EXERCISE 11- Breathing solar energies.

Solar energies

Each new day is announced by the appearance of the Sun on the eastern horizon -- sunrise or sun-up. The Sun is at its most powerful when it is most nearly overhead at around midday, 12 o'clock. The ending of each day is described by the going down of the Sun on the western horizon -- sunset or sundown.



The passage of the Earth around the Sun takes a year, 365 days. Because the angle of the Earth to the Sun changes as it moves,



[ Some assume our planet's changing distance from the sun causes the change in the seasons. That's logical, but not the case, for Earth. Instead, Earth has seasons because our planet's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to our orbital plane – the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun. ]




[What is the sun's angle?

The amount of heat energy received at any location on the globe is a direct effect of Sun angle on climate, as the angle at which sunlight strikes the Earth varies by location, time of day, and season due to the Earth's orbit around the Sun and the Earth's rotation around its tilted axis. ]

wherever we live, the least amount of sunlight and heat from the Sun occurs during winter. The Winter Solstice marks the time of the shortest day. The number of daylight and night-time hours is the same at the time of the two Equinoxes.





The first Equinox that occurs after winter marks the first day of spring. The longest day is that of the Summer Solstice. The second Equinox marks the first day of autumn. All life is affected by the cycle of the Sun and its energies. The relevant points in the solar year may be found in an appropriate calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, they tend to occur around 21/22 December (Winter Solstice)., 21/22March (Spring Equinox), 21/22 June (Summer Solstice) and 21/22 September (Autumn Equinox), with the seasons being reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.










EXERCISE 11

Breathing solar energies

This exercise 11 focuses on the role of the Sun in your life and the life around you. it is in three(3) parts and, in each case, take appropriate steps to protect yourself from too much exposure to the Sun's powerful rays.

Sun protection factor (SPF): The SPF number is the level of protection the sunscreen provides against UVB rays, which are the main cause of sunburn. A higher SPF number means more UVB protection (although it says nothing about UVA protection). For example, when applying an SPF 30 sunscreen correctly, you get the equivalent of 1 minute of UVB rays for each 30 minutes you spend in the sun. So, 1 hour in the sun wearing SPF 30 sunscreen is the same as spending 2 minutes totally unprotected. People often do not apply enough sunscreen, so they get less actual protection.

Sunscreens labeled with SPFs as high as 100+ are available. Higher numbers do mean more protection, but many people don’t understand the SPF scale. SPF 15 sunscreens filter out about 93% of UVB rays, while SPF 30 sunscreens filter out about 97%, SPF 50 sunscreens about 98%, and SPF 100 about 99%. The higher you go, the smaller the difference becomes. No sunscreen protects you completely.

Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and skin cancer. The amount of damage from UV exposure depends on the strength of the light, the length of exposure, and whether the skin is protected. There are no safe UV rays or safe suntans.

Skin Cancer

Sun exposure at any age can cause skin cancer. Be especially careful in the sun if you burn easily, spend a lot of time outdoors, or have any of the following physical features:

• Numerous, irregular, or large moles.
• Freckles.
• Fair skin.
• Blond, red, or light brown hair.

Self-Examination

It's important to examine your body monthly because skin cancers detected early can almost always be cured. The most important warning sign is a spot on the skin that is changing in size, shape, or color during a period of 1 month to 1 or 2 years.

Skin cancers often take the following forms:

• Pale, wax-like, pearly nodules.
• Red, scaly, sharply outlined patches.
• Sores that don't heal.
• Small, mole-like growths - melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.

If you find such unusual skin changes, see a health care professional immediately.

Block Out UV Rays

• Cover up. Wear tightly-woven clothing that blocks out light. Try this test: Place your hand between a single layer of the clothing and a light source. If you can see your hand through the fabric, the garment offers little protection.
• Use sunscreen. A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93 percent of UV rays. You want to block both UVA and UVB rays to guard against skin cancer. Be sure to follow application directions on the bottle.
• Wear a hat. A wide brim hat (not a baseball cap) is ideal because it protects the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.
• Wear UV-absorbent shades. Sunglasses don't have to be expensive, but they should block 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation.
• Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you're unsure about the sun's intensity, take the shadow test: If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are the day's strongest.

The most notable benefit of exposure to sunlight is its ability to boost your body's vitamin D supply. ... Vitamin D is produced by the skin's response to UV radiation primarily through sun exposure, which affects 10 percent of the genes in the human body.

