Pure Light
RITUAL: Light Therapy | SOLAR TERM: Qing Ming | SEASON: Spring
April 5 - April 19
Following Spring Equinox, the fifth solar term of the Chinese calendar is called Qing Ming. Qing Ming means, “Pure Brightness”. It’s the time of year when the weather is beginning to warm up, the skies are clear and the sun is bright.
Qing Ming is the perfect time to begin a sunlight practice. Getting a daily dose of natural sunlight benefits nearly every system of the body, from muscle strength to bone health, cognitive function to skin protection. Sunlight is also especially critical for a strong immune system.
Sunlight
Spring is associated with the early morning. Hard Wood especially, is represented by the sunrise in the East. Even if you’re not a morning person, rising with the sun in the Springtime can be beneficial to your health.
The body’s natural sleep-wake cycle is regulated by sunlight. The sunlight of dawn sends a message to your brain that it’s time to wake up. And when the sun sets at dusk, your eyes send a similar message to your brain that it’s time for you to go to sleep. So, getting some early morning sunshine, directly through your eyes, helps set a healthy circadian rhythm for your body.
Vitamin D3 is fat soluble steroid hormone. It’s produced endogenously when ultraviolet B light makes contact with your skin and synthesizes vitamin D. In this process, sunlight converts the cholesterol in your skin into vitamin D3.
Sufficient Vitamin D levels reduce inflammation and infections, the risk of developing certain cancers, as well as, chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Many people are deficient in this essential vitamin. They need to supplement, especially in winter months, when their daily exposure to natural sunlight is limited.
In the Spring and Summer months you can easily make the effort to get enough natural sunlight. Just go outside. Spend time doing the things you’re already doing, but out in nature, in the sunlight.
Sun Gazing
Sun gazing is an ancient practice of looking at the sun in the morning as it rises in the East or in the evening as it sets in the West. Benefits include: improved eyesight, better pineal gland function, increased mental health and emotional wellbeing, better energy levels and reduced hunger. Additionally, you’re intentionally taking the time to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise or sunset each day.
To sun gaze, rise before dawn. Go outside and watch the sunrise. On day 1, look directly at the sun on the horizon for just 10 seconds before closing your eyes. Each morning increase the time you’re gazing at the sun by 10 seconds until you reach 15 minutes or more.
Research sun gazing before trying it yourself or experimenting with different methods. Sun gazing is only recommended at sunrise or sunset when the UVB light index is lower than the other times of day. You may want to start with keeping your eyes closed until you feel ready to open them for the first 10 seconds. Or, face the sun, keeping your eyes closed but visualizing the sunlight entering your third eye at the brow chakra.
Best Practices for Sun Gazing
Sun gaze within 30 minutes of sunrise or sunset.
Sit or stand barefoot on the ground outside.
Don’t wear contact lenses, glasses or gaze through the windows of your home.
Use your intuition about whether to stare, squint, close your eyes, or blink.
Start with 10 seconds, and then add 10 seconds a day until you reach 15 minutes per day.
Visualize the sunlight entering the front side of your chakras, as well as, the cells and vital organs of your body and the pineal gland in the center of your brain.
You may also like to sit or stand with your back to the sun to allow the sunlight to enter the back of all of your chakras.
Complete your sun gazing session with some yoga or qigong and visualize the light energy circulating within and throughout your body.
If sun gazing isn’t your thing, just get some early morning sunlight. Upon rising, take a tour of your home and open all the shades or curtains, windows and doors to let the sunlight and fresh air in. Go for a walk in the morning without sunglasses. Or, stand in the grass for your grounding practice in the morning light.
Try habit stacking your morning sunlight with other daily rituals and holistic practices. Take your Vitamin D3/K2 supplement before or after walking or sitting outside in the sun. Do your yoga or qigong outside barefoot on the grass in the morning sun. Or, just take your first glass of water or morning tea or coffee outside to watch the sunrise and get your sunny D.
