How to start the day off right: tips to be ecstatic with the sunrise

There is an essential fact that seems to mix with so many others and in which we hardly notice: that every day the sun rises. Without his presence made of light and heat there would be no life. Plants and animals would not exist, nor consequently we humans. If the sun ceased to exist, in an instant everything would turn into a frozen desert.

The most extraordinary thing about the sun is that we cannot imagine that it does not exist. Although at the same time we tend to forget his presenceengrossed as we are in our daily tasks.

That is why we will stop here in the symbolic aspects of the beginning of the day, when it dawns and the first rays of the sun pierce, as it were, the darkness of the night and, amidst great beauty and stillness, everything begins anew. How to enjoy the spiritual sense of sunrise?

Night and day

For there to be light there must first be darkness. While darkness is mere absence of light. These are the paradoxes of existencethat mystery to which we have become accustomed.

There is two polarities between which we move. On the one hand, the day, which represents the activity, the wakefulness, the conscious. On the other, night, that is, rest, sleep, the subconscious.

When we are awake, a lot of energy is neededthe brain is the governing organ in this sense and needs a large supply of oxygen and glucose. At the end of the day we are tired and we just want to sleep to rest and renew ourselves.

Is overnight when the organism puts into action its mechanisms of physical detoxification and processing of psychological data that will become part of memory. Every night, inevitably, we abandon ourselves to restful sleep. And then we submerge ourselves in the ocean of universal life, where the individual becomes collective.

But when we wake up in the morning, the conscious self re-emerges from the depths, the differentiated personality that distinguishes us – and at the same time separates us – from others. During the day, sunlight allows us to appreciate concrete thingsthe objects and people with whom we interact. The night, on the other hand, is the stillness, the immensityand its light is that of the moon and the distant stars of the firmament.

We cannot see the sun directly, as its light is blinding. Only during dawn and dusk, moments of transition, is it possible for us to contemplate its beauty. Both when rising and setting, all of nature becomes aware of the change that is about to take place and everything seems to stop, remain suspended, for a time that invites contemplation of the meaning of its light.

The spiritual meaning of dawn: an intercultural phenomenon

All civilizations have been sensitive to the real and symbolic importance of the sun., who was given divine rank. Let us especially remember Hinduism (Surya), Pharaonic Egypt (Ra) and the Inca culture (Inti). They saw the sun as a celestial opening through which life flowed.

Prana, or vital energy, comes to us directly from the sun, through breathing and through food. In the ancient Vedic texts of India, surely the oldest sacred books of humanity, written by the sages (rishis) of the Himalayas and inspired by the cosmic Intelligence itself, the sun is often alluded to with beautiful hymns.

In Hinduism and Yoga dawn is considered as “the hour of God or Brahma” (brahmamuhurta). It is the period between 3 and 6 in the morning, especially suitable for spiritual practices given its quality of harmony and purity (sattva) and because it is the least polluted time of day both regarding the air and the usual noises at other times of the day.

Everything is cleaner and more energetic at dawn, plants begin photosynthesis from the first rays of the sun and produce oxygen. That is why it is recommended to then do the breathing exercises or the practice of meditation.

Already before dawn, in the holy city of Benares, the faithful await on the steps overlooking the river Ganges the sunrise, which they greet with offerings and prostrations. Not only do they venerate their presence in this way, but they actively participate, so to speak, in their permanence throughout the day.

But not only Hindu religion (sanatana dharma or “eternal law”) highlights the spiritual importance of dawn. Muslims say the first prayer of the day at dawn, from just before dawn until sunrise. christian monksin their “Liturgy of the Hours”, have the Lauds or morning prayer before starting work.

youth and dawn

The energetic virtue of dawn, both physically and psychologically, derives from that corresponds analogically to spring and youth. We have first of all qualities of vitality and renewal.

This is how he reminds us, not without a certain touch of humor, the Japanese poet Issa in the following haiku:

In this first spring dawn
even my shadow
it is full of vigour.

Nature renews itself every morning just as spring does with respect to the annual cycle. This drive is equivalent to that of adolescence and youth. whatAnd what are the youthful virtuesbeyond wanting to have fun so exploited by television commercials?