Is the sun good for you?

FOR years we have been told to cover up in the sun to cut the risk of getting skin cancer. But now it seems that a little bit of sunshine on your body is actually good for you. ... And it's all thanks to vitamin D, which is made by our bodies through the action of the sun's UVB rays on our skin.

 

How is the Sun beneficial to humans?

Sunlight has a beneficial effect on skin disorders, such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin. 4. Sunlight lowers cholesterol. The sun converts high cholesterol in the blood into steroid hormones and the sex hormones we need for reproduction.

 

Sunlight therapy that dates back to the ancient Greeks, was called heliosis. Today, the name for sunlight therapy is heliotherapy.We evolved as a human race for millions of years under the warmth and love of the sun. Perhaps drenching ourselves in poisonous sunblock from head to toe is not the answer.

 Sunblock has many draw backs. Most brands are laden with toxic chemicals such as:

• Oxybenzone, which is linked to hormone disruption and cell damage that may lead to skin cancer.
• Retinyl palmitate, which has now been proven to be a carcinogen.
• Octyl-methoxycinnamate causes oxidation damage of the skin, which ages your face.
• Butyl-Methdiebenzoylmethane, which releases free radicals into the body.
• Benzophenone 2 (BP2), decreases the function of the thyroid, in a population that is already seriously suffering from hypothyroidism (under active).

Furthermore, sunblock stops the sun's ultra violet rays from creating Vitamin D in the body, which is essential for many functions such as:

• bone health
• anti-cancer
• supports the immune system
• protects against dementia and brain aging
• good for loosing excess fat
• essential for decreasing symptoms of asthma
• strengthens teeth

We are making a whole generation Vitamin D deficient with fear of the sun.

Ultra Violet light is just one frequency of light; there are eight others - infrared, and the seven spectrums of visible light. Each one has its own unique healing power!

Here are 10 benefits of getting a moderate amount of sun exposure:
1. Sunlight and whole foods send breast cancer into remission. The American physician Dr. Zane Kime used sunbathing and nutrition to cure his patients. Even in terminal cases, Dr. Kime was able to completely reverse the metastasized cancer.

2. The sun's light kills bad bacteria. The German solders after WWI knew of the discoveries that had been made in 1903 by the Nobel Prize winner, Niels Finsen. They used sunlight to disinfect and heal wounds.

3. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on skin disorders, such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin.

4. Sunlight lowers cholesterol. The sun converts high cholesterol in the blood into steroid hormones and the sex hormones we need for reproduction. In the absence of sunlight, the opposite happens; substances convert to cholesterol.

5. The sun's rays lower blood pressure. Even a single exposure significantly lowers blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. On the other hand, pharmaceutical drugs such as Statins have side effects, such as robbing the body of Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is essential for cellular and heart energy.

6. Sunlight penetrates deep into the skin to cleanse the blood and blood vessels. Medical literature published in Europe showed that people with atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) improved with sun exposure.

7. Sunlight increases oxygen content in human blood. And, it also enhances the body's capacity to deliver oxygen to the tissues; very similar to the effects of exercise. The sun has a great effect on stamina, fitness and muscular development.

8. Sunlight builds the immune system. The white blood cells, which increase with sun exposure, are called lymphocytes, and these play a major role in defending the body against infections.

9. Regular sunlight exposure increases the growth and height of children, especially babies. Many cultures throughout history have recognized this fact. Studies have shown the amount of sun exposure in the first few months has an effect on how tall the person grows.

10. Sunlight can cure depression. The noon sunshine can deliver 100,000 lux. When we sit in offices for the best part of the day, out of the sun, under neon and artificial lights (150-600 lux), we are depriving ourselves of the illumination of nature. Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression. It is more common in winter months, but also common in people who work long hours in office buildings.

Exposure to the sun should be done SLOWLY! If you are not used to the sun, then your skin will be more sensitive to it. Avoid sunburn by building up your tolerance SLOWLY.

Dawn, from an Old English verb dagian: "to become day", is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in the atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc reaches 18° below the horizon. This dawn twilight period will last until sunrise 
(when the Sun's upper limb breaks the horizon), as the diffused light becomes direct sunlight.



The simple reading of the Talmud is that dawn takes place 72 minutes before sunrise.

