Jyoti Tratak, the candle meditation
Have you ever let your thoughts wander on the flames’ rhythm? Fire has something fascinating, hypnotic, right?
Yogis, all explorers of the body, mind and soul that they are, use this element as a focal point for meditation.
Old scriptures say that this practice also develops intuition.
Would you like to try?
- Take a comfortable position and place a lighted candle in front of you at about 15-20 centimeters, at eye level if possible.
- Gaze at the flame of the candle and try not to blink. Let tears flow if they come.
- Observe what is going on within you, how is your breath, what are your bodily sensations, your thoughts, during the time you have previously decided to grant yourself.
Take a moment at the end of your session to feel the effects of the practice.
* Jyoti means light in Sanskrit, tatrak: to gaze
A minute of practice a day, it is enough ?!
Bad news, yoga is not something you get rid of : “1(0) minutes / an hour a day / week and this should be good for some time” …No, your morning practice will chase you all day !
But not as aches after a too intense aerobic class.
Of course, a feeling of lightness, vitality and well-being remains a few hours after the session. But also, flashes, a little like a small inner voice that shows up on its own, whenever it feels like it ( “let go”, “don’t overreact”, “breathe”) … it is your consciousness!
You awoke it, it is now talking to you. You find yourself distancing yourself from your spontaneous mental reactions. You may be even voluntarily paying attention.
And little by little, these new patterns of being settle, replace the old ones, and even become unconscious. You become aware of other patterns etc., you become a constantly evolving being … alive!
If your have more than a minute, I invite you to practice the breathing meditation daily for a week (in French, English version coming soon !).
Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation comes from the Buddhist ancestral tradition. Refined from its religious aspects, it integrates the latest advances in neurosciences to provide a quality of being to practitioners of the modern Western world.
It is about deliberately direct your attention, without judgment, moment by moment to experience the present.
Regular practice of meditation opens a gentle and caring investigation of the nature of one’s own mind, to see more and more clearly the causes of suffering, recognize the reaction patterns, commitment, desire, that leads to behave thoughtlessly or under the control of our egocentric needs.
Gradually you gain freedom, wisdom and peace.
Here are 10 minutes of breathing meditation (in French), a mindfulness classic to which is good to come back with the beginner’s mind !
Bienvenue
