Candle Concentration

Meditation improves concentration and the ability to focus attention in daily life, especially if we include an object on which to fix our attention. This short (5 minutes) meditation uses a candle to cultivate concentration. Practice daily and increase the duration by 30 seconds each time. Find a place to sit comfortably. Ensure the temperature is comfortable too. Light a candle and place it in front of you, at a height that allows you to gaze with ease.
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Transcript

Sit comfortably in an upright position with a candle in front of you so that you can see it comfortably.

Just stare at the candle,

Noticing every detail.

The flicker of the flame,

The wax as it melts,

Just allow all of your attention to stay focused on the candle.

It's normal for your eyes to water if they feel dry and if this happens just blink a few times and then come back to the practice.

Staring at the candle,

Noticing every detail,

Letting all of your attention be focused on the flame,

The flicker,

The wax.

And it's normal for your mind and your eyes to feel like wandering as you practice this candle concentration.

Just notice this wandering and bring your focus gently back to the candle.

A suggestion here to really connect with this candle meditation is to imagine breathing the candle in and breathing the candle out.

Every time your attention or your mind wanders from the candle,

And just gently redirect your focus back to the flame,

The flicker,

The wax,

And to the movement of your breath,

Breathing the candle in,

Breathing the candle out.

Just a few more breaths.

And then wherever you are in your breath cycle,

Empty your air.

Take a slow breath in through your nose,

Breathing this candle and all its detail deeply into your body,

And then sigh out through an open mouth.

Let go of this practice and just pause for a moment before blowing the candle out and sitting peacefully for as long as you can to reorient and come back into full sensory awareness.

Reviews

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you🙏. Gentle, relatively minimal guidance for a short practice using a candle flame as the object of meditation.