Welcome dear listener.
My name is Anne and I'm going to guide you in a candle gazing meditation or Tratika.
Tratika is the Sanskrit word for soft gazing and it is traditionally done by looking into a lit candle flame and alternately turning the gaze outwards and within.
If this practice speaks to you,
You can increasingly hold the attention for longer but we will keep it fairly short today.
The intention is to come to stillness and to calm the mind,
Creating little pockets or pauses between our thoughts.
By focusing the attention,
Anchoring our breath and concentrating on the candle flame,
We give the mind a job to do and thus gently train it to relax and become less busy.
If you don't have a candle to hand,
Then you can also practice by resting your attention on a small object or spot in front of you.
But using the candle is a really special and more spiritual way so if you can do that,
It would be fantastic.
Another goal of this practice is to raise the energy into the sixth or Ajna chakra,
The third eye point.
When we rest the eyes softly,
It is said to induce a higher range of activity in this area,
Our energy centre of awareness and intuition.
So gather together your candle and light it ready for our meditation.
Take your time to get set up.
Ensure you are sitting in a comfortable seat which could be cross-legged on the floor or in your favourite armchair.
Maybe you need to pause the recording to find some matches and a candle and then come back and settle in.
Welcome back.
If you're sitting in a chair,
Have your feet nicely rooted to the ground,
Soles of the feet flat on the floor,
Connecting to the earth,
Allowing the hands to rest comfortably in your lap or on your legs.
Just leave the candle be for a moment as you abide here,
Taking some nice deep breaths up and down the spine,
Dropping into this space,
Letting your day go and readying yourself for the practice of Trataka.
The spine tall and free,
The crown of the head drawing up to the sky and the feet rooting down to the earth.
Flutter the eyes closed or keep the gaze lowered for now and turn your attention within,
Taking some long,
Slow and deep inhales and exhales.
Allow the body to release,
Cultivating a sense of ease as you sink into your support,
Your chair or your cushion,
The forehead relaxed,
Your eyes,
Cheeks and jaw relaxed,
Your shoulders spread with the shoulder blades melting down your back,
The chest,
Belly and hips soft and loose.
From this place of calm,
Let us begin by opening the eyes and simply allowing the gaze to soften and rest gently on the base of the flame or on your alternative focal point,
Inviting the mind to completely relax into this centre point of awareness.
Allow yourself to notice the qualities of the candle.
Look at the colour of the flame.
Is it moving or still?
Just sensing its energy whilst remaining gently anchored in the breath,
Taking long and even in and out breaths,
Everything forming part of your awareness and focusing on the flame.
Remember,
If you haven't got a candle in front of you,
Then just gaze at your alternative small object or spot and notice its qualities.
Steadily gazing for a minute,
Avoiding blinking if you can and gently observing.
And then go ahead and close the eyes and maybe locate within the eyelids the image of the flame or of your object.
Perhaps seeing it inside the closed eyelids as an afterglow,
A retinal imprint.
If that image starts to drift upwards,
Do not chase it or it will try and escape you,
But instead soften and bring your attention back to the centre of your eyelids,
To the centre of your being.
Just release,
Relax and notice how the picture may reappear when you are ready,
When you are not trying so hard.
After a while it may just simply fade away again.
I invite you now to gently reopen your eyes and bring your awareness back to your focal point,
The flame of the candle,
Allowing the breath to be calm and natural.
Seeing if you can gaze softly without blinking as much as possible.
Not staring,
But looking softly and gently.
The eyes might even start watering and that's perfectly natural and normal and even a benefit of this practice,
Allowing the eyes to be bathed,
Purified and cleansed,
Enabling anything that needs to be cleared from the body to release.
Knowing that you can always restart your connection or take a break from gazing at the flame or spot.
And I'll leave you now for another short while to gaze gently at your candle.
I encourage you to close the eyes once more and notice if you can still see the flame or spot inside the eyelids.
Just breathing gently and noticing what arises.
Maybe that little flame or image tries to float up,
But remember to resist the urge to follow it.
Just allow it to settle back in its own time as you witness what is arising.
And then reopening the eyes and focusing one more time together on the flame or that other object.
Reconnecting to a stable part of the flame.
Aware of the sensations in the mind,
The breath and the body.
Maybe finding some calm or peace and this time practicing widening your peripheral vision.
You allow a little more of the outside area to join in.
Aware of any shadows or other items just immediately either side of your central focus and absorbing what is.
Take a little break if necessary.
And when you are ready,
Close the eyes once more.
Seeing that spot or flame that after image.
Relaxing the face,
The jaw,
The breath.
Allowing any tears or watering to come and go.
Inviting the body to experience complete rest.
Just noticing where you are at.
Maybe there are fewer thoughts passing through.
But as they arise,
Let them float on by.
Not judging,
Not getting caught up in any stories.
Just imagining each thought dissolving back into the flame.
And you yourself drawing on the energy of the flame.
Inviting that into your being.
And for the last few moments,
Rest in calm abidance.
Maybe turning your attention to your third eye point,
The asana chakra.
Your centre of intuition and imagination.
Be aware of any shifts in your mind or body.
Inviting that All Owning crater.
The Embrace the energy of the flame and of this candle gazing practice.
As always I send you much love and many blessings.
Namaste.
