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Hatha Yoga - Tratak

This is a guide to the Trāṭaka practice of gazing at a flame. Prepare by sitting upright with eyes closed. Relax the entire body completely from toes to head. Become aware of the natural breath without changing its rhythm. Maintain absolute physical stillness. Open the eyes only when instructed to gaze solely at the flame's brightest part. Observe the flame's colors without blinking, allowing any eye discomfort as purification. Then close the eyes and gaze at the inner flame perceived in the Cidākāśa, the space of consciousness at the brow center. Observe this inner light without trying to grasp it. Mentally repeat the mantra. Subsequent rounds involve gazing at the external flame, absorbing it within, and uniting with its divine light to illuminate the entire inner space, awakening the inner consciousness.

"Become one with the flame."

"Lead us from the darkness to the light."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Prepare yourself for the practice of Trāṭaka. This kriyā is according to Yoga in Daily Life. It is a Haṭha Yoga kriyā. Adjust yourself in a comfortable way. In front of you is a Ghee lamp. Now light the Ghee lamp. Adjust your body comfortably. Sit straight upright and close your eyes. Do not open your eyes without my instructions. Do not move your body, because if you move, you may disturb others. Close your eyes and do not open them again without my instructions. Relax the whole body from the toes to the top of the head, and from the top of the head to the toes. Relax your legs. Relax your back muscles. Relax the stomach muscles. Relax your elbows and shoulders. Relax your neck. Relax your scalp. Relax the face muscles; there should be no tension on the face muscles. Relax your jaw; do not clench your teeth together. Your body is relaxed. You feel comfortable, and your body is straight upright. Feel the motionlessness of the body. No limbs are moving. Feel the pleasant feeling in the body. Now, bring the awareness to the breath. You know that you are inhaling, and you know that you are exhaling. Do not change the breath rhythm. Let it flow; your breath is as natural as it is. I told you, do not move, or you will throw your candles out. No movements. Even if you die. If you die in these minutes, you will attain liberation. Do not open your eyes; it does not matter what happens. Follow the instructions, please. Relax inwardly. You know that friend of yours is burning a very nice flame in the ghee lamp. When I instruct you to open your eyes at that time, you will open your eyes, but you will gaze only at the flame. Now you should know that you have not moved any limbs of the body. It does not matter what happens. Especially when the eyes are opened, please do not move. Now, slowly open your eyes and gaze at the flame. There is nothing existing for you except this flame. Breathe gently. Do not blow your breath toward the flame. Do not close your eyes without my instructions. You may feel that your eyes are burning or some tears are coming. It does not matter; that is a purification for the eyes. The flame has three colors: below, red and dark; then the brightest part in the middle; and then on the top, a little smoky. You should gaze at the brightest part, the tip of the brightest part of the flame. If your flame is moving, then with your concentration, stop the flame from moving. Just gaze on the flame. And now, gently close your eyes and gaze on the inner flame. In the Cidākāśa, at the center of your brows, a beautiful tiny flame. Sometimes it appears, sometimes it may disappear. It does not matter. Do not try to catch it. Just observe the color of the flame, its form and distance. Be relaxed. Observe the Cidākāśa, the inner space, and the flame on the wall of the forehead, behind the forehead's wall, exactly there where the Ājñā Cakra is. Relax. Mentally repeat your mantra and observe the lightning in the Cidākāśa, the enlightenment of the Cidākāśa. Osvícení Cidākāśa. Prepare for the next round. Do not move your body. Be relaxed. Buďte uvolnění. Now, slightly, gently open your eyes and look at the flame. Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. Lead us from the darkness to the light. This divine light is passing through the Cakras and Śakti, reaching your Ājñā Cakra, uniting Iḍā and Piṅgalā with the Suṣumnā. The union of Śiva and Śakti in divine consciousness. Slightly or gently close your eyes and gaze on the inner flame. In Cidākāśa, the entire Cidākāśa is illuminating. Divya jyoti, divine light, light of the Self. The entire Cidākāśa is enlightening. You see thyself sitting in the Cidākāśa doing Trāṭaka with a beautiful ghee lamp, Ghee dīpak. The color of the flame, the form, and the distance. Sometimes it is coming, and if you try to catch it, it disappears. Therefore, do not try to catch it. Now, prepare again for the third and the last round. This time you should observe the flame exactly. This is the third and last round for you. Gently open your eyes and gaze on the flame which is in front of you. Become one with the flame. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. Lead us from darkness to light. Oṃ Dīp Jyoti Parabrahma Dīpam Sarve Mohanam Dīpanam Sajate Saravam Sandhyā Dīpam Sarav Satyam Śubham Karoti Kalyāṇam Ārogyaṃ Dhan Sampadā Śatru Buddhi Vināśaya Dīp Jyoti Namastu Te Oṃ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Feel the light. Vnímejte světlo. In the whole body, you are surrounded by this divine light. V celém těle. V celém těle... Very soon, we are going to close the eyes. Carefully observe the flame. Gaze on the flame. Become one with the flame, and take this flame into your Cidākāśa. Vemte si tento plamen sebou do Cidākāśa. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. Take the flame within Cidākāśa. Vemte si plamen do Cidākāśa. And slowly close the eyes. Light in the Cidākāśa. The awakening of the inner Śakti. The discovery of thy divine Self. Awakening of the divine consciousness in Ājñā Cakra. That means the guru, the inner guru. The entire Cidākāśa is illuminated. Inhale. And chant Oṃ with me. Oṃ. Deep Nara and Bhagavān. Slowly fold your palms. And innerly pray: Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. Lord, lead us from the darkness to the light. Mahāprabhujī, bless us with your divine light. Now, rub your palms together and place the palms on your face. Rub your face, muscles, and eyelids, and open your eyes. Adios.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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