the sun fills every atom, every electron, and every cell in your
body. Feel every tissue filled with the regenerative and healing
properties that the sunlight imparts on your body. You may notice an
amazing increase in your overall energy as well as a boost of physical
stamina and mental clarity. Be aware of how the sunlight actually
cleanses and rebuilds the whole of your being, your mind and thoughts,
your feelings and your physical body; total rejuvenation. By completely
surrendering to the suns greater power, and as the minutes of sungazing
increase, the awareness of your energetic being may heighten
dramatically.
To begin: as the sun rises
over the horizon simply gaze at
the whole glowing ball of light for 10 seconds only. The key is to be
relaxed, just like in mediation, let go of all thoughts and become
immersed in the moment. Simply, look at it. No stress or strain on the
face, facial muscles or eyes. Relax your jaw. Stand at peace, knees
bent with your arms at your sides. There is no need to maintain an
unblinking, stare. Blink as and when it naturally happens, sort of like
watching television. For the first few moments you look into the sun it
may be very bright, after about 3-7 seconds of continuous gazing all
the brightness should go away and you will be left staring into a
magnificent ball of pure white light.
As you watch the sun rising
(or setting), try to imagine
that all of the eight octillion atoms in your body are being filled
with the pure energy from the sun. Visualize each nuclei of each atom
in your body, as a radiating and never ending source of energy, just
like the sun.
You have at your disposal an
incredible amount of
electricity to make things happen in your world. With the aid of
sunlight, you can recharge each cell and atom to its full potential.
Increase the time you gaze
at the sun by a few seconds each
day - say by 5 seconds or so per day, until you are comfortable and
relaxed with the entire concept of staring into the sun. At this point
you can now increase at a constant rate of 10 seconds per day. You may
find it helpful to get a watch or a friend to keep tabs on your staring
time.
Sungazing is tool for
tapping the potential of your human
being, your true self. Some change may occur to reach these peaks; your
perceptions may alter circumstances, you may begin to change from the
inside out, and as we all know change can be uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, when we release our physical and emotional energetic
blockages these changes will become trivial relative to the incredible
expansiveness of the universe. We are all energetic beings, vibrating
at different frequencies, so we should be comfortable with the concept
that all of us are different. There may be many different reactions,
sensations and experiences; remember, whatever happens to you is
perfect. It is yours and yours only. Be positive and open-minded; feel
all there is to feel.
Once you reach about 15-18
minutes (3-4 months) of sungazing
many of your mental tensions: irritability, anger, fear, grief, and
general personal frustrations may go away. This is just the beginning,
but what a beautiful beginning it is. Life could become easier, more
comfortable and more enjoyable as you get closer and closer to finding
out who you really are. A blissful, euphoric sensation may envelope
you. Your energy levels may increase and the benefits of having a
routine in conjunction with the earth´s rhythms will begin to have a
peaceful affect on your perception of the world.
It should be important at
this point to take careful note of
what you are ingesting. What type of foods and drinks. Drugs? Alcohol?
It is at this point when the sun´s vibration may really have a chance
to benefit your cells. If you happen to be eating and drinking low
vibrational items (refined sugars, alcohol, refined wheat, processed
goods, drugs ect) you may be self defeating in your efforts. Just a
helpful reminder to slow down as much as possible and try to be aware
of what items in your life cause you to feel good, bad or indifferent.
At about 25-30 minutes (6-7
months) of sungazing, your
hungers may begin to diminish. How and why you make the choices you
make may come forth with remarkable clarity. Your self confidence may
begin to increase, as your comfort level with being you is heightened.
And yes, your physical hunger for food will also begin to lessen. For
anyone sungazing for more then 30 minutes there should be careful
consideration of one´s diet. Lighter and lighter foods. Preferably
adjusting to soups, broths, juices and teas.
Between 35 and 40 minutes
(9-10 months) of sungazing
physical disharmonies, injuries, and diseases may be remedied. Also
your hunger for food may begin to substantially diminish. At this point
you may also feel awakenings in your charkas as well as possible energy
beginning to stir within your kundalini. Each day more energy blockages
will be dissolved as you get closer and closer to your higher self. At
about 35 minutes your brain reaches its ability to store an energetic
charge.
You have reached the final
step, 40 to 44 minutes. Wow. Now
you stop sungazing. To continue on can be very detrimental to your
eyes. At this time, sungazing is concluded and there is no need to
continue the practice any more. During the first three months, the
pineal gland is getting activated, and the hypothalamus or pathway to
the brain from the eye is getting charged. After that period the solar
energy starts reaching your brain and charging it. After this period,
the solar energy starts getting stored in each and every cell in your
body. When all the cells in the body are purified there is no need to
sungaze any more. Now your brain is fully charged, the ability to
control your destiny is in your hands.
Tips that were helpful for
me. Standing barefooted on bare
earth is very important. There seems to be something magical that
occurs energetically; the physical grounding with the earth not only
helps drain negative energies from the body, but also I feel as though
it helps harness the power of the sun into the body more effectively.
