Hello,
I'm Alice and welcome to this meditation practice.
If you're craving a clearer mind and want a simple way to start meditating,
The ancient yogic practice of Trataka meditation might be just what you need to ease yourself in.
Trataka means concentrated gazing in the language of Sanskrit and in the traditional practice you light a candle and gaze steadily at the flame.
Having something to focus your eyes on can really help your mind to quieten and your whole nervous system to relax.
At least that's the idea.
Okay,
Let's give this practice a go.
You'll need a candle and something to light it with,
So feel free to pause this recording and go and get what you need.
Light your candle and place it ideally at eye level.
If that's not possible,
Then sitting on the floor with the candle about an arm's length in front of you will work too.
As long as your neck doesn't feel strained and it's easy for you to see the flame,
This will be fine.
Close your eyes and begin to relax your face,
Your forehead,
Your jaw.
See if you can soften your eyelids and relax your eyes.
Take a breath into your belly and let it expand,
Then breathe out softly.
Do this one more time,
Sitting up tall and still.
Now,
Open your eyes and gaze steadily at the candle flame.
Try not to blink or move your eyeballs.
Keep gazing at the flame and focus all your awareness on it.
It's normal to want to blink and move your eyes away,
And also for your eyes to water.
See if you can keep looking steadily at the flame until the urge to blink becomes too strong.
If you're new to this practice,
A minute or two is a great starting point.
Keep your gaze focused on the flame and you might feel your eyes beginning to water or sting a little.
Remember,
This is normal.
When you need to,
Close your eyes and now see if you can notice an after image of the flame in the space in front of your closed eyes.
It might be smaller or much bigger.
It may be a different color and it might move around.
See if you can watch this image until it fades away.
And when you're ready,
Let's start the process again,
Gazing at the real external flame with steady attention.
Focus on the flame and settle your gaze as steadily as you can.
According to yoga,
Where this practice originates,
Concentrated gazing is viewed as a cleansing practice on both a physical and emotional level as our eyes water and mind clears.
And when you really feel the urge to blink,
Gently close your eyes.
Again,
See if you can focus on any internal image of the flame in the space in front of your closed eyes and keep your attention on it until it floats or fades away.
And before you open your eyes,
Take a moment or two to pause in this space that you've created.
Notice the quality of your mind and how your body's feeling right now.
Did you find that you could focus your attention on one thing for a short amount of time?
This is meditation.
With no rush,
Blink open your eyes and come back to the room.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
