Tritaka.
Tritaka is the Sanskrit word for soft gazing.
This beautiful practice works with the outer sense of sight and the inner sense of inner sight and visioning or the sixth chakra,
Agnya.
Tritaka is traditionally done by soft gazing at a candle.
The traditional guidance suggests that the candle is at arm's length away from your line of sight and Tritaka works with two movements of the awareness.
The first is a soft steady outer gaze at the candle flame.
You want to settle your line of sight to the top of the wick which is the brightest point in the flame and work with your breath to allow your gaze to soften.
The aim being to settle into a steady soft gaze.
No blinking,
No eye darting.
This takes some focus but when you can achieve it,
The traditional guidance is to hold that soft steady gaze for two to three minutes and then the second movement of Tritaka is to close the eyes and locate within the inner vision the retinal imprint of the flame.
This can emerge as a bright point of light.
It can emerge in a negative imprint of the actual flame you've been gazing at.
It can be a multitude of different colors and the inner practice from then on is to steady the inner point of focus at the retinal imprint and establish a soft steady hold.
You would hold your gaze in the inner at the flame for as long as you could perceive it but for the purposes of this guidance we will time the outer gaze and the inner gaze to three minutes each.
After two rounds we will leave you in a beautiful wave of sound to engage in Tritaka in your own timing in your own way.
So now our practice of Tritaka will begin.
Settle into your seated meditation posture and allow your eyes to settle on the flame of the candle before you.
Give yourself permission to be intrigued by the flame.
Look at the color of it.
How sensitive it is to the moving invisible air of flicker and stillness.
Pure energy and now lean your awareness further into the brightest point within the flame and split your awareness so part of you remains gently anchored in the breath.
Long and even inhalations and exhalations and simultaneously a part of your awareness is transfixed by the flame.
Practice widening the range of your peripheral vision so rather than a sharp direct focus on the flame in front of you become aware of the objects and shadows to the sides of you and when you open your peripheral vision this way your front and central focus softens.
Holding gently the stream of yellow photons from the flame bathing your eyeballs the retina cornea rippling through the optic nerve and generating an imprint in your inner vision.
Very gently gaze upon it and feel the wonder of it all.
Now closing the eyes find your bearings within your inner sight and stay gently anchored the front and center of your inner vision and the flame will meet you there.
Once you can perceive the retinal imprint of the light of the flame just simply observe it.
You may find that it starts to drift up or back but if you chase it it will evade you.
Instead bring your own point of focus back to front and center and notice how the flame will come and meet you there.
Now when you're ready you can open your eyes again.
Allow your gaze to fall upon the candle flame.
Soften the line of your gaze and engage once again with your outer vision and the element of fire.
And once again closing the eyes hold the inner image of the flame for as long as you can perceive and now for the remainder of the practice continue to engage in this beautiful search of awareness from the outer to the inner in your own timing in your own way.