As I began increasing the time while gazing at the sun (anything over
20 minutes), the benefits where substantially more dramatic the less
food I had in me. Particularly noticeable was whether or not I had
anything to eat or drink within two hours of sungazing (either before
or after). Regarding specific foods, raw foods felt the lightest going
through my body. Making sure to eat slowly and thoroughly chew my food
was helpful in how effective the suns energy seemed to be able to
penetrate into my cells. Staying away from sugars (especially refined
sugars) and keeping my blood sugar level low seemed to have a direct
relation to how bright the sun appeared. The cleaner my body, blood and
cells were the longer I was able to comfortably stare into the sun and
allow the suns energy to penetrate deeper and deeper into my being.
Getting up everyday and going to the same spot to watch the sunrise
(rain or shine) should not be over looked. In any practice the ability
to realize results comes with the commitment of incorporating that
practice into a daily routine. Be it staring at the sun, practicing
yoga or washing the dishes; the discipline of committing to something
every day will begin to build an awareness that will trickle into other
aspects of life. It is the road not the destination that needs to be
given attention. Being aware of the present allows for the opportunity
to see, taste and feel the magic of the universe which is always
occurring. Peace and happiness is found inside. The appreciation and
gratitude when realizing the ability of choice, may give birth to the
realization of endless possibilities.
Stand in the sun, face it,
look at it with your eyes closed
even, you still get just as much sun from just standing there. If
you're trying to do the thing with charging the passages between your
eyes and your brain, you can still do that with your eyes closed, and
you can probably do it for slightly longer, as long as your eyes are
closed, with far less retinal damage (even if you decide on staring for
twice as long) and more than likely a similar effect. Some stare at it
with eyes closed at the warmest part of the day (You can't even SEE the
sun any other time). After awhile they get a pressure in thier third
eye and a tiredness, they could sleep outside for 2 hours in the cold:
This one person had a headache the rest of the day too, but it felt
like something is changing.
Needless to say there is
much to gain, and much to learn,
from the suns direct energy entering through the eyes. Yes, living
without the need for food, walking on water or levitating are all
impressive feats; however does it bring anyone any closer to knowing
themselves or ultimately to happiness and freedom? While the past few
years of my life have been enlightening in many ways, I am convinced
that the fanatical pursuit of any of these obsessions literally is a
guarantee of slowing one´s development. Perhaps understanding why we
are driven to make the choices we make is a giant step in self
awareness. Processing, moving through and understanding the emotional
blocks or imbalances that create certain choices is a quantum leap in
finding our true self. While I will be the first one (ok, maybe not the
first) to say that I was guilty of obsessing with the ´right or wrong´
way to live or be, sungazing has certainly helped me become more aware
of my actions and reactions. In the journal section of this web site I
have shared some of my observations about sungazing in relation to my
body mind and spirit. Remember that we are all wired a bit differently,
so each and every bodies experience will prove to be a bit different.
The only way to know is to try. One sure way to truly experience life
is to live, get out there and do it.
And, for those interested
there is an impressive group of
folks from around the globe sharing their sungazing experiences at
sungazing@yahoogroups.com.
"...When you can continue
staring at the sun for ten
minutes, the sun will seem to disappear. The inside of the sun will
appear as blue sky surrounded by a ring of light, it will sometimes
appear as two suns, sometimes rotating clockwise or anticlockwise. As
your concentration develops and you can gaze at the sun for longer, you
will be able to see a ´black spot´ in the middle of the sun. Sometimes
this black spot will be bigger, at other times smaller. After practice,
the black spot will remained fixed in one place. Suddenly, from this
black hole, seven colours will emerge and move around the sun,
sometimes clockwise, sometimes anti-clockwise. As your concentration
increases, a powerful beam of light will come from the sun towards your
body. In the beginning this beam of light will not touch the body, it
will come towards you and then retreat back to the sun. Eventually, as
your concentration improves, this light will touch your body and you
will attain complete thoughtless condition. This is the start of the
pratyaharam stage, and indicates the beginning of Sunyoga experience.
After being touched by this
light, a vibration will start
from the heart, allowing us to control three negativities; shame,
hatred and fear. With regular practice this vibration will increase and
you will be able to gain control over four more negativities; anger,
greed, narrow attraction, ego & jealousy. As the vibration
increases you will be able to control sexual desire and lust. At this
point, the pratyaharam stage is complete.
The next step, as the inner
vibration increases and extends
from the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine to the sahasradhara
chakra at the top of the head, the sadhak will experience sahaja
samadhi during which he will be able to see a bright light, inside of
which there will be a beautiful structure. This is the atmadarsanam
stage, the ´who am I´ stage, the sadaguru stage, the mukha stage. At
that time the sadhak will feel, ´I know him but i have never seen´
because it has always been within... our sagunabramha structure. This
marks the completion of the dhyana stage.
As the inner vibration
develops, we´ll discover that there
are two more chakras, one above the head called the ultra chakra and
one below the head called the ultra balance chakra. At this point, we
will be able to hear a sound, which some people call AUM, others have
called AMEN, while others have called it ALAM. This is the dharana
stage. At this point we can receive divine messages from the universe.
The final stage is
nirvikalpa samadhi, at which point a
further two chakras are discovered, one above the ultra chakra called
the cosmos chakra, and one below the ultra balance chakra called the
cosmos balance chakra. Our mental force will be more than gravitational
force, our soul will leave the body and unite with the supreme soul.