The Wonderful Practice of Tratak Meditation, An Ayurvedic Perspective

Tratak is a practice of candle gazing using a ghee lamp or candle. It is a simple introduction to meditation for beginners with profound effects on the brain and psyche. It is similar to sun gazing but more accessible and less harmful. Compared to common candles that have many carcinogens and neurotoxins, the purity of a ghee candle is like a warm hug to the brain. This practice stimulates the pineal gland, helping to regulate the circadian rhythm. In addition to “burning” up negative samskaras like traditional meditation, it is known for increasing willpower, courage, intelligence, memory, and improving vision. The reason this practice is so effective is due to the ghee—known in ayurveda for having a similar vibration to the sun and the most powerful of all mantras, the gayatri mantra.

I was first introduced to this meditation in May of 2019 in my yoga teacher training with Sharon Kapp. On our first full day of lessons, she had the group arrive at 6am and led us to a dark room with a ghee lamp in the middle set on a small table at eye level. We sat around the flame, staring into its eye softly for what felt like an eternity. The brightness of the flame pierced into my skull and made my eyes water pleasantly. The longer I gazed, the more prominent a golden aura became around the light. A streak of light emerged from the flame and reached out towards me. A deep calmness poured over my being as my mind settled down. Since this profound day, tratak has become an important practice in my spiritual routine.

The best time to preform tratak is in the quiet hours of the morning before dawn during the brahma muhurta (approximately 4 to 6am) and sunset is great too. The room of practice needs to be dark without much natural and artificial light with little to no disturbances. Silence or soft instrumental music is preferred to have played in the background. A diya or lamp is filled with ghee that has been stored in a glass or stainless-steel container (never use plastic to store ghee as the carcinogenic chemicals in the plastic will leech into it) and a cotton wick is dipped into it and lit. The diya is placed on a flat surface which will be eye-level and less than 3 feet away from which you will be sitting cross-legged or feet flat on the floor with a straight spine. You gaze softly into the flame without blinking and when the sensation of burning starts to occur in the eyes, close them and picture the flame in your minds eye. You may see nothing behind your closed eyelids or a faint or even crystal-clear image of the flame and diya. After a moment, open your eyes and continue gazing. You can continue this practice for a few times or 5 to 10 minutes as a beginner. The more you practice the longer time you can work up to and it will be easier on the eyes.

Your eyes may begin to water with tears as you practice, this is normal. This is blockages and stagnant energy releasing themselves and depending on where the tears are coming from mean different things. If tears are coming from the corner of the eyes this corresponds to vata related emotions such as fear, grief, anxiety, pain etc. From the middle of the eye, it can mean pitted related feelings like anger and intelligence. From the side of the eye, tears are more kapha: depression, greed, jealousy, and even feelings of happiness and spiritual bliss. Overtime, you will notice your mind overall feels quieter and more peaceful. You will notice yourself, with regular meditation, become calmer even in the midst of everyday or traumatic stress. You will think before you react to situations. Memory and eye diseases will improve. Intelligence will improve because the tejas in the mind will improve. Focus and concentration overall will improve with regular practice.