Surya Tatraka, Sun Gazing

The Sun is the supreme body in our solar system. It encloses just about 98% of the sum solar system mass. Its interior could hold over 1.3 million Earths. The Sun's photosphere reaches the temperature of 6,000°C (11,000°F) it is so amazing and powerful that no wonder why many traditions around the world used as a principal symbol of their religions.
More or less every civilization uses solar symbolism. Several of history’s most important  cultures  such as the Egyptian, Aztec, Mayan, American Indian, Incan, East Indian, and Taoist, developed solar religions. All of them had widespread and sophisticated urban empires with a deep rooted philosophy and dogma, in these cultures the sun appears as the supreme ruler of both the superior and the inferior realms, and usually the king was his direct descendant that ruled by the power of the sun.
The sun was always the giver of light and life He was directly connected to enlightenment or illumination, he was the principal foundation for wisdom to take place.
Autonomy, authority, righteousness, and intelligence are some of the characteristics of any of these influential spiritual groups, and it is within this framework that sophisticated solar principles are found.
In Egypt the sun was the god Ra who created all living being with his tears. In the myth Ra has a voyage over the heavenly realms and fights during the night against the god of darkness “Apepi”.
The sun god has a fundamental position in Sumerian and Acadian belief systems. In India Sūrya is glorified in the Vedas as an Omnipresent, omnipotent, all-pervading god. In the beginning he was Narayana “he who is in the heart of all beings” as the Upanishads describe. He expels darkness, evil dreams and diseases. The dynasty of sun kings is typically peaceful, in contrast to the pugnacious moon kings.
During modern Roman history, sun worship gained substance and in due course led to what has been called “solar monotheism.” Most of the gods of that era had solar qualities, and even both Christ and Mithra obtained the traits of solar deities.
The feast of Sol Invictus on December 25, in due course was taken over by the Christians as the birthday of Christ or Christmas.
The monarch in Peruvian tribes was as in Egypt an incarnation of the sun god, Inti.
In Japan the sun was a feminine figure, her name was, Amaterasu, who was considered to be the absolute sovereign of the planet. The Japanese flag has as a central symbol of the sun.
While doing the Sun Dance the American Indians do not eat or sleep, they gaze at the sun while dancing.
In Aztec religion the sun was represented by two gods Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca.
Many of thes ethnic groups left behind writings, hieroglyphics and paintings depicting solar gazing.

The sun holds fantastic powers for those who desire them. Light is the essential nutrient of all life, we just have to learn how to metabolize and comprehend this brightness and in due course it can help us evolve and free us from the chains of the EGO.
Mankind will not remain on Earth forever, but in its quest for light and space will at first timidly penetrate beyond the confines of the atmosphere, and later will conquer for itself all the space near the Sun. - Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky

The Thirteen Stages of Sun yoga as Uma Sankar exposes it are:
1. Conquer all material desires (sexuality, anger, greed, narrow-mindedness, ego & jealousy, shame, hatred and fear)
2. Develop Divine Energy
3. Atma Darshan - Discovery of Atma (or soul)
4. Samadhi - Enlightenment
5. Conquer hunger
6. Conquer thirst
7. Conquer diseases
8. Paramahansa - Adjusting the mind to all situations
9. Having no enemies - all enemies will be friends (including animals)
10. Longevity (this happens when the body's vibration becomes the same as the environment's)
11. The body's vibration and earth's vibration will be equal
12. The body's vibration and sun's vibration will be equal
13. The body's vibration and the vibration of the Universe (Supreme Soul) vibration will be equal.

I was reading about Hira Ratan Manek a famous sun gazer, he says that extensive studies have been conducted on him while fasting and doing sun gazing and amazing ground breaking scientific discoveries have being realized.

He is a normal 63 year old house holder who worked most of his life as a mechanical engineer and a businessman.
He has done long fasts, the longest where done for 211 days during 19th June 1995 to 15th Jan 96, and another for 411 days from 1st January 2000 monitored by many doctors.

A standard and in a good shape Pineal gland in humans measures 6 x 8 mm Mr. Hira Ratan Manek after a  C.T.Scan & MRI Scan exposed that his gland is 8 x 11 mm.

Surya Tatraka Technique

The technique described here is not to entice any one to sun gaze but just to help people that have been mislead and deceived by a false teacher or his own driven obsessive compulsive ego.
After all the sun or your own conscious awareness which in this case is the same or equal to the sun will empower you to take the right decision and make you very sensitive and intuitive, so you will listen and stop when necessary.

