Sungazing

By Roy Skillen

The power and natural beauty of the sun is indisputable. Plants grow tall and compete for its raw power, while snakes and lizards bask on rocks warming their blood and building their energy for the day ahead. But what about us humans, what do we get out of it. The dangers of the sun are well documented and we are told every summer that we need to slap on the sun screen wear hats and sit in the shade to prevent burning and even cancer. But there is a new craze that blatantly ignores these warnings and says that not only being out in the sun good for you but if you actually stand and stare at it at certain times of the day it can have some truly amazing and almost unbelievable health benefits.

Saying that this is a new craze is not entirely true, in fact sun gazing as it is known can be traced back to the Native Americans and some even say the Egyptians. But it is the recent claims made by an Indian Yogi called Hira Ratan Manek that he survived (under the supervision of medical experts) for 400 days on just water gaining all his energy from the sun that has brought sun gazing in to main stream healing. This amazing claim is now becoming common amongst sun gazers and has become known amongst as the HRM phenomenon. But for most people the ability to go without food does not appeal to them, but the ability to control their life time of bad eating habits does. In his book the earth was flat Mason Howe Dwindell describes his two year journey of chasing the sun, filling up on its energy and how it changed his life. He talks openly about broken relationships and an eating disorder that was brought under control he says by his morning treks to watch the sun rise, and he isn’t the only one who has used the suns energy to control cravings. Victoria Mcloughlin from Brisabne has been sun gazing for six months and has been amazed by the results “I used to eat a lot of chocolate and drink lots of coffee just to try and keep my energy up during the day” she said “But since I have been sun gazing I find I just don’t need those sorts of things anymore.”

But sun gazing is not just  about building energy Hira Ratan Manek also says that sun gazing is the perfect way to heal problems such as psychosomatic, mental and physical illnesses as well as increasing memory power and mental strength. He states this as a fact by pointing out that on grey and gloomy days we tend feel down, but when the sun comes out our spirits are instantly lifted.

Hira Ratan Maneks supporters are definitely growing in numbers; they seem to love the naturalness of the whole experience, with their bare feet planted on the ground a cool morning breeze in their faces and the warm sun penetrating their eyes and minds. But medical experts have been quick to issue warnings about the phenomenon. Dr Mark Hibberd say’s “This can be a really dangerous activity as staring at the sun for just two seconds can cause the retina to burn” Mason Dwindell agrees that sun gazing can damage the eyes, in fact many people who have sun gazed with him have had to quit the activity due to eye damage and he agrees that sun gazing may not be for everyone.

To combat the potential danger of the sun HRM has come up with this simple formula; stand on the earth and stare directly at the sun for 10 seconds during sun rise or sun set when the damaging UV light is at its weakest. Add an additional 10 seconds to the total amount of time spent sun gazing each day for six months. Once you have reached 44 minutes you will be fully energized like a solar battery and there will be no need to continue the practice. You will find yourself in control of your cravings, your mind clear and your body fully energised to face whatever life has to throw at you.

You should never underestimate the power of the sun and if you do take up sun gazing and find that the sun is too bright and that your eyes are sore you should stop instantly. But there is no doubt that the natural beauty of nature can instantly lift your mood giving you a more positive outlook that is essential to help your body’s own natural healing process. At the centre of all this beauty is the sun, an object that is free for us all to enjoy and admire. And if staring at it at certain time of the day for a certain amount of time improves your health and your quality of life, then why not do it?