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Manipura
USA
870 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 11 2006 : 1:15:22 PM
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| Yoda mentioned sun gazing in a recent post. I'm curious about the practice, and would like to hear any experiences/opinions of it, pro and con. |
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alan
USA
235 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2006 : 2:57:05 PM
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Hi Meg
I've been sun-gazing every morning for a couple of months now. It fits in well with amaroli before my meditation. Check out www.solarhealing.com
Jaya Surya!
alan |
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Hunter
USA
252 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2006 : 12:21:23 AM
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Thanks for posting that link Alan, the website was quite interesting.
Have you or are you sungazing? |
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alan
USA
235 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2006 : 1:23:35 PM
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Hi Hunter. Yes, interesting site. I've been gazing early A.M. for a couple of months now
Peace, alan |
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Yoda
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2006 : 7:55:58 PM
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Meg,
I've sungazed for about a year and then quit doing so for the time being. It's very energizing and I'm estimating maybe 1+% of the adherents actually achieve a near inedian state.
In AYP terms, it's like a pranayama practice which has its challenges and does not do well without meditation. At the time, I didn't know about Yogani's guidelines and I experienced many exciting, yet often negative and distracting emotional surges. I didn't practice meditation at the time. I did notice that the people who did mix meditation, light diet, and sungazing had the most positive results.
There is a forum dedicated to sungazing at lifemysteries.com.
I'll return to sungazing at some point, as I love the high energy thrill and the unique esoteric knowledge that it imparts, but I need to build a much better base consisting of daily iaming and a much lighter, fruit and veggie based diet.
-Yoda |
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Anthem
1608 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2006 : 11:42:45 PM
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Hi Yoda,
I thought after that much time on Sungazing that they claim you are supposed to be able to go without food or something to that effect? |
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Yoda
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2006 : 4:46:06 PM
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Just take what you read on solarhealing.com with a grain of salt. I think it is possible, but it doesn't happen often.
It's nice to watch the sunrise or sunset from time to time, but to turn it into a daily practice is very challenging to do smoothly.
In Chinese terms, it's very "raw" chi--hard to digest. |
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Yoda
USA
284 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2006 : 08:06:33 AM
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| If one is curious about sungazing definitely make it a point to watch a sunset or a sunrise and see what you think. Just be careful, as one is inclined to think that watching a sunrise or two is no big deal, but it adds up. A more gentle alternative is stargazing. You get the same esoteric knowledge but without all the high energy of sungazing. |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 10:28:28 AM
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Hi All,
Thanks for your discussion of sun gazing.
I recently started, having been introduced by a coworker. After about a week of practice, (along with my usual twice daily routine of spinal breathing, iming and samyama in solitude; and daily naked cuddling with my lover) I can say that I'm really enjoying the raw chi. |
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clk1710
92 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 3:01:53 PM
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| this is the first i've heard of sungazing but i'm always open to learning about new things.. just curious, how long is the recommended amount of time to do this and what time of the day? so i take it that one is staring directly into the sun- OUCH! my eyes are super sensitive to light plus i've had retinal problems. would this still be recommended for someone like me? |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 4:51:18 PM
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Hi Bewell
quote:
along with my usual twice daily routine of spinal breathing, iming and samyama in solitude; and daily naked cuddling with my lover)
I thought Iming was the process of sending instant messages. Have I got this right. Is it really part of your spiritual practice, after pranayama and before samyama? |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 5:11:39 PM
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Hi everyone,
Apparently there is a man called Hira Ratan Manek who lives on sunlight and takes no physical food. He says he gets all the sustenance he needs from staring at the sun for one hour a day. Recently NASA paid for him to travel to the US as they are looking for ways of sending people into space for long periods without feeding them. They carried out studies on him.
According to some, the sunlight has an active effect on the pineal gland which is light sensitive, and is situated in the centre of the brain, right next to the focal points of the 6th and 7th chakras.
Another experiment was carried out on a Jain monk who also does not eat. The scientists could find nothing special about him, except that brain scans showed that his pineal gland was about 4 times the size of a normal human being.
Christi |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 9:31:03 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
I thought Iming was the process of sending instant messages.
I just meant saying the I AM mantra. |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 9:36:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by clk1710
OUCH! my eyes are super sensitive to light plus i've had retinal problems. would this still be recommended for someone like me?
The standard way it is taught, you start slow, a few seconds, and do it when the sun is close as possible to the horizon.
As to adapting the practice for people with light-sensitive eyes, I do not know. |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Jun 26 2007 : 9:39:54 PM
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Hi Bewell,
quote:
I just meant saying the I AM mantra.
That would be Iaming, surely? |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2007 : 09:38:25 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
Hi Bewell,
quote:
I just meant saying the I AM mantra.
That would be Iaming, surely?
I stand corrected. |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2007 : 09:53:20 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
Recently NASA paid for him to travel to the US as they are looking for ways of sending people into space for long periods without feeding them. They carried out studies on him.
Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but, I found lots of links on the web debunking that claim and none to support it. See, for example, this:
http://www.randi.org/jr/071103.html
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Edited by - bewell on Jun 27 2007 11:58:24 AM |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2007 : 10:23:30 AM
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Sungazing update.
I get a raw prana rush from sungazing barefoot on bare soil in the morning -- I did it this morning again (for, i think, the forth time) and I'm still buzzing with energy. I've combined the practice with both eating less and drinking lots of water. Sun gazing does seem to be an appetite suppressant.
I have noticed a little eye-burning sensation. So the bulk of my gazing is with eyes closed, which actually seems to work just fine in terms of energy generation. Also, I'm trying to get out there as early as possible, so that the sun is low, and more buffered.
