7 Tips for Sun-Gazing Learned in the Hard Way - Part II

Continued, see Part I

Tip #3: Clear Your Mind
It matters a lot during sun treatment (and other Bates techniques too) what is happening inside your head. The best efficiency is achieved when your mind is at rest. Or should I say it is the goal of any Bates technique to achieve restful state of the mind, for it's when the eyesight becomes perfect.

Clearing your mind is a very important thing that deserves a separate post, and here is a brief summary. The mind gets cleared when you stop thinking thoughts and switch to abstracted observation. Note that it's not productive (or maybe not even possible) to try to suppress your thoughts. Instead, you should occupy your mind with observation of sensations from your body, such as breathing (see Tip #4). In case if a thought emerges, let it go immediately, like a bubble in a glass of water. If you stop supporting your "thought mixer", it will gradually fade out.

Here's a list of my own typical "fixed ideas" that are interfering with sun treatment, or whatever else Bates practice, and need to be avoided:
- Thoughts about my tasks that I am going to do next after I'm done with Bates
- Dialogs and arguments with imaginary opponents
- Thoughts about what I will write next in my blog :)

The favorable thoughts are the following. Note that these are "slow thoughts", or "thoughts-observations":
- It is pleasant to bask in the sun
- I'm letting the sun shine through me and fill me with light and warmth, I do not resist
- Remember black dot

Tip #4: Breathe Right
Breathing deeply and watching the sensations produced by the air flowing through your throat and lungs is a great way to clear your mind of thoughts and occupy it with observation. Maybe that's the way how breathing works for better eyesight.

I find that it's much easier to open my eyes and begin looking at the sun without discomfort if I make a deep breath in the way how Bates describes it:

"MANY patients with imperfect sight are benefited by breathing. One of the best methods is to separate the teeth while keeping the lips closed, breathe deeply as though one were yawning. When done properly one can feel the air cold as it passes through the nose and down the throat. This method of breathing secures a great amount of relaxation of the nose, throat, the body generally including the eyes and ears.

A man aged sixty-five, had imperfect sight for distance and was unable to read fine print without the aid of strong glasses. After practicing deep breathing in the manner described he became able at once to, read diamond type quite perfectly, as close as six inches from the eyes. The benefit was temporary but by repetition the improvement became more permanent.

At one time I experimented with a number of patients, first having them hold their breath and test their vision, which was usually lower when they did not breathe. They became able to demonstrate that holding their breath was a strain and caused imperfect sight, double vision, dizziness and fatigue, while the deep breathing at once gave them relief.

There is a wrong way of breathing in which when the air is drawn into the lungs the nostrils contract. This is quite conspicuous among many cases of tuberculosis.

Some teachers of physical culture in their classes while encouraging deep breathing close their nostrils when drawing in a long breath. This is wrong because it produces a strain and imperfect sight. By consciously doing the wrong thing, breathing with a strain one becomes better able to practice the right way and obtain relaxation and better sight.

The habit of practicing frequently deep breathing one obtains a more permanent relaxation of the eyes with more constant good vision."

I also use Bates breathing not only during sun treatment, but in all my practice.

Tip #5: Watch the Perceived Color of the Sun
Whenever the perceived color of the sun changes from the perfect white, the brightest white in the world, to another color, such as yellow, it means I should make a break, because a scotoma began to build up.

Also, from time to time I look aside from the sun and notice the sun with my peripheral vision. If the sun seen with the peripheral vision is much or even intolerably brighter than the sun seen with my central vision, this is also a sign of scotoma, and I also need to make a break.

When after the break I open my eyes and look at the sun again, I may see some residuals of the previous scotoma. If these dismiss in a couple of seconds, then it's OK, otherwise it means that the break wasn't successful and I need to continue the break or quit the session.

Tip #5: Keep Your Face and Head Muscles Relaxed
Don't squint, don't frown, don't clench your teeth, don't use postures where your neck strains to support your head. It is only beneficial to do sun treatment when you don't have any discomfort, which otherwise makes your face mimics strain.

Sometimes after closing my eyes after looking at the sun, I notice that I involuntarily frowned and strained my forehead muscles. I close my eyes and relax, and the next time I open my eyes, I consciously let go of that strain.

Tip #6: Swing the Sun and Blink
If you wonder where exactly at the sun you should look at, the answer is that you should shift and swing the sun. Also look aside from the sun from time t time, as said in Tip #5.

At first, I wasn't successful and the sun didn't swing or even moved in the same direction with my eyes. Gradually I learned to swing the sun and when I'm capable of doing so, I've got much more relaxation and less scotomata. It is a very bad idea to keep looking at the same point on the sun, just like any staring.

Blink often. Your body will let you know when you need to blink, just listen to it and don't resist (see Tip #1).

Tip #7: Don't Overheat and Don't Burn Your Skin
When you feel it's too hot to stay in the sun any longer or you feel your skin begins to get burned, you are done, quit the session.

If you increase the duration of sun treatment slowly, your skin will adapt and develop the ability to resist sunburns. I started my sun treatment in winter and although my white skin is very prone to sunburns, I was surprised that even in the middle of the summer my skin doesn't get burned any more, though I am not even looking very tanned.