sandeyeThe Theory: The Kriyas 2: Tratak
April 28th 2008 03:36
Tratak offers the additional benefit of improving eyesight, along with its intended results of mind purification and improvement of concentration. It is one of the less gross Kriyas, not involving anything which might be considered disgusting. Beforehand, one needs to choose an object or drawing upon which to work. Suitable and popular possibilities include the flame on a candle, the OM Yantra, a grain of rice placed on a dark carpet, the moon, a flower, or the tip of your own nose. Once you have chosen an appropriate focus object, and placed it in a suitable position if possible - or yourself in such if the object itself is immovable - you can begin. The recommended positioning of a mobile object is three feet in front, at eye level.
Firstly, calm the breath. Try to breathe evenly and rhythmically. Next, remembering not to blink, focus your eyesight upon the chosen object and look upon it. Try to still your eyes, so that they do not flit about looking at other things, but retain their direction upon the chosen image. Your gaze should remain fixed and focused.
When first trying Tratak, you may find that the effort required for keeping your eyes still and unblinking tends to lead to tears weeping out. If this becomes too uncomfortable, try to shorten the length of time spent in the focusing step, keeping it at no more than a minute to start with. Once you have practiced on several occasions, you can try to extend this time from one minute to between seven and twelve.
The second step is to close your eyes, whilst attempting to retain the image within your mind's view at the site of either the heart or pituitary chakra. Visualize the image until it fades, trying to keep the times spent focusing with outer and inner eyes as equal as possible. Repeat the procedure a few times, alternating between the focused gaze with your physical eyes upon a physical image and the visualization of the after-image behind closed lids.
After some practice, you should be able to extend the Tratak session for up to an hour and find your mind more concentrated - irrelevant thoughts no longer surfacing as you concentrate deeply. If you have practiced meditation, it should assist you in abandoning stray thoughts and attaining a focused attention on the chosen object.
If you wish to work on improving your eyesight, focusing on the area between your eyebrows instead of an image or symbol is suggested. This is termed Frontal Gazing. This is also an option for advanced Yoga practitioners wishing to work on awakening Kundalini. If you prefer, use the tip of your nose for your focus point. This is called Nasal Gazing and assists with practices involving the central nervous system. Both of these alternatives will help strengthen eye muscles.
For those wishing to use an OM symbol, feel free to click on the following modern OM design to print out.
Firstly, calm the breath. Try to breathe evenly and rhythmically. Next, remembering not to blink, focus your eyesight upon the chosen object and look upon it. Try to still your eyes, so that they do not flit about looking at other things, but retain their direction upon the chosen image. Your gaze should remain fixed and focused.
When first trying Tratak, you may find that the effort required for keeping your eyes still and unblinking tends to lead to tears weeping out. If this becomes too uncomfortable, try to shorten the length of time spent in the focusing step, keeping it at no more than a minute to start with. Once you have practiced on several occasions, you can try to extend this time from one minute to between seven and twelve.
The second step is to close your eyes, whilst attempting to retain the image within your mind's view at the site of either the heart or pituitary chakra. Visualize the image until it fades, trying to keep the times spent focusing with outer and inner eyes as equal as possible. Repeat the procedure a few times, alternating between the focused gaze with your physical eyes upon a physical image and the visualization of the after-image behind closed lids.
After some practice, you should be able to extend the Tratak session for up to an hour and find your mind more concentrated - irrelevant thoughts no longer surfacing as you concentrate deeply. If you have practiced meditation, it should assist you in abandoning stray thoughts and attaining a focused attention on the chosen object.
If you wish to work on improving your eyesight, focusing on the area between your eyebrows instead of an image or symbol is suggested. This is termed Frontal Gazing. This is also an option for advanced Yoga practitioners wishing to work on awakening Kundalini. If you prefer, use the tip of your nose for your focus point. This is called Nasal Gazing and assists with practices involving the central nervous system. Both of these alternatives will help strengthen eye muscles.
For those wishing to use an OM symbol, feel free to click on the following modern OM design to print out.
| 64 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