I confess I have tended to be fairly ignorant of the timing and specific directional location of sunrises and sunsets. I like getting in touch with that aspect of nature. What a wonderful way of finding deeper orientation in seasonal, regional time.
I feel light and airy and perhaps more prana-filled than ever before. I like it, but it will take some getting used to. Self-pace, of course. |
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Kyman
530 Posts |
Posted - Jun 27 2007 : 8:20:41 PM
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I drove to Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach to get a good vantage and it was a great experience. The second time I've done it. I waited until the last 20 minutes or so, as even the last 30 the sun seemed terribly bright. But in the end it was incredible enough to register on my 'I got to do this more often' meter.
The gazing time was brief but very enjoyable. |
Edited by - Kyman on Jun 27 2007 10:07:40 PM |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2007 : 09:35:42 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Kyman
...it was incredible enough to register on my 'I got to do this more often' meter.
The gazing time was brief but very enjoyable.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it too. I went out again this morning. Woke up on time without an alarm. I hope my internal clock is getting set for a routine. |
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Kyman
530 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2007 : 1:20:22 PM
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| My clock tells time pretty good these days, a nice change of pace for me. :) |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Jun 29 2007 : 2:04:06 PM
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Hi Bewell,
quote:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Christi
Recently NASA paid for him to travel to the US as they are looking for ways of sending people into space for long periods without feeding them. They carried out studies on him.
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(Bewell wrote:)
Sorry to be a stick in the mud, but, I found lots of links on the web debunking that claim and none to support it. See, for example, this:
As far as I can tell you are right, NASA did not carry out any research directly on Mr. Manek.
I believe their involvement took two forms. It seems that someone from NASA coined the phrase “The HRM phenomena”, based on Mr. Manek’s initials. Also three separate studies were carried out on Mr. Manek, the last of these lasting for 130 days. This study was conducted in the USA and was funded by a NASA research grant. It seems that some Indian newspaper reported that NASA carried out the study, which was a simple mistake, and that report was copied and pasted all over the web. NASA has denied any direct involvement in the study, which is not surprising as they had none. The Indian newspaper should have said that the study was funded with a research grant from NASA.
But this confusion over NASA’s involvement should not necessarily detract from the fact that sun gazing seems to give people the ability to live without eating, which is quite remarkable in itself. Apparently several thousand humans now live without eating as a direct result of sun gazing.
I haven’t tried it myself, as I really enjoy my food, especially deserts. 
Christi
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Nirodha
New Zealand
86 Posts |
Posted - Jul 01 2007 : 08:41:51 AM
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Hi Meg,
I've been Sun-gazing (Surya Yoga) rather consistently since March 2005 and find it quite a useful practice. I, too, initially used the HRM technique as a basic guideline and it has worked quite well for me. I now just Sun-gaze, for 30 minutes per day, a couple of times a week.
I just view the sitting Sun as a beautiful object to meditate upon, and find it's photo-therapeutic properties to be a nice added benefit of Surya Yoga practice.
I'm not trying to achieve inedian though as quite frankly I don't believe it's possible. And, I never really believed that Hira was able to do it either - he's since been caught out eating solid food.
I'm aware that one hears all sorts of wild stories and myths about the Enlightened. And, this inedian thing just seems like another one of them to me.
Happiness and Ease to you all,
Nirodha
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sadhak
India
604 Posts |
Posted - Jul 01 2007 : 10:03:07 AM
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Hi, since the pineal gland was mentioned wrt sun gazing, I wonder if anyone does tratak for the same reason. Tratak, or gazing at a flame ( if done strictly as per instructions, then a flame lit by a ghee or clarified unsalted butter) revives atrophied pineal glands that 'feeds on light'. Gazing at the ajna (sambhavi, as we do it in the ayp method (lesson 56 - opening the thrid eye) also achieves the same thing, but I understand that tratak helps sambhavi on. Perhaps sun gazing is also a tratak  |
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bewell
1275 Posts |
Posted - Jul 01 2007 : 12:31:25 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
...sun gazing seems to give people the ability to live without eating, which is quite remarkable in itself. Apparently several thousand humans now live without eating as a direct result of sun gazing.
I haven’t tried it myself, as I really enjoy my food, especially deserts.
Dear Christi,
That purported ability "to live without eating," is an attractive. It sounds enlightened. Yogananda, in his autobiography of a yogi interviews a Christian woman who claimed to live on light, and he expressed sympathy.
I'm inclined to agree with Niroda, who practices sun gazing but says, of living without food: "quite frankly I don't believe it's possible."
When my time comes, I personally would like to die that way: living on sunlight and water. If I keep living longer than expected, so be it, but my intention in such a total fast would be physical death.
Bewell |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4514 Posts |
Posted - Jul 01 2007 : 3:55:44 PM
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Hi Bewell,
I have to confess, after what I have seen during my short life, I am, at this point, not ruling out any possibility in terms of human potential. There is another thing about all this, which is that a lot of people at this point claim that they are able to last for many months or years without eating. Now they could all be lying, or accidentally eating without realizing it. Or... ? It seems odd to me. Especially as many of them don't seem to gain anything by making such claims, exept the disbelief and mockery of their peers. Many also say that it makes their social lives very difficult but that they are glad they do it because of the spiritual gains.
So if Mr. Manek believes that sungazing helped him to live without eating for months on end, should I not have an open mind and at least give him the benefit of the doubt? After all, he is not claiming to have flown with angels, touched the feet of a God, or seen the dawn of creation and the ending of time. I have to claim personal responsibility for those rather less credible experiences.
Christi
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sun gazing
