Candle meditation - Tratak
Trāṭak is a Haṭha Yoga practice of one-pointed concentration, best performed on a candle flame. It aids sleep, reduces stress, and improves concentration for those above ten years. Practice in a meditation posture, using a Guru Mantra if available. Close the eyes, relax the body and breath, and withdraw from external awareness. Open the eyes to gaze steadily at the flame's brightest middle point without blinking. After gazing, close the eyes and concentrate on the inner light perceived at the center of the brows, repeating the mantra. The flame's three sections—dark bottom, bright middle, and gray top—symbolize the guṇas: Rajas, Sattva, and Tamas. The practice concludes by internalizing the flame, chanting "Tamaso Mā Jyotir Gamaya," and extinguishing the candle.
"Gaze on the middle point of the flame, or the tip of the middle flame, and you will not close your eyes without my instructions."
"Become one with the flame, a beautiful tiny flame, and say mentally, 'Tamaso Mā Jyotir Gamaya.'"
