My clock tells time pretty good these days, a nice change of pace for me. 
Hi Bewell,
As far as I can tell you are right, NASA did not carry out any research directly on Mr. Manek.
I believe their involvement took two forms. It seems that someone from NASA coined the phrase “The HRM phenomena”, based on Mr. Manek’s initials. Also three separate studies were carried out on Mr. Manek, the last of these lasting for 130 days. This study was conducted in the USA and was funded by a NASA research grant. It seems that some Indian newspaper reported that NASA carried out the study, which was a simple mistake, and that report was copied and pasted all over the web. NASA has denied any direct involvement in the study, which is not surprising as they had none. The Indian newspaper should have said that the study was funded with a research grant from NASA.
But this confusion over NASA’s involvement should not necessarily detract from the fact that sun gazing seems to give people the ability to live without eating, which is quite remarkable in itself. Apparently several thousand humans now live without eating as a direct result of sun gazing.
I haven’t tried it myself, as I really enjoy my food, especially deserts.
Christi
Hi Meg,
I’ve been Sun-gazing (Surya Yoga) rather consistently since March 2005 and find it quite a useful practice. I, too, initially used the HRM technique as a basic guideline and it has worked quite well for me. I now just Sun-gaze, for 30 minutes per day, a couple of times a week.
I just view the sitting Sun as a beautiful object to meditate upon, and find it’s photo-therapeutic properties to be a nice added benefit of Surya Yoga practice.
I’m not trying to achieve inedian though as quite frankly I don’t believe it’s possible. And, I never really believed that Hira was able to do it either - he’s since been caught out eating solid food.
I’m aware that one hears all sorts of wild stories and myths about the Enlightened. And, this inedian thing just seems like another one of them to me.
Happiness and Ease to you all,
Nirodha
Hi, since the pineal gland was mentioned wrt sun gazing, I wonder if anyone does tratak for the same reason. Tratak, or gazing at a flame ( if done strictly as per instructions, then a flame lit by a ghee or clarified unsalted butter) revives atrophied pineal glands that ‘feeds on light’. Gazing at the ajna (sambhavi, as we do it in the ayp method (lesson 56 - opening the thrid eye) also achieves the same thing, but I understand that tratak helps sambhavi on. Perhaps sun gazing is also a tratak 
Dear Christi,
That purported ability “to live without eating,” is an attractive. It sounds enlightened. Yogananda, in his autobiography of a yogi interviews a Christian woman who claimed to live on light, and he expressed sympathy.
I’m inclined to agree with Niroda, who practices sun gazing but says, of living without food: “quite frankly I don’t believe it’s possible.”
When my time comes, I personally would like to die that way: living on sunlight and water. If I keep living longer than expected, so be it, but my intention in such a total fast would be physical death.
Bewell
Hi Bewell,
I have to confess, after what I have seen during my short life, I am, at this point, not ruling out any possibility in terms of human potential. There is another thing about all this, which is that a lot of people at this point claim that they are able to last for many months or years without eating. Now they could all be lying, or accidentally eating without realizing it. Or… ? It seems odd to me. Especially as many of them don’t seem to gain anything by making such claims, exept the disbelief and mockery of their peers. Many also say that it makes their social lives very difficult but that they are glad they do it because of the spiritual gains.
So if Mr. Manek believes that sungazing helped him to live without eating for months on end, should I not have an open mind and at least give him the benefit of the doubt? After all, he is not claiming to have flown with angels, touched the feet of a God, or seen the dawn of creation and the ending of time. I have to claim personal responsibility for those rather less credible experiences.
Christi
Christi, You have not cited your sources for this information. How could I confirm that lots of people are living for more than a month “without eating”? I’ve read the sun gazing page, but I would like to see it from an “objective” source; a source that isn’t also selling inspirational DVDs or otherwise promoting sun gazing. I’d like to see a report published in a mainstream newspaper or scientific journal.
Dr Shah’s report on the web page does not count as objective. He talks like a believer. Look at this language:
“Its just fantastic, and absolutely amazing, but this is not a myth. It’s not happening in Himalayas or distant jungles. It is happening in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India) in the continuous presence of public and under strict medical check and supervision by expert doctor team. There is no reason to be skeptical.”
That claim, “There is no reason to be skeptical,” simply would not be accepted in an American scientific journal. He seems more interested in theory about how it happens than, investigation of whether it happens. And in the theory section, he writes:
“If this theory can be generalized, then it can change the destiny of mankind. First of all, the food crisis will be solved. Through activation of this supreme energy in body the transforming it in electrical, chemical the magnetic forms, person can not only become free of diseases but can gain positive health with a vibrant aura. His luster can impress even enemies the enemity may dissolve. With improvement of mental & intellectual capacities one may be able to use brain power up to 90 to 100 %, as against to 3 - 10% as we normally do. There will be reign of peace and prosperity. As there is no food, the bad thoughts and ill feelings will be stopped, so eternal peace is bound to follow.”
His theory is a mix of science and yogic renunciation. I really wish it were true, but I’m not convinced.
