Trataka

Trataka means to gaze steadily without blinking. It is one of the six Shatkarma purification practices of Hatha Yoga and stands unique among them in that its primary target is not a physical organ but the mind itself. While the other Shatkarmas primarily cleanse gross physical structures — the nasal passages, stomach, intestines, rectum — Trataka operates simultaneously on both the eyes and the mental faculties of attention and concentration.

Two Forms of Trataka

The classical texts describe two types. Bahir Trataka (external gazing) involves fixing the gaze on an external object without blinking. Antar Trataka (internal gazing) involves closing the eyes after external gazing and visualising the image of the object clearly in the mind’s eye. Most teaching traditions begin with Bahir Trataka and introduce Antar Trataka once steady external gazing has been established.

The Candle Flame as Object

A steady candle flame is the most commonly used object for Trataka. The flame has specific properties that make it ideal: it is luminous and therefore visible in a darkened room, it has a defined boundary and shape, and it naturally captures the attention. The same practice can be done on a black dot on white paper, a crystal, the full moon, or the image of a deity or symbol meaningful to the practitioner. Each object produces a slightly different quality of attention. The candle flame is preferred for beginners because it maintains attention naturally and produces a clear afterimage for the internal phase.

How to Practise Trataka

1. Place a candle at eye level, approximately 60–90 cm from your face, in a room with no drafts. The flame must be steady.
2. Sit in any comfortable meditation posture — Vajrasana, Siddhasana, or a chair with a straight back.
3. Dim the lights or practise in a dark room so the flame is the only visual stimulus.
4. Fix your gaze on the tip of the flame — the bright point where the flame meets the dark above it. Do not look at the base of the flame.
5. Try not to blink. If tears come, do not wipe them — allow them to flow. This is part of the cleansing process.
6. When the eyes become uncomfortable or tears begin to flow abundantly, gently close the eyes.
7. Visualise the afterimage of the flame at the point between the eyebrows (Ajna Chakra). Hold this image for as long as possible.
8. When the image fades, open the eyes and resume gazing at the physical flame.
9. Alternate between open and closed gazing for 10–30 minutes.

Benefits

• Strengthens the eye muscles: The sustained effort of maintaining an unblinking gaze exercises the extraocular muscles and improves their endurance and coordination.
• Clears the eyes: The tears produced during Trataka wash the eyes naturally, removing dust and accumulated secretions from the tear ducts. This is the cleansing aspect of the practice as a Shatkarma.
• Develops concentration: The effort to maintain steady gaze on a single point trains the mind to hold attention on one object without wandering. This is the same faculty used in meditation.
• Improves memory and visualisation: The Antar Trataka phase — holding the internal image — directly develops the capacity for vivid mental imagery, which supports both memory and meditative visualisation practices.
• Calms the nervous system: The reduction in sensory input (darkness, single-point focus) combined with steady breathing slows the nervous system significantly. Trataka is one of the most effective pre-meditation practices.
• Activates Ajna Chakra: The gazing point between the eyebrows corresponds in yogic anatomy to the third eye or Ajna Chakra. Trataka is considered the primary practice for activating and balancing this centre of intuition and higher perception.

Contraindications

• Those with glaucoma or other serious eye conditions should consult an ophthalmologist before starting Trataka.
• Epilepsy — the flickering flame can in rare cases trigger photosensitive seizures. Use a non-flickering object such as a crystal or dot instead.
• Do not practise Trataka on computer or phone screens. The light quality is entirely different and the practice will not yield the same results.

Trataka and Dhyana

In the Patanjali system, the progression toward meditation moves through Dharana (concentration) into Dhyana (meditation). Trataka is a practical bridge between these two stages. The student who has practised steady external gazing and then internal visualisation has already experienced the mechanism of holding single-pointed attention — which is precisely what Dharana requires. At Medhya Laya, Trataka is taught both within the Shatkarma module and within the meditation module, because it belongs genuinely to both.