Candle Gazing For Clarity

Rooted in the ancient practice of Trataka, this candle gazing meditation is designed to help us gorund the mind and therefore become more clear in our desires, decisions, and choices in life.
We use the flame as a focal point to quiet the restlessness and overactivity of the mind.
The intention of this practice is to illuminate what's already within you rather than delivering some mind-blowing realizations.
It's an invitation to a return to clarity... a return to your truest self.

Transcript

Welcome to this candle gazing meditation. In the yogic tradition it's called tratuka. Which is a meditation style designed to help us ground the mind by gazing into the light. That in and of itself is quite profound. So take a moment to light a candle if you haven't already. And keep your eyes open. You'll begin by gazing at the flame of the candle. So right here and now, Resist the urge to try to figure out what you should be focusing on or thinking about or doing, And instead just gaze at the center of the flame. As you're gazing at the flame, Begin to deepen the breath in. And lengthen the breath out. Eyes gazing at the flame, Deeply inhale. And completely exhale. And just continue breathing in this grounded way, In and out through the nose, As your Drishti, Your focal point, Is solely on the flame. As you're gazing into the center of the flame, Relax your shoulders. Loosening any tension in the jaw. And then just scanning the body. Is there anywhere else that we're holding on to unnecessary tension? Without judgment or shame, Simply declare that it softens. Grounding the mind. Grounding the mind. By gazing into the light. Continue to breathe here in and out through the nose. And as you do so, Begin to see if you can grow your spinal column even longer. Extending the crown of the head toward the sky. Feeling your sitting bones rooting down into whatever surface they're on. And so as we found that beautiful release of tension, That gorgeous softening through the body, Through the jaw, And through the shoulders, At the same time, We feel the extension of the spinal column in the crown of the head. You gently pull the throat back, The chin down just ever so slightly to lengthen the back of the neck. So we're feeling soft and receptive. But awake, Aware, And alert all at once. Grounding the mind by gazing into the light. Coming back to the breath. Inhaling slowly through the nose. And through the nose, Long and extended exhales. Eyes still fixated on the light perfectly fine to blink if you need to. But always coming back to your drishti, Your focal point, On the light. As you start to observe the dancing or the stillness of the flame. The colors of the flames. Feeling of the flame. Perhaps you're even able to hear the flames. And maybe now you could even smell the flame. Surrounding the mind. By gazing into the light. Still breathing in and out through the nose, Soft body, Long spine. At peace, Relaxed, Awake, And aware. Carry your gaze now deeper to the center of the flame. Does the center of the flame feel different from the outer edges of the flame? And take a moment to blink as much as you need to. Then eventually, Keep the eyes open as long as possible. Of course, If you need to, You can blink again. But as best you can, Keep your eyes open as long as possible, Gazing into the flame. Still breathing. And gazing. Note that tears might start to form. This is a technique for cleansing our sight, Our perspective, Our vision, So that we can have more clarity in our lives, So that we can experience a grounded mind, A centered mind. As we gaze deeper inward to the light, Knowing that ultimately, If we can think from the light and make our decisions and choices from the light, That we will embody more light. We will live with more light. We will become more light. So of course it's perfectly fine if you've needed to blink. Open the eyes back if possible. Continue staring. And then when you absolutely can't keep the eyes open anymore, When you're really feeling the urge to blink. Gently blink the eyes soft and closed. Gently blink the eyes soft and closed. Are you able to still see the outline of the flame, Even with the eyes closed? The energy of it. The movement or the stillness of it. Shoulders soft. Eyes are now deeply relaxed. And you'll notice how that light stays on. That light is still alive within you. But it really comes through and from a grounded mind. The more grounded and calm we're able to keep our minds. The more light we're able to see and experience. And the easiest way, Really, To ground the mind is through a drishti, Through a focal point. Resist looking all over the place. Overstimulation. And instead choosing your point of focus. The mind will wander, We're humans. And it's nothing to be embarrassed by or ashamed of. But begin to observe how simple it really is and how relaxing it can feel to ground the mind through Adrishti. Through a focal point. Grounding the mind. Gaze inward to the light. May you carry this light with you today, All throughout the day. The grounded mind. And the light alive within you. Bringing one hand over the heart and the other hand over that one. Taking a deep inhale in through the nose, Filling up completely. Blow out the candle as you exhale. And then blink your eyes back open. Namaste.