EXERCISE 11- Part A

We can align ourselves with the energies of the Sun every day at dawn (see above) to celebrate renewal, rebirth or the start of a new venture. Fulfillment is the mood of the midday Sun, while sunset is the time to acknowledge decline, decay, and to celebrate how endings often lead to renewal and rebirth.

• If possible practice this exercise 11 outdoors, although you can do it indoors if you prefer.
• Lie down on your back, stand or sit, in a relaxed posture facing the Sun or in the sunlight. Your eyes should be closed at all times during the exercise. Do not look directly at the Sun when it has moved to its brightest position in the sky.

• Breath normally. Acknowledge the presence of the Sun in your life.

• Now take six(6) full breaths into the belly. Your intention is to breathe in the energies of the Sun. You may wish to focus on a specific situation with this intention.

• As you exhale, imagine that the solar energies spreading throughout every level of your being. From your head(Crown Centre) going downward to the Brow Centre, the Throat Centre, the Heart Centre, the Solar Plexus Centre, the Sacral Centre, the Base/Root Centre, the Knees, the Ankles, the Sole of the feet.

• Rest and breathe normally. Acknowledge that you are at one with the Sun and its energies.


• Before leaving your place, give thanks to the Source of the Sun for its gift to you and to life.

You may wish to extend this exercise by adding other relevant self-healing intentions.

EXERCISE 11 - Part B

It is also possible for us to align ourselves, via the breath, with the energies of the Sun to enable any or all of the following:

1. To reinforce the masculine polarity within you and expression of the masculine.

2. To totally energise your whole system.

3. To more fully express the emissive ('masculine') energy stream.  Applicable to both genders.

4. To balance this stream with the receptive ('feminine') stream within yourself. Applicable to both genders.

• For these purposes the exercise has its greatest effect just before , during and just after midday, with maximum benefits coming at the time of the Summer Solstice.

• Follow the same procedure as in Part A above and breathe six(6) full breaths into your Solar Plexus Centre - situated just below your ribcage and above your navel.

• Rest and breathe normally. Acknowledge that you are at one with the Sun; at one with its energies.

• Become aware of those other living beings that are active at the time of your exercise.

• Before leaving your place, or before returning to your everyday activities,  give thanks to the Creator of the Sun for its gift to you and to life.

EXERCISE 11 - Part C

• For these purposes the exercise has its greatest effect just before, during and just after the day of the particular equinox or solstice.

• Follow the same procedure as in Part A above and breathe six(6) full breaths into your abdomen Solar Plexus Centre - situated just below your ribcage and above your navel. As you exhale, allow the specific solar energies that you have chosen to work with to permeate your being on all levels.

• Rest and breathe normally. Acknowledge that you are at one with the Sun; at one with its energies.

• You may wish to become  more aware of those other living beings  (both plant and animal) that have a certain pattern of activity at the time you have chosen.

• Before leaving your place, or before returning to your everyday activities,  give thanks to the Creator of the Sun for its gift to you and to life.

Next is EXERCISE 12 The Balancing Breath (click here)

INTRODUCTION. THE HEALING BREATH

Click here to start ... and then continue from here .

(Lessons I've learnt about the breath and breathing)
page 4. I was being looked after. During the experience of pneumonia, and my inability to breathe, I was learning about the preciousness of the breath and its link with ill-health. I was also being reminded of my existence before the breath, and that I exist with the breath and, on some level, without it.

  Years later, at school, I developed a love for long-distance running. I found that I ran best when I coordinated my breathing with the rhythmic beat of my feet on the ground. Breathing responds to rhythm. After school, judo training showed me how to use the breath to overcome the effects of my childhood illness to 'develop a strong body, and a calm mind'. Through judo practice, I discovered   how the breath was linked to thought. Fear causes people to lose control of their breathing, whereas control of the breath creates a sense of calm, strength, and confidence. I have not forgotten the words of my instructor: 'When you need to be relax and serene, breathing is the key.' Sometimes, once a judo-throw was mastered, the accompanying breath control allowed me to enter a space where thinking disappeared. I did not know it then , but this was the meditative state to which all forms of breath work and body work can lead.

EXERCISE 10 - Breathing lunar energies

EXERCISE 10 Breathing lunar energies.

