"Meditation HOW and WHY" - everything you need to know - part eight: GAZING Meditation
Welcome to the 8th part in my series "Meditation HOW and WHY". First seven parts are available here:
PART 1: Introduction to meditation and general categories
PART 2: Mindfulness meditation technique
PART 3: Vipassana meditation technique
PART 4: 3 categories of benefits
PART 5: Guided meditation technique
PART 6: Breathing techniques
PART 7: Grounding meditation
This post is about gazing meditation which is often called Trataka. This is one of the meditations that is partly done with your eyes open because you need to focus your gaze on an external object in your surroundings. The best and the most common thing used is a candle flame. This meditation boosts both your visualization and concentrations skills.
HEALTH BENEFITS
As any other meditation technique, this one too has benefits for your health. There has been a study on this which you can read about on the web page of U.S. National Library of Medicine or by simply clicking here Effect of trataka on cognitive functions in the elderly
The effects that are similar to most meditations are the calming of the anxious mind, improvement of cognitive function and concentration, enhancement of self-confidence, nervous stability increment and improvement of willpower. This particular meditation practice also has the following specific benefits:
- activity in the two hemispheres of the brain is balanced
- visualization skills are improved
- suppressed thoughts are brought to the surface
- patience is enchanted
2 PARTS OF TRATAKA
This meditation has two parts extarnal gaze and internal gaze. You start with external and after some time close your eyes and continue with internal. Both parts should be equal in time and done only to the extent of your comfort. If your eyes start to hurt or if you get uncomfortable in any way, take a little break and try again later. As with any other meditation, your relaxation is the key here so getting frustrated is completely missing the point. Practise makes perfect and baby steps are advisable.
You will need:
- a quiet place that is well lighted (this is never done in the dark)
- a candle (you can use coloured candles just not multicoloured)
- a comfortable place to sit
Part 1. - EXTARNAL GAZE
Light your candle and sit comfortably across from it. Take a few soothing and deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and breath out through your mouth.
Set your gaze on the candle flame. Focus only on the flame and watch it flicker. Try not to blink or blink seldom, gently and slowly. You can breathe in a normal fashion without thinking about it, inhaling and exhaling through your nose keeping your mouth closed.
After a couple of minutes have passed, keep gazing in the same direction focusing on the flame and gently close your eyes while taking an exhale.
Part 2. - INTERNAL GAZE
When you have closed your eyes there will be a small flame in the middle of your mind's eye in red-ish colour going to blue. Focus on that flame.
The flame will flicker, become smaller or move left and right. This is normal. When it happens, try to bring it to the centre again.
Focus on the flame as long as you can and when it completely disappears you can gently open your eyes and begin with the external gaze again repeating the whole process. Do this as long as it feels comfortable.
In time and with practice you will be able to progress more and more and do the external part without blinking at all.
POSSIBLE VARIATIONS...
Candle flame is used most often because it is the easiest tool for this meditation. However, you can use any object you like, it can be a flower, inanimate object, dot on the wall or even some symbol that is special to you.
made by @simgirl
KEEP IN MIND...
During the external gaze your object should be right in front of you at the level of your eyes so that your back and neck are straight while you are looking at it. While you are gazing, the object needs to be clear and vivid so if you usually wear glasses, you should wear them while practising this meditation too.
Your comfort is the most important thing. DO NOT strain your eyes and whenever you feel discomfort, blink slowly and then continue gazing at your object.
Let me know if you have used this meditation or something similar before. I would love to hear about your experience.
Keep your smile on!
Unsourced images are under CC0 License and are free for personal and commercial use. You can find them at pixabay.com. To check out the people who made these particular photos, check their profiles here: kirahoffmann, 3333873, Alicja, Pexels & TanteTati
For my "Philosophy of happiness" posts, please follow these links:
- Thank your parents, they did the best they could
- Where attention GOES, energy FLOWS
- How to decipher your DREAMS
- Panic attacks - a heart-attack monsters
- Contrasting experiences lead to appreciation
- A TABOO topic, shhh...
- Why do you hate Mondays?
- Lucid dreaming - being aware that you are in a dream
- Mirror, mirror, on the wall...
- Personal journey to a land of mental disorders and back
- FAKE smiles are unhealthy
- What are the ROOTS of the embarrassment WEED?
- Why do we and how do we learn ANYTHING?
- How to train your brain to be positive
- Do you KNOW how to love and be loved?
- What is the philosophy of HAPPINESS?
- Are you carrying emotional WOUNDS or emotional SCARS?
- THE BRAIN talking about A BRAIN
- Science behind "THE CHANGE" and why are we so good at procrastination
made by @simgirl
I tried to meditate... a few times! I know it does wonders to those who actually master it however I was never able to get myself into it like that! I wish though😇
Practise makes perfect 😇. Good luck honey, try the easier ones, they only last for a couple of minutes and almost anyone can do them. 💚
I think I might do that 🤔🤔🤔😄
Ill give it another few tries!
I didn't know you had a meditation series.It still good to know however,even now!
I hope you enjoy it 💚
External gazing is probably my most often practiced of all the ones you've written about sweets. I sometimes get so trance-like, I don't hear my girls (who are supposed to be in the other room with their mom or older sibs) standing right beside me, talking to me, and pulling on my arm. Peaceful. Just hope nobody thinks I'm going senile and catatonic lol
Going?
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
External gazing. What @catweasel calls "being awake."
hahahahaha, yeah, there are those kind of people :D
Hahahaha, you need to warn them and explain the thing or they will put you in that straightjacket :D External gaze can be very peaceful and soothing, I am happy to hear you are enjoying it 💚
It's so helpful to have many ways to meditate. Sometimes just breathing and being patient with my kids counts. ;) But I love looking at the fire in the wood stove, or the waves from an ocean, or something peaceful that helps me turn inward. :)
Any repetitive movement is great for calming the mind, waves are even better than a candle flame but since not all of us are so lucky to look at the waves on a daily basis, candles help ;) Breathing techniques are amazing, I am glad they help you too 💚
I've been meditating for years (on and off, lol) but I have never come across this style until now.
Thanks for sharing, I'm going to have to try this out :)
Good luck with your try, I am sure that it will be a great experience for you 💚
I have a problem to find the time to rest my mind, to relax,
to be completely unladen. Maybe I will start using your course from 1- 8 and meditate :) Thank you for the idea and step by step tutorial :)
Good luck, start with the easy ones and move forward 💚
Is this why we love to stare at Christmas lights with the slow burn setting?? hehehehe and loving to relax in front of a cracking fire???
I feel like I'm in such a trance at these times ;) I can imagine that yes!!!! my brain IS completely balanced :) so calm and so relaxing!
Yeah, the flames have a calming effect on the brain 💚
they really really do. i feel like im being hypnotized hehehehe
i wrote about that in a post last week ... about Christmas lights :)
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Thank you 💚💚💚
Years ago I started going to a "free meditation course" where we had to stare at a photo of the "guru" who led the movement. It was actually very powerful. But after a few weeks I started to realise it was a bit of a cult. I continued to meditate, but without staring at the photo. It's funny - since then I've never tried staring at anything while meditating. I think it's something I should try again.
Give it a try without the cult part 😆😆😆