Every morning we offer water to Sun. We do it  as a part of rituals. Do you know what is science behind offering water to sun.

India has a history of great sages and monks, the wise intellectuals of our society. These sages understood the ways of the human body very well and devised efficient and practical methods of keeping one’s body healthy. For the health and well being of the public, they attached these healthy practices with the name of God. Thus, they became our rituals. One such very important practice is offering water to the Sun God (Surya Arghya) early in the morning every day, the benefits of which we shall unfold in this article.

We know that the ritual involves offering water to the sun, barefoot, early in the morning during sunrise. A lot of people in our country practice this ritual daily. But before knowing Science behind offering water to sun; let’s understand  how is this ritual to be performed to get maximum benefits?

This ritual of Surya Arghya is to be performed early in the morning during sunrise. You should take a bath and not eat anything beforehand.  Take a brass or copper vessel with 250 ml or more water for the offering. You are supposed to walk barefoot to a place where you can clearly see the sun, stand on the balls of your feet and slowly let down a constant trickle of water, while looking at the sun through the water flow, for 3-5 minutes.  The stream of water is not supposed to broken during the offering. While looking at the sun you are to recite the Surya mantra. It is believed that this will bring peace and energy to your body in the early morning.

Science behind offering water to sun

• At sunrise, the sun rays reaching us are slanting. These sun rays are a great source of vitamin D, which is very important for strong and healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency is very common in urban areas. 70-80% of the people are deficient in this essential vitamin.
• Looking at the sun through the stream of water protects our eyes from the harmful sun rays and lets the beneficial rays reach our eyes (rods and cones) that improve our eyesight. These rays also prevent cataract formation. That is why it is recommended that you look at the sun through the water for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Walking barefoot helps the body by natural acupressure through the soil and grass.
• Standing on the balls of your feet during the offering, you exercise the tendons of your ankle joints. This reduces ankle pain and keeps your calf muscles healthy. Even physiotherapists recommend walking on the balls of your feet to cure painful ankle joints.
• Performing the offering after taking a bath leads to better adsorption of vitamin D because of the after bath soft and supple skin, with open pores. Our skins are very adsorbent at this time, capable of taking in 75% of the things it is in contact with.
• Morning air is also fresh and pollution free. The plants and trees remove toxins from the morning air via photosynthesis and release fresh oxygen into the air.
• Reciting the Surya mantra and recitation of the word Om is extremely helpful as a breathing exercise in the morning. Also recitation of any mantra helps in concentration and focusing your thoughts.

Solar energy, the energy from the sun, is the source of life on this planet; it is the life energy supporting life on earth. Now that we know the science behind the ritual of Surya Arghya, we urge you to take advantage of the sun’s energy and benefit from it in many healthy ways by performing the age old practice of Surya Arghya and keeping your eyes, bones, feet, legs and your being strong and healthy.