Sun and Moon breathing

Life on Earth depends on the energy radiating out from the Sun. This energy is also received by the Moon before it is reflected towards us - a process evident during the darkness of the night sky. Wherever we are situated, we are aware of sunlight during the day and moonlight during the night, even though we may not see, respectively at times.  Life on earth is bathed in this rhythm of light and the other unseen energies that accompany the light. Like the rhythm of our breathing, inhale and exhale, the cycle of light and energy is a primary rhythm of life. Life on Earth has evolved to align with the cycle of light so that each and every life form, whether plant or animal, lives to an individual rhythm. An aspect of evolution is that every individual rhythm is interdependent, creating a balanced whole. An example is the way most plants use the carbon dioxide exhaled by animals and humans and give out oxygen as a by-product of their life processes. The oxygen given out by the plants is, in turn, used by animals and humans.


  As we breathe and interact with life, we are involved in creating, or rather re-creating or possibly upsetting, this balanced whole. We sense when our personal rhythms are aligned with the natural rhythms outside us as a feeling of inner harmony.  The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence. You have already discovered that your own inner harmony is reflected in your breathing. Thus, breathing is the short cut to recreating inner harmony. Inner harmony and the Breath of Unity are the same.


{ Breath of Unity.
The breath carries the life force, so the breath is our moment-by-moment connection with the source of life and all healing energies -- which can be called the Source , or God.  Through the simple and natural act of breathing we can become more aware of this Breath of Unity and open ourselves to the flow of healing energies. This is why conscious, mindful breathing is integral to self-healing and all other forms of therapy.

  Breathing is our moment-by-moment link with life itself. When we breathe we take in the energy of our surroundings, as well as physical substances such as air, so that breathing is an interaction between our inner emotional, mental and spiritual selves and our surroundings. Thus, just as it affects our physical body, our breathing also affects the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves, our being. Therefore it is vital that we know how to breath effectively at all levels of our being. The first step is self-healing through conscious breathing is to become aware of the breath as a function of our connection with the Source, or religious people called God. The breath is our pathway to well-being, to balance, to mental clarity, to the absence of stress, and to a deep awareness of the gift of life.
For the sake of clarity, in this Healing Breath exercises, Spirit (with a capital , upper case 'S') signifies as aspect of the Source (or the Holy Spirit) while the term 'spirit' (with a small, lower case 's') refers to the animating energy of the Source.}

Here we explore polarity through linking the personal rhythm of the breath and the emissive and receptive subtle energy streams with the natural rhythms generated by the Sun and Moon. In terms of energetic polarity, the Moon can represent the receptive ('feminine') energy stream and the Sun he emissive ('masculine') energy stream. The archetypal significance of the Sun and Moon has featured in the spiritual and religious life of humans from the earliest times, both in terms of what they might represent and in terms of the liturgical or ceremonial calendar.


Lunar energies.

Moon.

Natural satellite.

The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits planet Earth, being Earth's only permanent natural satellite.

Distance to Earth: 384,400 km

Radius: 1,737 km

Gravity: 1.622 m/s²

Average orbital speed: 1.022 km/s

Orbital period: 27 days

Orbits: Earth

  The Moon travels round the Earth. Through its gravitational interaction with our Planet earth, the Moon creates tidal movement within the oceans. It also creates energetic tides through its appearance in the night sky. All humans and living things are affected by the Moon,  but females are especially aware through their bodies' menstrual cycle of just over twenty-nine (29) days - from the time of the waxing New Moon, through the Full Moon to its appearance of waning in the night sky. There are twelve(12) to thirteen (13) moons to each year of twelve(12) months. Each moon exerts its own powerful energetic influence. As well as their physical influence, lunar energies also affect our emotions and  the contents of the unconscious mind.


EXERCISE 10

Breathing lunar energies

 This self-healing exercise 10 draws your attention to the role of the Moon in your life and the life around you. Information on the Moon's phases can be found in the appropriate calendar for any month of the year. If you are in Singapore , you can click here . Or do Google search, type "Moon's phases [your country]"
The exercise 10 has two parts and has benefits that are relevant to both genders.

Exercise 10 - Part A

We can align with the energies of the New Moon to acknowledge or celebrate renewal, rebirth or the start of something new. Fulfillment is the mood of the Full Moon, while the waning Moon acknowledges decline, decay, and how the end of something leads to renewal and rebirth.

• If possible practice the exercise 10 outdoors at night, although it is perfectly possible to remain indoors, like during raining season.

