TRATAK MEDITATION

Tratak Meditation is a traditional basic exercise to acquire concentration and control the mental waves. Tratak (fixed gazing) is an ancient yogic technique that concentrates the mind, o ens the sychic centers and awakens the force of kundalini (!ivine energy) latent in the Muladhara chakra (first sychic center) at the base of the s ine taking one dee into meditation. "ith this meditation you stare steadily at a single oint or ob#ect without blinking. "here the eyes go the mind follows. "ith your eyes you lead your mind into $%ne&'ointed Meditation$. (y staring steadily at an ob#ect, closing your eyes and then visualizing the ob#ect alternately, you train the mind to focus its awareness. )ny ob#ect maybe used as long as it remains still and is relatively small to the gaze. ) candle is the most recommended ob#ect as it is easy to evoke its image when you close your eyes. *tare at the ob#ect without blinking as long as you can then close your eyes try to see the image. "hen it fades o en your eyes and stare unblinkingly at the candle. *tart with + min., then gradually increase the time to half an hour and then u to an hour. ,n -atha yoga, tratak constitutes one of the six exercises of body urification (.riyas/ dhauti, basti, neti, nauli, ka alabhati and tratak) Tratak is an im ortant exercise to control the mental .

There are different ty es of tratak/ & Tratak on the external objects (a oint, a flame of candle, an ob#ect shining... & Tratak on a point on the external surface of the body (end of the nose/ nasagra drishti, third eye/ bhrumadhya drishti). ,t is referable to control the normal tratak before being exerted in (hrumadhya !rishti or nasagra drishti.

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The ob#ect can be also an idol !aster"s picture #aterfall ri$er flo# tree0 it can be anything of nature. (ut if it is a master1s icture or if ossible the resence of the guru is more than erfect. The Meditation technique of !irror %a&in% is also ossible it is a very owerful method for encountering one2s unconsciousness. There is also the antar tratak, which means directing one2s attention #ithin oneself, e.g., closing the eyes and kee ing the consciousness on the s ace between the eyebrows i.e., seat of the third eye or on the heart center seat of the s iritual heart )t the beginning, ractise this exercise only for short eriods, and increase the duration of ractice gradually.

Effects of tratak/ The ob#ective of tratak is the control of the mental subconscious. %ne cannot immobilize the mental if the eyes are not motionless. This exercise acts on the centers olfactive and o tical, it stimulates the nervous system. ,t brings/ & 3ontrols of ciliary1s 4eflex &5xcitation of lachrymal glands &*timulation of ineal glands & 4elieving of body, interior eace & ,m rovement of the sight & 6ortification of the will & ,m rovement of the memory and the concentration 'enefits ,t corrects defect of the eyes. The mind becomes steady. ,m roves eyesight. 4ate of breathing is slowed down. *ufferers of insomnia and mental tension should do Tratak 7+ minutes before slee ing at night. Memory ower and concentration increases. 5yes become owerful. The ower to control one2s emotion and the decision making ower increases. ,t is one of the owerful methods of controlling our mind. Though Tratak is sim le to erform, regular ractice rea s results for the well&being of your eyes and mind. The exercise will shar en your vision, and, according to !esh ande, even remove the elementary stages of short&sightedness. (esides that, it cleanses your eyes and strengthens your eye muscles. ,t will also reduce eye ailments, including con#unctivitis. ,f you blink excessively or have restless eyeballs, these too will be resolved. (ecause Tratak requires concentration, it is beneficial for your mind too. ,t encourages you to focus only on one thing, which means that your mind relaxes and becomes indifferent to other stimuli. 8our mind becomes more stable and calm, and will be able to focus on things a lot better.

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The first thing is to stare without any blinking, continuously for thirty minutes0 and the whole consciousness must come to the eyes. 8ou must become the eyes. 6orget everything & the whole body0 #ust be eyes and continually stare without any blinking. The consciousness centered in the eyes leads you to the eak of being tense & the climax of being tense. The eyes are the most delicate. That is why they can be more tense than any other art, and with the eyes in a tension, the whole mind is tense. The eyes are #ust doors to the mind. "hen you (53%M5 eyes, the mind goes u and u to the climax, and from that climax to fall down, is to fall down into the abyss of relaxation. *o Tratak is to create one of the most tense eaks in the consciousness through the eyes. Thinking will sto automatically, and by and by, as you roceed further, the consciousness becomes more centered in the eyes. 8ou will #ust be aware. There will be no thinking, because eyes cannot think. 9o thinking is ossible with the eyes. "hen the whole consciousness is centered in the eyes, mind has no energy left for thinking. Mind #ust sto s thinking0 and the moments your eyes want to blink, these are the moments to be avoided, because the mind is trying to get energy back to think. That is why constant string, fixed staring, is needed. 5ven a movement of the eyes gives energy to the mind. *o, do not move the eyes. 6,:5! *T)4,9;< "hen you are staring with no movement of the eyes, the mind is also fixed. The mind moves with the eyes, and the eyes are the outer arts of your face0 the other extreme which goes out. 5yes are #ust art of the brain, the other extreme. 5yes are the doors & the doors that belong to the inside mind and also to the outside world. ,f the eyes are totally fixed, the mind really sto s. ,t cannot move. The best time to erform Tratak, say masters, is in the early hours of =.>> to ?.>> am, when the mind is most rece tive. ,f those times are inconvenient, you might want to erform it before going to bed. Try to erform Tratak alone and undisturbed, in a dark and silent room. .

$There is a wonderful message to realize when you ractice Trataka. 8ou are staring and there is strain, burning etc. and suddenly without you having to do a thing, the eyes wash themselves. 8ou need do nothing< That2s the message. The $,$ need do nothing. ,f the eyes need to be flushed and cleaned, there is something dee within that knows. See That.$ & *wami @entakesananda

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