Attention & Focus · “You Become What You Hold”
Trataka
Develop one-pointed concentration (ekagrata) and inner stillness by gazing steadily at an external point (typically a candle flame), then holding its after-image internally — bridging external focus into inner visualisation.
In a dark, still room, set a candle at eye level an arm’s length away. Gaze steadily at the flame’s tip without blinking, eyes relaxed, until they water naturally. Close the eyes and hold the after-image at the eyebrow centre until it fades; rest in the inner space. Repeat. Palm the eyes warm to finish. Never strain; never leave the flame unattended.
What it is
Trataka (Sanskrit, “to gaze steadily”) is fixed, unwavering gazing at a single small point — most commonly a candle flame — until the eyes water, followed by closing the eyes and holding the bright after-image at the eyebrow centre until it fades.
Classically it is one of the six shatkarmas (yogic cleansing practices) of Hatha Yoga, but Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga reframed and systematised it as a concentration and meditation practice — a bridge from external one-pointedness (bahiranga/ekagrata) into internal visualisation and stillness (antaranga).
He taught it both as a standalone discipline and as preparation for deeper meditation, and described long advanced rounds (e.g. a few minutes of external gazing followed by extended internal visualisation).
The Method
As presented in the Satyananda/Bihar School texts (e.g. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha):
- Set up the object. Place a candle about an arm’s length away (roughly 60–90 cm / 2–3 ft), with the flame level with your eyes. Sit in a steady meditation posture in a dark, still room with no draught so the flame is motionless. (A black dot, yantra, dot of light, or the rising sun are alternative objects, but a candle is the standard.)
- External gazing (bahiranga trataka). Close the eyes and relax. Then open them and gaze steadily at the flame — usually at the tip of the wick or the dark spot just above it. Hold the gaze without blinking, keeping the eyes relaxed, not strained. Try not to move the eyeballs. Let the awareness rest fully on the flame; when thoughts intrude, return to the point.
- Gaze until the eyes water. Continue until tears begin to flow or the eyes tire — classically the gazing continues “until tears are shed.” Do not strain to force tears or to set records; let watering arise naturally.
- Internal gazing (antaranga trataka). Close the eyes. An after-image of the flame will appear in the field of inner vision. Hold this image steadily at the eyebrow centre (bhrumadhya / ajna), keeping it as still and centred as possible. If it drifts or fades, gently bring it back; when it dissolves completely, rest in the inner darkness/space.
- Repeat / round. Beginners do one to a few short rounds. With practice the external gazing lengthens and the internal-image holding becomes the major part — Satyananda described an advanced round as roughly a few minutes of external gazing followed by a long stretch (he cited up to ~27 minutes) of internal visualisation.
- Close. Rub the palms warm and cup them gently over the closed eyes before opening, to soothe them. (Sourcing note: the candle-at-eye-level setup, gaze-without-blinking-until-tears instruction, the external→after-image→internal-gazing structure, the eyebrow-centre placement, and the long advanced internal-visualisation round are the documented Satyananda/Bihar School method. Exact distances and timings vary across his presentations; this is a faithful paraphrase.)
Source & Lineage
Trataka is a classical Hatha-yoga shatkarma described in texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita (15th–17th c.), where it is framed partly as an eye-cleansing kriya and aid to concentration.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1923–2009), founder of the Bihar School of Yoga, recovered it for modern practice and reframed it primarily as a dharana (concentration) and meditation technique, documenting his protocol in Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha and A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya (Yoga Publications Trust). → suggested node.
The Traditions' versions
Hatha Yoga shatkarmas — trataka as one of the six classical cleansing practices (its source form). → (sibling Hatha practices)
- Focused-attention meditation — sustained single-object concentration is the generic family trataka belongs to.
- Candle-intention ritual — gazing at a flame as a focusing/intention device.
- Yantra / mandala gazing — fixed visual concentration on a geometric symbol.
- Antaranga trataka ↔ inner-screen visualisation — holding the after-image prefigures imaginal-screen methods.
- Christian icon gazing / fixed visual prayer — devotional steady gazing as a concentration aid.
Common refinements
Straining the eyes. The gaze should be relaxed, not a hard stare. Tension causes pain (not the goal) rather than the gentle watering (which is fine).
- Forcing tears or competing on duration. Let watering come naturally; over-long sessions, especially early on, irritate the eyes.
- A flickering flame. Draughts make the flame move and defeat the practice — eliminate air currents so the flame is still.
- Wrong height/distance. Flame above or below eye level strains the eyes/neck; keep it level and about an arm’s length away.
- Skipping the internal phase. The after-image holding is half the practice and the part that builds inner concentration — don’t just gaze and stop.
- No palming afterward. Cupping warm palms over the eyes soothes them and prevents strain carry-over.