Winter Candle Gazing Meditation
with Kevin Penta

Join Kevin for a Winter Candle Gazing Meditation (“Trataka” is Sanskrit for “to look, to gaze”)

For those who are looking to lean more into mindfulness or formal meditation practices and don’t know where to start or those who wish to deepen their Hatha Yoga practice beyond just the physical component, could align well with this more “simple” method than other forms of mindfulness or meditation. 

Or maybe you just want a night of relaxation to help calm the mind and uplift your spirit. 

We’ll use the time to first focus on our breath with simple Pranayama techniques, calming our body & mind. This will also prepare and ease us into our candle gazing meditation where we will focus our attention solely on our candle flame, which is a traditional object used. 

Candle gazing has been shown to help those who practice this method enter into a more deep concentration or even meditative state, along with many other benefits.

It is a beautiful practice that doesn’t require any “skills” or prior meditation practice. However, those who practice other formal meditation techniques can also find great value with it.

This practice can either spontaneously, or over time, lead us into a deeper meditative state of becoming almost absorbed into the experience of the candle flame, and expanding our consciousness.

There’s also something sacred and almost magical about a candle lit, darker atmosphere in winter, and the collective meditative energy as a community.

I hope to see you there!

Blessings of Peace and Love,

Kevin

See below if you wish to keep reading for more info on Trataka, benefits, and precautions:

Hatha Yoga consists of six purifications of the body (“Shatkarmas”), physical postures (the “Asanas” that you probably practice on the mat and that make up a majority of Americans yoga practice), and Pranayama (“breath control”).

The traditional intention of Hatha Yoga practice is to prepare us physically and mentally for the path of Raja Yoga, the yogic path of meditation. Uncovering who we are at our core, our true individual Divine nature and reconnecting with the collective Divinity within us. 

Trataka is an amazing and “simple” method that is one of the six purifications of the body (“Shatkarmas”) and it also can be a combination of the following Limbs of Raja Yoga; withdrawal of the senses (“Pratyahara”), concentration (“Dharana”), and meditation (“Dhyana”).

Possible benefits with regular practice:

• Improves concentration, memory and focus
• Improves vision
• Balances and regulates the nervous system
• Cleanses the eyes and cerebral cortex 
• Relieves depression, anxiety, and insomnia
• Cultivates deeper inner vision

Precautions:

• Avoid this practice if you have severe eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts or astigmatism or have had recent eye surgery
• Avoid this practice if you have epilepsy
• If you experience significant eye strain or discomfort, stop the practice
• Practice can lead for some to watering of the eyes, this is common and can be alleviated by blinking and closing the eyes temporarily before continuing