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How To Do Tratak – Powers Of Tratak – Dangers Of Tratak
Yogi Swatmarama mentions a practitioner becoming clairvoyant and developing other capacities such as telepathy, telekinesis, psychic healing, etc., by regular practice of Tratak. Benefits of Tratak include strong willpower and improved memory. Physiologically, Tratak relieves eye diseases such as eye strain and headache, myopia, astigmatism, and even early stages of cataracts.
Tratak Meaning
Looking intently with an unwavering gaze at a small point without blinking until tears are shed, is known as Tratak. Tratak is an important Kriya amongst the six processes of purification called “Shatkarma”.
For Shatkarma, you may please read the –
What Is Hatha Yoga, What Are Its Constituents & What Is Purpose Of Hatha Yoga
Types Of Tratak
There are two forms of the practice of Tratak :
- ‘Bahiranga’ or external Tratak. In this practice, one simply has to gaze at an object or a symbol.
- ‘Antaranga’ or internal Tratak. In Antaranga Tratak, the clear and stable inner visualization of an object is involved.
Important Points To Know In Tratak
- In the practice of Tratak, a practitioner has to gaze at an object until its subtle form manifests in front of his closed eyes.
- The point of concentration is usually a symbol or object which activates the inner potential and can absorb the mind.
- The symbol most commonly used is a candle flame (called Jyoti Tratak) and the second one is a black bindi or dot put on a wall.
- The purpose of focusing the eyes on an external object is to arouse internal vision and make it steady by stopping eye movements.
There are many symbols on which Tratak can be done viz.: candle flame, a Shiva lingam, yantra, mandala, the full moon, a star, the rising or setting sun (when it is orange, not yellow), a chakra, the symbol of Om etc. The Tratak can also be done on a rose, a mountain, the sky, a black dot or any object of your choice.
How To Do Jyoti Tratak Meditation
The steps of the Jyoti Tratak technique are –
- Select a dark room that is free from drafts and insects.
- Place a candle at arm’s length in front, with the flame at eye level.
- It is important that the flame does not flicker and remains steady.
- Sit in either Siddhasana or Padmasana with hands in either Gyana mudra or Chin mudra
- Relax the whole body, close your eyes, and get ready for Trataka.
- Open your eyes and gaze steadily at the flame.
- Gaze for as long as possible without blinking and without strain until the eyes begin to water or tire.
- The awareness should be so centered on the flame that body awareness is lost.
- Close your eyes and gaze at the after-image of the flame in the space in front of your closed eyes.
- If the after-image moves, bring it back and try to stabilize it, and continue gazing until the impression disappears.
- When the image can no longer be retained, gently open your eyes and gaze at the flame again.
- Repeat the above procedure 3 to 4 times.
- After completing the final round, practice the technique of palming, before opening the eyes.
When To Do Tratak
Tratak can be done at any time but is more effective when performed on an empty stomach. The most suitable time is between four and six in the morning after asana and pranayama practice. If you wish to delve deeper into the mind, Tratak should be done late at night before going to bed and before Japa or meditation.
Tratak Contraindications
- People suffering from glaucoma should not practice Tratak.
- People with myopia ( short-sightedness ) should retain their glasses while practicing Tratak on a flame.
- People suffering from Epilepsy should not practice Tratak on a candle flame.
Tratak Benefits
- According to the ‘Hatha Yoga Pradipika‘ of Swatmarama, ‘Tratak eradicates all eye diseases, fatigue and sloth and closes the doorway creating these problems.
- Tratak is one of the best practices for developing high concentration and memory improvement.
- Tratak is beneficial for a whole range of physiological and mental functions. It is therapeutic for depression, insomnia, allergy, anxiety, postural problems, poor concentration, and memory.
- The eyes become clear and bright.
- It balances the nervous system relieving nervous tension.
- Regular practice of Tratak is very good for the eyes as it results in the improvement of eyesight naturally.
- Tratak relieves eye ailments such as eye strain and headache, myopia, astigmatism, and even early stages of cataracts.
Powers Of Tratak
- Tratak unlocks the inherent energy of the mind and channelizes it to the dormant areas of the unconscious. Yogi Swatmarama mentions the practitioner becoming clairvoyant but other capacities such as telepathy, telekinesis, psychic healing, etc., can develop.
- The high concentration which is arrived at by Tratak results in strong willpower and improved memory. Physiologically.
Dangers Of Tratak
- Trataka can be harmful if not done properly as it could cause vision-related problems, headaches, and anger. One should be patient, should not force the sessions for longer durations, and avoid stressing own eyes.
- Kids should not practice Tratak.
- People having eye-related problems should avoid Tratak.
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9 Comments
Great article. It has some difficult words and references to different asanas and mudras that might not be known to a lot of people, such as it was in my case. I tried to right click and copy the words to google their meaning but your extremely stupid content protection window kept popping up. You have out of greed limited people’s ability to research and understand the article fully thus defeating purpose of the article itself to an extent. You were scared that people would create a website by copying your content and rob you of precious ad revenue but people who can create a website (and earn from it) can easily bypass these limitations using developer tools. This little circus of yours was so annoying that I have decided to strip your whole site and host a clone on my server with freedom for all to copy the content and use as they wish, thus realizing your greatest fear. Google your content in 7 days, you’ll see a site clone moron.
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Now, if you talk about yoga, the person of this mindset does not have the right to teach yoga yet, with yoga, the mind of the person is clean and immobile, and you say to start with treachery, good wishes
it’s super cool way u explain thank you 🙏🏼
started before going to bed have two questions
1- it’s better in night time or between 4am to 6am
night time have more peace environment and as u mentioned empty stomach that’s i am doing it but can’t focus more then 10-12min eyes get watery next morning have mild headache it’s ok
2- when i focus i can see many objects like man waking all alone
sometimes shiva or many interesting things it’s ok or i need to stop doing it
looking forward to positive answer
really appreciate about your work and time
hello Hemal, thank you very much for the comment. 10-12 minutes of focusing is too much. What you should do is first fix your gaze on the object for only one minute, then close the eyes and try to visualize the object at the eyebrow center. As you find it hard to visualize the object, again open the eyes and do the same practice. you can do this 4 times. And this will solve all your queries. Thanks.
Can tratak be practiced by a 5 year old child who is having astigmatism.
Hello Darshini, for me, the age of 5 is too young to practice Tratak.
Can a teen with myopia do tratak safely?
As per my knowledge and experience – yes
The teen should not strain, should do in span of one minute maximum and be attentive