My First Encounter with SUNGAZERS
I first heard about staring at the sun for beneficial reasons when I attended an intense Yoga Retreat at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh. 1 As I was walking out of our early morning yoga class, the sun was just appearing on the horizon. Several of my fellow yogis were just standing there, staring at the sun. When I questioned why, they said, “It activates the pineal gland.” 2
What and Where is the Pineal Gland?
The pineal gland, conarium, or epiphysis cerebri, is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. The pineal gland produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone which modulates sleep patterns in both circadian and seasonal cycles.
Gazing at an Object Has Been Practiced by Yogis for Thousands of Years
Trataka is an ancient cleansing technique
Ancient yogis knew experientially the power of staring at the sun. It is one of the six purification techniques, called shatkarmas, of Hatha yoga called trataka. 3 Trataka is a Sanskrit word, which means “to look” or “to gaze” and at other yoga schools, I’ve gazed at candles, unblinking, until tears rolled down my cheeks.
While gazing at a candle may be good for meditation and other benefits; gazing at the sun has the all-important task of resetting your circadian rhythm every single day! This has a tremendous impact on your quality of life, not the least of which is getting a good night’s sleep.
By getting up every morning and staring at the rising sun, you will set your circadian rhythm for the day. And again, staring at the setting sun in the evening helps to desensitize your eyes to the deleterious effects of artificial light at night as a sleep interrupter.
“Rise up this mornin’,
Smile with the risin’ sun.” ~ Bob Marley
Sungazing Has Made A HUGE Impact on My Sleeping
Even after just a few days!
I have been doing this religiously for about one week now and the impact on my sleep has been nothing short of a miracle! I used to have a tough time falling asleep, and I’d wake up throughout the night. Now, I feel myself fall asleep about 5 minutes after going to bed, and I stay asleep the whole night! And wake up feeling great. I have my alarms set for sunrise and sunset so I won’t miss it. But I am usually up about two hours before sunrise, anyway. The morning alarm just reminds me to go to the roof and watch the sunrise. Besides setting the circadian clock for the day, it is very peaceful and I chant “OM” for added benefit.
Every morning and every evening, take the time, set your alarm, go and gaze at the sun.
- I try to stare directly at the sun without blinking too much, but just getting the light photons to hit your photoreceptors is all that’s necessary, so look towards the horizon, if staring at the sun directly causes any discomfort.
- I couldn’t wait to share this with you, because it is truly amazing how life works when you work with life!
- For more information on this, please check out Dr. Andrew Huberman’s video Podcast, “Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake | Huberman Lab Podcast #2”
- Sungazing has become an important part of my dinacharya, or morning routine.
“When the sun rises, it rises for everyone.” ~ Aldous Huxley
My personal recommendations
You probably already guessed, I’m a “student” of Dr. Andrew Huberman. Give his podcast a listen, you will be hooked!
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