• Lie down on your back, stand or sit, in a relaxed posture facing the Moon or in the moonlight.

• Breath normally. Acknowledge the presence of the Moon in your life.

• Now take six(6) full breaths. Your intention is to breathe in the energies of the Moon.

• As you exhale, imagine that the lunar energies spread throughout every level of your being. From your head(Crown Centre) going downward to the Brow Centre, the Throat Centre, the Heart Centre, the Solar Plexus Centre, the Sacral Centre, the Base/Root Centre, the Knees, the Ankles, the Sole of the feet.

• Rest and breathe normally. Acknowledge that you are at one with the Moon and its energies.

• You may wish to become more aware of those beings that have a nocturnal pattern of activity. Check that you are not getting cold! Wear a jacket/ long sleeve shirt if you want to.

• Before leaving your place, give thanks to the Source of the Moon for its gift to you and to life.

You may wish to extend this exercise 10 by adding other relevant self-healing intentions.

Exercise 10 - Part B.

It is also possible to align ourselves, via the breath, with the energies of the Moon to enable any or all of the following:

1. To regularize the menstrual cycle.

2. To balance the emotions.

3. To reinforce the feminine polarity and expression of the feminine.

4. To more fully express the receptive ('feminine') energy stream. Both men and women have this receptive energy stream. Applicable to both genders.

5. To balance this stream with the emissive ('masculine') polarity within yourself. Applicable to both genders.

• For these purposes the exercise has its greatest effect just before , during and just after the full Moon.

• Follow the same procedure as in Part A above and breathe six(6) full breaths into your Sacral Centre - situated just below the navel.






• Rest and breathe normally. Acknowledge that you are at one with the Moon and its energies.

• Before leaving your place, give thanks to the Creator of the Moon for its gift to you and to life.


Exercise 11-  Breathing solar energies (click here)

EXERCISE 9: Opening to 'heavenly' energies

EXERCISE 9

Opening to 'heavenly' energies

Your experiences with the two previous exercises (click here for Exercise 7 & Exercise 8) should reinforce your understanding of the role of the hands and feet in absorbing subtle energy via conscious breathing. The Sole Centres, through their contact with the planet Earth, keep us grounded by earthing energetic activity. Grounding ourselves, bare-footed, is important for our efficient functioning as a channel for healing and other energies, and for channeling these to others. Through the Palm Centres we transmit subtle energies and absorb energetic information. During this activity, the energy centres enable us to perceive or sense the movement of subtle energies.

  Therefore you can use breath to keep in touch with the Earth, via your feet, and with your higher self, via your hands. These two sets of energy centres provide us with an opportunity to celebrate our love for the Earth (perhaps through dance and movement) and our love for others and the Earth family (perhaps through using the hands to heal, comfort, prepare food and make music).

  Our hands and feet tell us much about polarity: how we communicate it, how it is part of our lives and how, in fact, polarity is another expression of Oneness. Every breath we take is a reminder of Oneness and the spiritual reality behind the polarity of the physical realm. We have ways of keeping in touch with the 'heavenly' realms, apart from via the Crown centre, as the following breathing Exercise 9 shows.

EXERCISE 9

Opening to 'heavenly' energies

Our hands may hang at our sides for much of the time, but we can extend them in the opposite direction, up, above our head. This stance is a natural expression of joy, bringing in positive feelings and combating depression.

• Go outdoor. Stand on the ground, preferably barefooted, in a relaxed posture with your feet shoulder-width apart. Take six (6) slow full breaths. Breathe normally as you look up at the sky, and beyond.

• Put your attention down into the soles of your feet. Be aware of your contact with the Earth.

• Raise your arms up above your head, with your palms upwards.

• Visualise that you can breathe the energies of the Sun into your Palm Centres. Even if the Sun is not visible, you can still breathe in its energies. Enjoy the sensation of these energies circulation throughout your body. As you exhale, you are giving out the energies to the world.

• Visualise that you can breathe in the energies of the sky. Enjoy the sensation of these energies circulating throughout your body. As you exhale, you are giving out the energies to the world.

• Allowing your imagination to extend further, visualize that you can breathe in the energies of the cosmos. Enjoy the sensation of these energies circulating throughout your body. As you exhale, you are giving out the energies to All That Is.

EXERCISE 10
Breathing lunar energies (click here)