Best Practices for Sunlight Therapy
Morning sunlight is the best.
Don’t apply sunscreen before early morning sun exposure.
Don’t cover up too much when sunbathing in the morning light.
Allow the sunlight to make contact with your bare skin.
Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight each morning between sunrise and 10am.
Light therapy tools are categorized by color. This is because each type of light has a specific range of wavelengths that produces different effects on the body. We’ve all heard about the damaging effects of the blue light from our tech devices. You might have invested in blue light blocking glasses to wear during screen time. In the following sections you can read about the therapeutic effects of red light therapy and infrared light.
Red Light Therapy
In addition to natural sunlight, you may want to invest in an at-home red light therapy device. There are wearable devices and small hand held devices that can be used to target specific areas. Or, you can get a larger freestanding device to stand or sit in front of for a daily session in the comfort of your own home.
Red light wavelengths range between 630-670 and 810-880 nanometers. These wavelengths create a biochemical effect in our cells that strengthens and increases mitochondrial function and improves ATP production in the body. Red light can penetrate about 8-10 millimeters into the skin and reach the blood vessels, lymph pathways, nerves and hair follicles.
Red light therapy is ideal for skincare regimens. Because it helps to build collagen, many people use it for more cosmetic treatments like improving their overall complexion, rejuvenating facial skin, smoothing skin tone and texture, reducing fine lines and wrinkles and fading scars and stretch marks. Red light helps to promote circulation by bringing oxygen and nutrients to your skin’s surface and creating a radiant, healthy glow. It’s also been proven to improve skin issues like acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis.
Red light therapy has many other health and healing benefits. It’s been approved to treat chronic joint pain and heal wounds. Special red light helmets have been shown to reduce hair loss and accelerate hair regrowth. Red light can also help to repair sun damage, decrease inflammation in the skin, increase circulation, improve immune function and activate the lymphatic system. People also report that it’s improved their thyroid function.
Infrared Light Therapy
Unlike red light, infrared light is invisible, and penetrates much deeper into the body’s tissues with longer wavelengths with a range of 700-1200 nanometers. It’s a light that we can feel as heat on our skin but cannot see with our eyes. Often used in saunas, infrared light can increase body temperature enough for your body to experience the detoxification effects of sweating.
Infrared light therapy allows the cells of the body to absorb energy and increase blood flow. Increased blood flow can reduce inflammation, promote neural stimulation, provide pain relief and speed up the body’s natural healing process with wounds and other injuries. They’re also ideal for people who suffer from sore muscles and achy joints due to exercise or aging.
In addition to spending time in an infrared sauna, there are devices that combine the therapeutic effects of red lights with infrared light. Red and infrared light therapy can help to repair tissues, accelerate healing, enhance muscle recovery and provide pain relief. Many people have made light therapy a daily ritual to reverse aging or reduce the signs of aging both externally and internally.
In the comments below, share your experience with light therapy or which one you’re the most excited to try next!
DISCLAIMER
This article is not medical advice. The intention of this article is to share information to inspire your own research. If you have any questions, consult your natural health practitioner or contact the company regarding the safety and proper use of their products devices.
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Dara Eden is the author of HER Rituals for the Divine Feminine, a periodical guide created in December of 2021. The 8 Elements, her life’s work, provides guidance about how to honor the essential needs and highest values of your personal feng shui element. Inspired by an Internet challenge designed for men, she created 365WISE, a daily self-care practice that supports women in honoring their needs and listening to their inner wisdom.
In HER Rituals, she offers insights, ideas and intuitive guidance about ways to honor your needs, values and unique expression of the divine feminine.
HER Rituals is a Womb Wisdom KeepHER’s guide to cyclical rituals for sovereign women. It provides insightful information, inspirational ideas and intuitive guidance on daily and seasonal rituals you can practice as a form of self-care. Read about ancient wisdom and philosophical principles, holistic approaches and traditional skills, slow work and intentional living, embodiment practices and immersive experiences.
