HELIOTHERAPY IS INDIA'S NEW WINTER WELLNESS PRACTICE

Ancient ayurvedic sun rituals are re-entering modern wellness culture, under a new name. Experts decode everything to know about this trend

- Jatan Kalra

Ayurveda has always treated sunlight as a therapeutic force.

Practices like Atapa Snana (sunbathing) and Atapa Swedha (sweating through sun exposure) were once common in daily life, believed to strengthen vitality, support the skin's natural rhythms, and build emotional and physical resilience. Today, these ancient customs are resurfacing in wellness spaces under a new name: heliotherapy, the therapeutic use of sunlight for better health and to fight diseases. As vitamin D deficiency becomes more widespread and wellness enthusiasts seek more elemental forms of healing during winter, sunbathing through heliotherapy has unexpectedly reclaimed its place at the centre of holistic well-being.

HOW HELIOTHERAPY WORKS

It is the structured use of natural or artificial sunlight for therapeutic purposes. Dr Prateek, consultant at Maccure Hospital, explains, “The sunlight's influence on molecules like melatonin and serotonin creates measurable improvements in sleep cycles, cognitive performance and daytime alertness. It is essentially a way of harnessing these benefits to help people manage chronic fatigue, low immunity, vitamin D deficiency and metabolic imbalances.”

IMPACT ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM