Trataka means to’gaze steadily’, to gaze at any one object without blinking the eyes and is one of the six yogic shudhhi Kriyas or purification processes. It also acts as a stepping stone from the physical practice to the mental practice leading to higher awareness which is the ultimate goal of Yog .

Why Trataka

The movement of the eyeball reflects the ongoing thinking process of the mind. Most of the sensory experiences of a person are through the eyes. These experiences then give rise to emotions leading to negative reactions and movement of the mind. Fixing the pupil on an object leads to stillness of the gaze subsequently leading to stillness of the mind.

How to practice

Choose your method

Trataka can be done in three ways:

Bahir or outer trataka where the gaze is fixed at the chosen object.
It can also be a combination of outer trataka and antar or inner trataka where the eyes are closed after gazing at the chosen object and then the gaze is focused on the after image at the eyebrow Center.
Antar or inner trataka.

Choose your object

The gaze can be fixed on

The rising sun(surya trataka)
A candle flame(Jyoti trataka)
A dot or point(Bindu trataka)
Imageof a deity
Aum symbol
Yin and yang symbol .

The object once chosen should not be changed because the mind takes a long time to develop the same awareness for the new object. The candle flame is a good choice as it’s brightness keeps the mind engaged easily.

Get ready

Trataka is to be done in a comfortable seated position with a straight spine, however any meditative posture is better if a person can hold it for some amount of time. For maximum benefits the practice should be done everyday for at least 10-15 minutes.

The chosen object (we will choose candle flame as an example)of awareness should be kept at eye level. Sit in a comfortable position with spine straight. Keep the eyes closed till some stillness of the body is achieved. Slowly open the eyes and focus the pupil on the flame. Gaze at the flame and the wick for 3-5 minutes and then slowly close the eyes. Focus on the after image of the flame at the centre of the eyebrows for antar trataka till the image disappears. Open the eyes again and focus on the flame. Continue the process for 10-15 minutes. Sometimes tears may flow through the eyes but don’t try to wipe them.

In the next stage the gazing can be accompanied with ujjayi breathing and now the focus becomes on both- the object and the breath. This takes you deeper into awareness.

It is advised that the eyelids should not be blinking while doing outer trataka but if there is irritation or watering from the eyes it’s okay to blink. Keeping the gaze fixed without blinking is difficult for beginners but as you grow in the practice you will find it becomes easier. Steadiness of the gaze is very important to create a clear after image.

Benefits:

There is continuous bombardment of the mind through events in the external world and cantering the awareness cuts down on this. Trataka makes the mind strong so that it can be used for mental and spiritual progress. It helps with sleep so it can be useful for people with insomnia. It strengthens the eye muscles that control the movement of the eyeballs. It also helps in weak eyesight. Due to mental fluctuations (Chitta-vritti) the concentration and memory power decreases, trataka helps to increase both.