[Protocol Included] Help Clients Meditate with Candle Gazing Practices

Letting go of negative thoughts is a challenge for some people. Candle gazing is one approach to give the eyes something to focus on as you meditate.

Tratak means ''to glance, stare or gaze'' in Sanskrit. In yoga, “Trataka Sahana” refers to the practice of staring at an object or fixed point with both eyes without being distracted by the surroundings. The candle flame is typically used to assist focus and clarify the mind. This gazing practice is believed to boost psychic powers by bringing energy to the third eye (ājňā chakra).

Many individuals spend hours in front of laptops and phones every day; therefore, there is a growing demand for stress-relieving rituals for the eyes. And, while much of the current focus is on the physical aspect of yoga to achieve relaxation and stress relief, this ancient meditative practice is often overlooked and misunderstood in both India and America.

In my experience, gazing at a candle for a few minutes once to several times a week can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, while gaining sharper vision, mental clarity and enhanced focus.

Reasons to Practice

Our thoughts are easily distracted by the objects around us, making it difficult to concentrate during contemplative techniques. The burning candle is a prominent object to assist us in preserving this image in our brains, even while our eyes are closed, to avoid countless distractions and difficulties. This ongoing practice trains the mind to remain in control, allowing the body's many senses to be controlled as well.

Here are some benefits your clients can derive from the repeated practice of candle gazing:

• When you practice after a long stressful day, your eyes feel refreshed and relaxed.
• When practiced regularly and for longer periods, it helps to calm the mind and enhance concentration.
• This technique can relieve or lessen eye strain ailments and vision-related difficulties, such as early stages of cataracts and myopia.
• It helps relax the mental and nervous systems and improves the quality of sleep. When practiced regularly, fatigue and migraine headaches are alleviated.
• It helps target the energy point of the third eye, and this regular stimulation is believed to lead to increased spirituality when done frequently.
• Past trauma, mental wounds and inner conflicts may get resolved after awakening the brain's spiritual side.
• It will help develop a higher level of cognitive control and mindfulness over a period of time, which aids your physical yoga practice.

Candle Gazing in Wellness Environments

Walk your clients through the steps below, while explaining the health benefits, to start the practice. Make sure the aura around your client is calm, as you become their guiding light within the world of inner healing and spiritual awakening.

Candle Gazing Protocol

• In a darkened room, have them sit on a yoga mat with their spine erect and shoulders pointing upward.
• To release tension, ask them to relax and close their eyes for a few moments.
• Position the candle at least three feet away at eye level. Light it.
• The first 30 seconds can be focusing on the floor or base of the candle but not the flame, then 1 to 2 minutes of intense focus on the flame while avoiding blinking, followed by closing the eyes and picturing the flame in your head for as long as comfortable.
• Introduce positive guiding chants to your clients so that they'll feel a powerful connection. Welcome a new path, new energy, new connections, new experiences, renewed health, new thoughts and new beginnings.
• Consider ending the routine with a couple of very deep breaths that allow the muscles to relax while receiving a full supply of oxygen.
• Finally, blow out the candle and give gratitude to the energy of the fire.

Another benefit of candle gazing is you don't need many props or instruments to start. Use clean-burning candles made of soy wax or beeswax. Avoid candles that emit black smoke; they can distract the mind and negatively affect breathing.

There are many ways to entice clients to try this practice. Offering 1 to 3 minutes of complimentary candle gazing within other packages is an excellent way to educate clients. Later, consider adding elements like indoor plants, essential oils and light Vedic music.

Educate them about the benefits of candle gazing as a post-physical asana practice that can be combined with pranayama yoga, which involves deep breathing patterns as clients concentrate on the candle flame.

The Bottom Line

For millennia, candle gazing meditation has been a feature of yogic culture and teachings, and it may be found in ancient yoga books as well.

So if clients complain about their eyes, general tiredness or depression, suggesting a candle gazing session may help them take the first step to refreshing their minds and healing negative thoughts.

Rohan Shroff earned a master's degree in Science in Yoga from SVYASA University in Bangalore and has more than 1,300 hours of yoga teacher training from well-known and respected institutions in India. He leads the 200-hour, Yoga Alliance-Certified teacher training courses, in addition to teaching Kriya, Pranayama, Meditation, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Yoga Sutras, and Methodology, at MyYogaTeacher.