Why I sunbathe naked for 30 minutes a day.
Let me tell you something that’s become non-negotiable in my daily rhythm: sunbathing. Completely unclothed. At least 30 minutes a day.
Before you think I’ve lost it — hear me out. I’m a holistic health coach. My work is about reconnecting to natural rhythms, healing through food, plants, and environment, and creating everyday rituals that support long-term wellbeing. And this practice of sunbathing has been one of the most healing things I’ve ever done for myself.
It started when I read Renegade Beauty by Nadine Artemis — a book that totally changed how I see the sun, my skin, and beauty itself. I used to be like most people: afraid of “too much sun,” worried about wrinkles or sun damage, and constantly lathering on SPF. But this book offered another lens: the sun as medicine. The sun as nourishment. The sun as beauty.
Since then, I’ve committed to giving my body sunlight every day — real, unfiltered, skin-to-sky sunlight. And it’s changed everything.
My mood is more stable. My skin glows in a way it never did before. I sleeo better. My bones feel strong. I feel alive.
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just a “trendy” thing. In the 1920s, Switzerland had sun hospitals, where patients were treated for chronic illnesses through heliotherapy — scheduled, full-body sun exposure. People were healing from tuberculosis, skin issues, even emotional disorders. The medical system at the time understood what modern life has forgotten: sunlight is powerful, necessary, and deeply healing.
What do we do today instead? We coat our skin in commercial sunscreens — most of which are packed with hormone-disrupting chemicals that block not just UV rays, but the sun’s benefits too. These ingredients clog pores, alter our skin’s natural microbiome, and prevent our bodies from making vitamin D, which is critical for immune function, hormone balance, and — yes — bone and dental health (obsessed with maintaining the beautiful teeth I have)
Sunlight and teeth are connected.
No one ever told me that healthy teeth start in the sun.
Now, I don’t burn myself or push my limits. I build sun tolerance slowly. And I nourish and protect my skin with botanicals that work with the sun, not against it. One of my favorites?
Everyone Loves the Sunshine by Nadine Artemis (Living Libations) — a luxurious blend of sun-loving oils like seabuckthorn, red raspberry seed, and frankincense + botanical sunscreen by Biophilia Botanicals is another incredible practical product. I use it every morning before sun exposure, and again in the evening. It feels like wearing golden light on my skin.
Botanicals are powerful because they are literal vessels of sunlight. Through photosynthesis, plants absorb solar energy and transform it into chlorophyll, minerals, antioxidants — everything we later absorb through teas, oils, and skincare. When we use plants in harmony with the sun, we’re completing that circuit. It’s not skincare — it’s earth care. Body care. Soul care.
Here’s what my ritual looks like now:
– Wake up, no phone, open the door to the sun
– Apply Everyone Loves the Sunshine generously
– Lay out (nude, if I can) for 30 minutes of full-body exposure
– Sip tea or stretch in the light
– Feel myself regulate, return, glow
This isn’t about being extreme or aesthetic. It’s about remembering. Remembering that we are solar beings. That sunlight, plant medicine, and presence are tools for real, lasting beauty.
If you’ve been afraid of the sun, I get it. But maybe it’s time to rebuild that relationship. Not with fear — but with trust, respect, and really good plant allies.
Let your skin drink the light. Let your cells remember. Let your beauty be something the sun can recognize.
by Eká Tamara Maria
