Heliotherapy.

Let me tell you something that has become absolutely non-negotiable in my daily rhythm: sunbathing. Completely unclothed. At least 30 minutes a day.

Before you think I’ve gone off the deep end — hear me out.

I’m a holistic health coach. My work revolves around helping people return to natural rhythms, remember their bodies, and build small rituals that actually feel good. And this simple practice of letting the sun touch my bare skin has been one of the most healing things I’ve ever done.

It started after I read Renegade Beauty by Nadine Artemis — a book that completely rearranged the way I think about skin, sunlight, and beauty. I used to be like most people: terrified of “too much sun,” constantly covering up, slathering on SPF, avoiding even the idea of a tan. But that book flipped a switch. It reminded me that the sun isn’t the enemy — it’s medicine. It’s nourishment. It’s literal life.

So I made a decision: every day, my body gets real, unfiltered, skin-to-sky sunlight.

The shift was almost immediate.
My mood leveled out. My sleep deepened. My skin started to glow from the inside out. Even my bones feel stronger, like my whole structure is getting fed. I feel… alive. More human.

And this isn’t some New Age invention. In the 1920s, Switzerland had entire sun hospitals devoted to heliotherapy — daily, full-body sun exposure as treatment. People healed from tuberculosis, chronic skin conditions, lung issues, even emotional disorders. Back then, medicine understood something we’ve forgotten: sunlight is powerful and deeply regulating.

Meanwhile today? We smother ourselves with commercial sunscreens loaded with endocrine disruptors, barrier-clogging synthetics, and compounds that block not only UV rays but the benefits too. They shut down vitamin D production — which we need for immune function, hormones, bones, dental health (I’m very invested in keeping the beautiful teeth I have). Somehow no one ever told us that healthy teeth begin in the sun.

I don’t push it. I don’t burn. I build tolerance slowly and use botanicals that work with the sun instead of fighting it. Two I swear by: Everyone Loves the Sunshine by Living Libations, and Biophilia Botanicals’ botanical sunscreen. I apply them like a blessing — morning before exposure, and again in the evening. They feel like warm, golden protection instead of a plastic film.

And honestly, plants make sense to me as sun allies. They’re literal vessels of sunlight. Through photosynthesis they take in solar energy and turn it into chlorophyll, minerals, antioxidants — what we later absorb as food, tea, oils. When I use botanical oils in the sun, it feels like I’m completing a circuit. It’s not just skincare. It’s earth care. Nervous-system care. Soul care.

Here’s what my ritual looks like now:

– Wake up, no phone
– Step outside and greet the sun
– Massage in Everyone Loves the Sunshine
– Lie out (nude when possible) for 30 peaceful minutes
– Sip tea, stretch, breathe
– Feel my entire system regulate itself

It’s not about aesthetics or extremism. It’s about remembering something ancient: we’re solar beings. Our bodies recognize sunlight. They respond to it. They thrive on it.

If you’ve been scared of the sun, I get it. But maybe it’s time to rebuild that relationship — with respect, curiosity, and good plant allies at your side.

Let your skin drink the light.
Let your cells remember.
Let your beauty be something the sun can recognize.

by Eká Tamara Maria