Youth does not normally have the wisdom qualities of maturity and old age, such as patience, prudence, reflection, or even compassion. But if freshness, the rebelliousness of wanting to change things, the feeling of invulnerability, vitality in a general sense.

youth passesjust as dawn gives way to noon and the rest of the day. But that apparently lost spring youth never quite disappears; what’s more, it can be renewed to a certain extent at any time of life. We can all be a little more vital, joyful and daring.

An opportunity to start the day off right

Whoever contemplates the sunrise also meets two qualities that can be assimilated or internalized. It’s about peace and beauty.

Before dawn there is a deep stillness that just invites meditation or prayer, as has been said. Likewise, with the first rays of the sun, the song of the birds and the perfume of the flowers, an ineffable beauty manifests itself before us. It is worth getting up sometimes earlier than usual so as not to miss out on that experience.

Sunrise corresponds to the spring equinox, while sunset represents autumn. Both times, in the day and in the year, are transition periods between light and dark. Each assumes the half of a cycle, ascending and descending.

The dawn suggests renewal, the step towards clarity, individuality, and greater activity. Twilight suggests rest, darkness, and fusion. Perhaps that is why lovers especially like to contemplate a sunset together.

When nightfall arrives, it is a good opportunity to review the day and assess the mistakes and successes that we have had. When we get up in the morning It is the ideal time to mentally channel the meaning of the day in a positive way.

Dawn as a state of consciousness

Dawn is also an awakening. From the nocturnal torpor, often filled with fears and ghosts, we pass to the clarity of the day. Accompanied by sunlight, we can love and understand, discover others and ourselves.

Plato, in his “Myth of the Cave”, allegorically shows the situation in which we could well find ourselves.

There are several men confined from birth inside a cave and tied up so that they can only look at the far wall. Behind him there is a bonfire as well as the opening to the outside that lets in some rays of light that are projected on the rock wall drawing shaded pictures of what’s going on outside.

For this that is the only reality, a dim reflection. When one of them manages to escape from the cave and returns to free the others from the captivity in which they live, they mock and do not want to follow him.

Just as waking up in the morning opens us to a new perspective, spiritual awakening—a deeper and more complete form of knowing—is also a human possibility.

Let us remember in this sense that the word Buddha literally means “awake”, although it is usually translated as “enlightened”, perhaps because the symbolism of light is linked to the inner dawn. So that Buddhism means “The path to awakening”.

Also in relation to death it is convenient not to lose sight that it is good It can mean a new dawn. We tend to believe that dying is the opposite of living, when it is simply the opposite of being born.

Maintaining an “auroral” consciousness is also important and useful in the face of life’s problems. Let us remember that the blacker the night, the closer the dawn is. Optimism and inner calm allow us to overcome obstacles.

It is also true that sometimes when dawn there may be clouds, rain or even a storm. But we must not forget that although the sun then remains hidden, does not stop for this reason to shine. You don’t have to get discouraged.

The sun rises for everyone and each new day gives us the opportunity to properly guide our stepsto be a little better and perhaps also a little happier.

Exercise to visualize the sun within oneself

This unprecedented exercise consists of visualizing the course of the sun through the central axis of the body. It allows Increase optimism and vitality.

The posture will be relaxed, just like breathing, with your back straight and your closed eyes. you can be seated on the floor or on a chair.

It first displays a semi-transparent tube or channel, the size of the little fingerwhich goes from a point located about four fingers below the navel and reaching to the heada little above between the eyebrows.We imagine a small spherical sun that will ascend and descend through that central channel as does the outer sun. the diaphragm, muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity represents the horizon that marks the sunrise and sunset. The small sun located below the navel is not yet bright (it’s midnight). You have to imagine it reddish in color and feel the warmth of it. We visualize below that it is slowly rising: passes through the navelthen over it until reaching the chest. At this central point is where you have to visualize the dawn: its first rays of light, until that sun is already completely a small sphere of light on the horizon. we will keep that bright and warm image at the height of the heart. We are calm and we outline a smile. We stay like this for a few minutes.Then that sun slowly rises, It goes through the throat area, until it reaches the head. We visualize for a few minutes its golden light (it’s noon) that it radiates from above in all directions and gives us clarity of mind. Finally, we do the visualization in descending sense. Then the passage through the “horizon” located in the diaphragm must be seen as a sunset. Until the small sphere, already reddish, returns to its point of origin below the navel.