Researchers now think that we need 15 to 20 minutes of unprotected sun every day for vital health and well-being. And there is something about becoming mindful of the life-promoting energy of the sun that connects us with that force for growth in a very powerful way.
So here is a cornucopia of sun-drenched ideas for getting the most out of your sun experience. Try one or try a few–you too can be a sun-worshipper!
- Find a pleasant place in the sun and just sit there. If you wear glasses, remove them so you can absorb the full spectrum. Feel the warmth on your skin: after 15 or 20 minutes, sniff your arm and enjoy the sun-warmed scent. If you’re afraid you may Fall Asleep, take a timer with you!
- Go for a sunny walk around your neighborhood, or explore someplace new. Either way, you get sun and Exercise, too.
- Take your lunch break in the sun.
- Make a pitcher of Sun Tea: Put 1 teabag (black, green, or herbal) per pint of water in a glass container, and leave outside in the sun to steep for an hour. Add sweetener and fresh mint, if you like, and drink a glass slowly during your Sun Minutes.
- Play with Prisms: Buy a prism, go outside, and make rainbows. Give some thought to the wonder of bright light being made up of all those beautiful, saturated colors.
- This fascinating favorite never fails to amaze and amuse: using a magnifying glass, capture sunlight in a small focused beam, shining it on a piece of paper or a dry leaf. See how quickly it will begin to burn. Be careful: the sun is powerful!
- If you can’t get outside enough, or in the winter, use full-spectrum lighting. Eight hours in this lighting only amounts to about 15 minutes of UV radiation. Sunlight offers all the same color spectrum as the chakras: red, Orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, Violet and white (the 8th chakra). We need a balance of all those colors to feel whole.
- Do some gardening. If you don’t have the space for a big garden, plant something in a terra cotta pot and tend it: it can be very soothing and meditative to pluck off dead flower-heads or pull out weeds, to water and nurture your plants. The sunlight you absorb while you do this is an added benefit.
- Read the daily newspaper in the sun. Look at your mail there, too!
- If you are physically challenged, open a window facing the sun and sit beside it for your 20 minutes. A friend of Annie’s takes time every morning to soak in some sun, before coffee, breakfast, or anything else. This practice is similar to the Native American tradition of making a prayer to the sunrise first thing every morning, and then again at sunset.