•    This practice is not for everyone, it should not be done without the guidance of a competent teacher, and special attention should be payed to any side effects which should be shared with the teacher.
•    Bare feet should be planted firmly on the ground, on soil, sand, concrete, rock, or even metal that is grounded, any surface that transmits electricity and serves as a ground will suffice, the first two options are the best, if you are seated cross-legged on the floor place your hands palms down with open fingers and stretched on the ground.
•    Concentrate in the center of your brain.
•    This technique takes in consideration the colors of the sun as is setting or rising.
•    Begin when the sun is of a reddish color or close to the horizon, here you can gaze from 1 to 2 minutes if it is comfortable and advance every day 30 seconds a day or less if that is what is require.
•    When the sun is of a deep orange color, here you can advance 25 second a day.
•    When it becomes clear orange, advance per day only 20 seconds.
•    When dark yellow proceed to only add 15 seconds a day.
•    When light yellow continue advancing only 10 seconds a day.
•    When the sun is higher and beyond the half a hour of the rising point, add only 5 seconds a day till you reach an hour.
•    This way of advancing in to the hour is not for everybody, you have to be very cautious, some people would reach 20 minutes and that would be just enough and for others even 2 hours won’t be sufficient, it all depends on how you feel. If you are cut off from these feelings here is where the teacher comes to help or to feel for you, nerveless if the teacher is not intuitive he might guide you incorrectly and this could be dangerous. 
•    Stay in an hour for as long your teacher tells you, it usually takes a year or more, depending how awakened is your pineal gland but for others it may take 2 month or they may awaken their pineal gland completely and truly at 15 or 20 minutes.
•    Blink fast for another minute while you are gazing.
•    Close your eyes and palm them with your hands for a few minutes until all afterimages, if any, have disappeared.
•    You may experience a strong sun image in yellow for up to an hour, if you overlook the suggested palming of your eyes.
•    You may feel an insignificant out of focus sensation for up to an hour.
•    While covering your eyes after the image disappears completely, do an infinite sign with your eyes, this is up to the right and down the right from here up to the left and down to the left repeat this sequence until you feel tired.
•    After this do Udiana-Bandha and Nauli several times, concentrating your attention in the center of the brain, and try to make the energy ascend to this place.

Side effects.

If you feel burning sensations during the whole day, keep sun gazing without advancing and in the lower colors.
If you experience a dark or yellow spot in the center of your vision for more than an hour, or if straight lines become wavy then you’ve got solar retinopathy. 
Here stop for a month and continue, if it happens again never go beyond the half an hour after sun rise or before sun set, and if it happens again stop altogether, that means that sun gazing is not for you, and do not worry there are many other powerful yoga practices that you can choose.

I repeat again these instructions are not to entice any one to practice but just to help people already practicing so they can compare their practice with this one and be extremely cautious, sensitive and intuitive to their eyes and practice.
Uddiyana Bandha
Wile doing Nauli and Uddiana-bandha do also Mula Bandha (perineum contraction)
Mula Bandha
Mula is root, and the root that we are talking about here is the root of the spine, the pelvic floor or even more accurately, the core of the pelvic floor, the perineum.
The perineum is the muscle located in the central point between the coccyx and the genitals. By contracting the pubococcygeus muscle, which begins at the pubic bone and ends at the coccyx, we make a vigorous seal that locks and redirects prana into the higher centers in the body and  stops it from leaking out. Mula Bandha is said to move prana into the central channel, called sushumna, which is the center of the spine.
Jalandhara Bandha
Bring your chin towards your chest and try to press it against it. The gastric fire, which is located in the region of Nabhi (navel), consumes the nectar which Sahasrara (crown chakra) exudes. This Bandha prevents this nectar to fall and be consumed by the navel.

This bandha prevents the prana to reach the head in a violent manner and compresses therefore the prana in the spine making it build outstanding power.
Uddiyana-Bandha
The Sanskrit word "Uddiyana" comes from the root 'ut' and 'di' which means to "fly up." When this Bandha is skillfully mastered, the Prana ascends through Sushumna Nadi.
Empty the lungs completely. Now contract and draw up the abdomen and bring the navel towards the spine by producing a vacuumed action by trying to inhale but without letting air in, so that the abdomen rests alongside the back of the body high up in the thoracic cavity, you can try also to block your nostrils and mouth and take and inhalation and you will see how your abdomen concaves by itself. This is practiced at the end of Kumbhaka and beginning of the Rechaka. When you practice this Bandha, the diaphragm, the muscular segment between the thoracic cavity and abdomen, is raised up and the abdominal muscles are pinched backwards. If you bend forwards and place your hand on your quadriceps or knees, you can effortlessly perform this exercise.
Uddīyana Bandha is the first stage of Nauli Kriya. You should master Uddiyana Bandha if you want to practice Nauli Kriya.
Nauli Kriya
This is usually done in a standing position. Uddiyana Bandha can be practiced while sitting or standing.
This exercise helps the practitioner with Brahmacharya. It makes him healthy, vigorous and confers vitality. When combined with Nauli Kriya, it is a powerful gastro-intestinal stimulant. It battles constipation, weak peristalsis and many other disorders of the digestive system.
Nauli.
Madhyama Nauli
Keep  your feet one foot apart. Rest your hands on your thighs, do Uddiyana Bandha. Now free the centre of the abdomen by contracting the left and right side muscles. You will find all your muscles in the centre in a vertical line

Vama Nauli.
After having mastered Madhyama Nauli you can contract the right side of the abdomen and allow the left side free, bend and twist a little to the right side. You will only have the muscles on the right side contracted.
Dakshina Nauli
Contract the left side muscles and allow the right side free, slightly bend and twist towards the left side and contract the left muscles.

Nauli Kria

Do Udiana-Bandha Slowly, separate the center as in Madhyama Nauli and bring them to the right side and then to left side in a circular motion. Do this several times from the right to left side and then do it in a reverse way from the left to right side.
Beginners will feel a slight pain of abdomen in the first two or three attempts.
Nauli Kriya eradicates chronic constipation, dyspepsia and all other diseases of the gastro-intestinal system. The liver and pancreas are toned. The kidneys and other organs of the abdomen will function correctly.