I truly enjoy sungazing but since moving to the Pacific NW I’m having difficulty finding a place to catch the sun near the horizon…does anyone have any tricks for this or personal advice for finding a sweet location for practice? thanks and peace, Heather
Hi Bewell,
I am afarid I cannot help you with any objective evidence, or any scientific journals. I doubt the stuff about saving the world too, at least for the time being. I have heard that for someone to be able to live without food they have to have an awakened kundalini and the kundalini energy needs to have risen to at least the crown chakra and fully awakened all the chakras on route. Now that’s a pretty tall order, and it is hardly going to happen on a mass scale very soon at any rate.
I plan to give it a go myself towards the end of this year though, so I will let you know how I get on. I will forgoe those wonderful chocolate deserts in the name of truth and scientific research.
Christi
Chocolate just emailed me at my personal address, it says it’s disappointed in you. 
Christi, If you say you’ve gone more than a month living on sunlight and water alone, I’ll say to to you, “Now you know!” Best wishes in your research.
I’m still gazing in the morning on a daily basis. I like the way the energy seems to go through my eyes, fill my skull, then go down. My appetite for food is fairly normal, although, eating of late, seems more a social activity than a personal necessity, especially when I’m eating chocolate chip cookies like today.
Bewell
mmmm, chocolate chip cookies…
Homer Simpson
Since sun gazing is being discussed here, thought folks may be interested in moon gazing too. Have done a sort on a full moon night: was really powerful… you’ve to go to bed directly after that and not engage in any arguments or debates. The moonlight has really strange effects, I must say. But didn’t attempt after that one time. Anybody had any encounters with moon gazing?
Hi Bewell,
Actually I think most humans can go for 30 days living on water alone, so that wouldn’t really be much groundbraking in terms of scientific advancement. I think most people start kicking the dust at around the 60 day mark, so I will be very interested to see what, if anything, happens after than.
Thanks for your best wishes, I think I’ll need them.
Christi
Actually I think most humans can go for 30 days living on water alone, so that wouldn’t really be much groundbraking in terms of scientific advancement.
Yes, it wouldn’t be easy, but there’s nothing special about that scientifically.
Nirodha said:
I’m not trying to achieve inedian though as quite frankly I don’t believe it’s possible. And, I never really believed that Hira was able to do it either - he’s since been caught out eating solid food.
Same old same old. I’ve also heard that Therese Neumann, the ‘Catholic Saint who never eats’ visited by Paramhansa Yogananda and discussed in his Autobiography of a Yogi, used to eat at night! This bit of reality about Therese was brought to me years ago by my grandmother of all people, who knew it from the Catholic Hagiographical circuit. Some people who knew this unpleasant truth would avoid spreading it because they felt that Therese was an inspiration to people. I don’t support any form of deception like that, even if for supposedly spiritual purposes. I believe much more in keeping people grounded in the truth. Long-term, it’s a better foundation for everything, including Bhakti.
The human body can have some unusual attributes which Science does not understand – yet. I’ve never seen any evidence of any of them break the laws of physics though.
People can simultaneously enjoy the treasures of Yoga and the richness and dignity of scientific understanding – and adhesion to the truth.
I can imagine well meaning people who mislead without thinking of it as untruth. She was living on sunshine and the love of God in her heart, the evening snack was incidental and irrelevant, and of course, unworthy of mention. something like that.
Sai Baba does slight of hand tricks with a message and lets his followers think it is miraculous.
In the mind of these devout deceivers, the effect justifies the means. There may be some self-delusion involved too. I can easily believe that prolonged fasting can lead to self-delusion.
Bewell, I’ve no doubt such people have rationalizations for what they do. But if the presence of rationalization made things moral, we’d all be saints, and there would be no such thing as a scoundrel. 
Damn, good point.
Calm down guys.
Isn’t this turning into a case of guilty until proven innocent? A lot of people who live primeraly on prana or divine light eat occasionally. Why shouldn’t they? They are human just like everyone else. Of course there is a human tendancy to shout “cheat!” at the top of our voices, and then start hypothesizing about why people want to go around deceiving others so freely. But hang on a minute. There is science involved here. According to science, humans need a certain amount of calorific intake every day on average to keep them alive, and this varies according to their weight and level of physical activity. Now if someone was living on air and sunlight, and then once a month had a biscuit and a bowl of soup in the evening for pure enjoyment and the pleasure of it, that would not contravine the fact that something absolutely amazing was happening. I think a more rational aproach could fare better in the long run if we are really interested in this subject.
As I remember, Yogani has devoted one of the main lessons in AYP to this very subject, so it could merit some serious attention.
Oh Ye of little faith.
Christi
Hi Christi and All:
Yes, here it is: http://www.aypsite.org/167.html
Nothing more to add, except to say that the AYP forums are primarily for support in practices, not for discrediting teachers or practitioners of any persuasion. That belongs in the anti-cult and anti-charlatan forums, which are plentiful elsewhere on the internet. A preoccupation with it here can become a distraction from the main mission of the forums.
Let’s take what is useful for our spiritual practice, wherever we may find it, and move on into the light of ecstatic bliss and outpouring divine love.
All the best!
The guru is in you.