Day 3

8/6/11

New perspective day...:)

This morning was partially cloudy, but I was determined to at least walk to my spot with the dogs to see if I could catch the sunrise peaking through the clouds.  I felt soooo good yesterday I certainly didn't want to miss a day!  Oh sweet motivation, how I value thee...hahaha. :P

So we made it to the park and I was pleasantly surprised to see several other people that were there to walk their dogs around the soccer fields track.  Good for them I thought.  But I planted myself on one of the skate board jumps and intended to wait.  The neighborhood I live in has a killer skate board park for the kids, a dog park, and pretty much anything a bedroom community has...but we are much closer to the city.  It's a great place to live!

Eventually the sun did break through and even though it was only my 30s day, I let myself gaze as long as the sun moved through this one little opening.  I counted out about 70s and it was gone.  I had no extra 'spot' in my vision as I walked home, smiling.  It felt even better than day 2 and I scolded myself for discovering this so late in the year.  Clearly, the weather would only be getting worse, and who knows how much sunrise we would get through the winter...... BUT, I happily reminded myself..lol, I did discover it, and its impact has been straight up terrific so far!

I have had NO issue at all looking directly into it, and I have found that I no longer want to wear sunglasses or a hat when I am out in the sun.  Granted, I am not working in a field all day!  But for the hour or so I am outside the sun has turned from an 'enemy' to an advocate..:D  woot!  Lucky me!

Hope you're having a fantastical day yourself!
~ Elle

Day 2

8/5/11

Oh glorious second day, how I love thee...lol :D

Okay, woke up at 5:3a and did my morning drill with the dogs, etc.  I was definitely excited b/c the day was clear and I was looking forward to finding a spot that would be closer to the house that I could catch the sun coming up sooner than 20m after it rose.

I was able to walk to a cute little park about a half mile from my house that had a clear view.  As soon as I got to the spot, I asked my dogs to chill and spun around to look at the sun peaking over a row of trees way off in the distance.

I had an absolute 'UH'! moment.  I relaxed and started counting.  The feeling was just amAzing, like hugging a long lost friend!  I sooooo didn't want to look away at 20s!  So I did a smidge longer, then looked away, walked to a new spot and did a N S E W round of looking about 45 degrees away from the sun, so that all of my peripheral vision got invigorated.

As I walked up to the doggie station at the park where they have water for them as well as doggie 'pick-up bags', I definitely started to feel something... tingly. As I turned with the sun to my left to walk home, I could feel something radiating from my head down to my arms and through my torso.  I could not help but let the HUGE smile that was bubbling up out into the world. :D

What a great feeling!  I will be interested to see today how long it lasts exactly, I can see why HRM would call this 'recharging your battery'.  That's how I feel.  Energized!  And like something was triggered in my brain.  I will be doing some reading on the Pineal gland to see how that fits into this equation today.  I am already looking forward to tomorrow!

Cheers! ~ Elle

Day 1

8/4/11
Actually, yesterday was Day 0...lol.  I woke up to start 10s with the sunrise...and it was CLOUDY! Raining even.  So I set my day 1 of SG aside and tended to other things, and read a fantastic blog regarding the experience of starting till completion of the 44m program, as propounded by HRM, the official lightening rod for SG. :)

Just in the same way I had an epiphany regarding Buddha about a year ago...I was startled by my visceral acceptance of this idea that there is energy to be found in the sun.  Something that can be cultivated through common sense and a balanced inner health voice.  

I certainly wouldn't encourage ANYone to embark on a SG journey with being flanked by those two things.  Any endeavor that requires you to step out of the mainstream should be accompanied by a healthy skepticism, and a clear idea of what is driving this interest.  The best examples of pushing our limits have been illustrated with a sensible approach to the risk associated with it.  Doing anything in a willy-nilly way can invite unintended consequences.  SO please do not think this blog is in anyway endorsing that YOU should do it to. :)

Okay, so I was thwarted on day 1 in the traditional sense.  But, I took a walk with my dogs around 1p and even though it was still completely overcast, I set out to do a little recon.

We walked to our fave park, and I sat on the stone wall that faces E and W.  I closed my eyes and lifted my head up towards where I thought the sun would be.  I tried to open my eyes, and with a couple blinks, I could.  I felt immmmmediately the my face went from involuntary 'squish' to relaxed in a matter of seconds.  I held my gaze there for about 10 seconds when there appeared a break in the clouds about 10 degrees to my left...I could see the sun peaking out and my face instantly squished up.
I took two deep breaths and relaxed my face.  The sun was blinking in and out of the clouds and I got my first taste of pure energy.  I had broken it up, but I knew I had done over 10s of looking at the sun.

I pulled on the dogs' lead and we walked back to the house.  I was definitely invigorated.  That was exactly what I had decided I was looking for in this journey.  Invigoration!  My total goal for this endeavor is to translate that energy and focus into more smiling and positivity.  Cliche?  Sure.  But that is the recipe I have decided to make.

Alright, so today was Day 1.

I got up at 5:15a and the sunrise was at 6:4oa, so no worries there.  Did some reading, dog chores, had coffee, and headed out the door at about 6:35a.  I decided to walk up to work and on the way try to catch my 10s.

It's about a mile walk, so about half way there I found a spot where the sun was sparkling through an oak tree.  I stopped and looked right at it.  It was flickering, but I immediately started counting.  At 8s I knew that I could easily hold my gaze past the allotted time.  But I didn't.  I stopped at 10s and continued walking with the dogs.  They are very good about stopping and waiting for me if I get distracted by something...lol. Love 'em!

Anyway, as the sun rose, I was suddenly amazingly aware of its proximity to me.  As I got to a completely clear patch where there were no obstructions, the sun had been up for about 15m.  I spun around and stared right at it, counting up to 10s.  Delicious.  Fantastic.  Perfectly relaxing.  Even easy, I thought to myself.  I wanted to look again, so as a compromise, I did a round where I looked N S E W of the sun, all at about a 45 50 degree angle.  That felt fantastic and I didn't have a noticeable sun 'spot' anywhere in my vision.  Though my peripheral vision felt quite invigorated, if I could put it that way.

As I walked home at 8:3a, I tried to do the same thing.  My face immediately went squishy...it was almost two hours after sunrise and it felt completely different.  I didn't do any looking at it at all, but I did try to keep my chin up as I walked home, even though my instinct was to look at the ground.  I found that interesting in and of itself.  I wonder if looking at the ground starts the merry-go-round of 'same ol' thoughts'?  Hmm.

I suddenly realized that I could use the sun as a kind of exercise every time I was in it.  The process changed immediately for me.  As opposed to simply Sun Gazing at proscribed times, this introduced itself as a lifestyle.  Sweet!  The fundamental idea that I got from HRM was that the experience of SG fulfills itself when your battery is full. When that is, is up to us.  Nice. :)

Did anyone see the Documentary 'Eat the Sun'?  I don't care about the breatharian part, but as a healing mechanism, I am fascinated. :)
Cheers! ~ Elle