Face The Sun

Have you ever positioned your body to face the sun, closing your eyes and allowing its warmth to cover your entire being? If not, and the sun is out… go do it now for three minutes.

Welcome back.

How did that feel? Refreshing. Rejuvenating. Restful. Peaceful.
When we face towards the sun we are left with a myriad of moments. If we allow them to, these moments can become major insights into our lives.

Moments such as:

Warmth
Breath
Brightness
Overbearing
Guiding

Each of these moments can shape our lives. In fact, the sun itself has the audacity to lead us through these moments.

How cool.

Warmth.

When standing towards the sun the first thing we notice is how it warms us. On a cold day, standing in the sun brings comfort. Even on warm or hot summer days the sun provides warmth. Basic science we all remember is that the closer you are to fire or heat, the warmer you become. Pretty simple.

Take standing in the sun. In the winter, the sun isn’t as hot as it is in the summer. Why is this? In summer, the sun is closer to the earth. Simple. We don’t have to do anything but learn that there are times when the sun warms us better and stronger than others and we can be in the same spot.

[THE MOMENT]: Life has natural ebbs and flows. Being aware of those ebbs and flows will help us make right decisions at the right time.

Breath.

The second thing that caught my attention while facing the sun is how my breathing was. The warmer the sun is, the deeper and slower my breathing becomes. I literally want to slow down my breathing and take it all in. As I inhale, I can feel the power of the sun infiltrate my being. When I exhale, it feels as though all my worries and cares are melting away.

What an interesting concept to process. The sun helps me embrace life. I’m letting go of all the worries (at least for the moment) and ridding myself of toxins my body doesn’t need.

[THE MOMENT]: Breathing deeply changes perspectives.

Brightness.

It doesn’t take long to face into the sun when you are forced to either turn away or close your eyes. The sheer brightness of the sun’s capacity is too much for us to handle in large doses. Even with our eyes closed, we can still feel the effects of the sun. It penetrates the skin.

If we pay close attention, we see that at some point we will start squinting our already closed eyes. The brightness almost becomes unbearable for a moment. Keeping your eyes closed you can look away for a moment and then relax them again…. Until the brightness becomes unbearable.

[THE MOMENT]: The brighter we shine in life, from our own to our families, friends, businesses, acquaintances, the greater impact we will have.

Overbearing.

One thing is certain, the longer you stand facing the sun, at some point your body says “enough, I am done.” Not that your body doesn’t want to stay but because at some point it is too much. You need a break.

If you spend time at the beach at all this is an all too familiar reality. Hanging in the sun for a while, get under the umbrella. Rinse and repeat.

[THE MOMENT]: This is a two-part moment. The first is that no matter how bright something is, or how warm, or how comforting, there is always a point where a break is needed. The second, don’t be too overbearing as people will need a break from what we do.

Guiding.

Watching the sun from rising to setting its easy to notice movement. The sun’s movement is also not linear. It does not just go up and down. It carries itself across the sky. Watch it daily for a year and you will see that its path varies, however there is one constant.

The sun always rises and sets in the same manner. It guides time. It guides direction. It guides feeling. The sun comes up in the morning and goes down in the evening (time). The sun moves from East to West without fail (direction). When the sun is not hidden by clouds our spirits are higher (feeling).

[THE MOMENT]: The sun is a great teacher.