A Meditation to Help You See the Light

For me, on my journey, meditation has been the most helpful practice in so many ways.  Meditation is a balm for the soul…and one of the most valuable tools we have for cultivating clarity, for uncovering insights and inspiration to build a fulfilling and purposeful life.  Through regular practice, meditation trains your mind to concentrate and focus your attention, to sharpen your mental clarity and to move into calm stillness where you can see below the layers of mind chatter and beyond the distractions.  This is where you can access your inner wisdom.

As I talked about last week, connecting with the energy of your third eye chakra (Ajna chakra) is a wonderful way to cultivate clarity, focus and insight, and to nurture your inner wisdom.  

I’d like to introduce you to a single pointed focus meditation that you can use to stimulate your third eye chakra. The third eye chakra is associated with the element of light which symbolizes illumination, clarity and inner vision.  You can connect with light through a beautiful practice called trataka - candle gazing.  

Trataka is a practice that is deeply rooted in the yoga tradition.  It is mentioned in ancient yogic texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika where it is described as a practice to achieve a higher state of consciousness and awareness.  

The word “trataka" in Sanskrit means “to look” or “to gaze”.  And the trataka practice involves focusing your gaze on a single object, most commonly a candle flame which is why it’s also called candle gazing meditation.  It helps to develop concentration and mental clarity.  Perhaps it can also helps to strengthen your eyes and your vision.  

As you will be looking at a source of light, this is best practiced in a darkened room, so night time or a dimly lit room is ideal (but it will still work during the day).  Here’s how to practice trataka:

• Find a comfortable place and posture for this meditation practice, and a candle to use.
  
• Then light the candle and place it on a table at about eye-height so that you can gaze directly at the flame without straining your neck or your eyes. 
  
• Spend a few moments relaxing into the practice, focusing on breathing naturally.
  
• Now gaze gently at the candle flame without blinking or moving your eyes for about 10-15 seconds or as long as is comfortable.
  
• When your eyes need to rest, close them and visualise after-image of the flame with your inner eye, focusing on your third eye, between your eye brows. 
  
• When the image fades, open your eyes again and repeat 2 or 3 more times.  As you practice trataka more, you can increase the number of rounds (gaze + visualise).
  
• Always finish your trataka practice by quietly observing the sense of calm and clarity the practice can bring.