Whether you are gazing externally or internally, you eventually begin to visually blank out other objects. As you do so, sushumna occurs, where by your brain becomes isolated from the usual memories, thoughts and feelings that come and go naturally. Additionally, trataka is said to aid vision by keeping eyes healthy, relieve depression and insomnia, reduce allergies and fatigue, and enhance energy levels. Lastly, practicing trataka can also enhance intuition and open up access to a higher state of consciousness.
Bahiranga: external gazing
Most people use a candle flame as a focus point, but you can concentrate on whatever you want. A fountain, the sunset, a flower or a leaf can be used. A plain object may be easier to apply your attention to than one with great detail. Find a central point on which to concentrate your vision. If you are looking at a candle flame, your focal point could be the wick inside the flame because it won’t distract you by flickering.
Make sure you are sitting in a comfortable, meditative pose and won’t be disturbed as you gaze at your focal point. Thoughts may arise initially, but allow them to pass without paying them attention. Don’t mentally force them to leave, just see them in the same way you would notice passing strangers, if you were sitting on a park bench.
Antaranga: internal gazing
When you are ready, begin antaranga, also known as internal gazing. Close your eyes and notice the after image, or memory of the external image, in your mind’s eye. Keep watching it with a steady, fixed gaze, applying attention to the central point. If your vision wanders, bring it back to the middle of the image again.
Alternatively, you may choose to begin meditation with antaranga, going straight into internal attention instead of gazing at an external point. Perhaps you will begin with an imaginary picture of a candle, a star, the moon, or a bright white light that glows in the area of your third eye, just inside your head between your eyebrows. The aim is to become one with a chosen focal point, so you don’t recognize any difference between it and you. At such a time, you can travel beyond your ego.
This article was originally published on Ipnos’ blog, associated partner of Expo Yoga 2018.
]]>Defining dream vs reality.
According to the ancient practice of dream yoga, we can dream during the day when we usually imagine ourselves awake. When you daydream, while carrying out your daily tasks, you’re not sleeping, but you’re not really awake either.
While some believe that the world, the entire universe and beyond, are simply an illusion created as a matrix of thought-forms, based on the law of attraction, we magnetize what we focus on and our thoughts accumulate to form our experiences.
Now that you have begun considering the possibility that wakefulness might not be all that it seems, think about whether a dreaming state is really non-wakefulness at times. After all, people report that they are fully aware during lucid dreaming. In fact, some claim that they feel more awake during lucid dreaming than during the day when they are not sleeping.
Questioning what reality in this manner can help greater awareness to flow. Additionally, you can begin detaching from the thought that wakefulness during the day and night are substantially different. In short, believing that you can move about with purpose in your dreams is the key to achieving your goal.
Become a lucid dreamer.
As you prepare for bedtime and just before you close your eyes to sleep, tell yourself that you are going to have a dream in which you are fully conscious. You can also remind yourself of this intention during the day in order to prepare your mind for a dream yoga experience. If you do not experience lucid dreaming at first, do not despair. Increase your intention to master your dream state by visualizing yourself being in a lucid dream when you are in a relaxed, dreamy state.
Whether you’re imagining that you’re having a lucid dream, or whether you actually experience one, start controlling actions and to make things happen, rather than drifting along the dream and waiting for something to happen. For instance, turn on a tap and see and feel water coming out of it, and practice opening doors, walking up and down steps, and running. When you’ve mastered purposeful movement in your dreams, recognize the powers this dream state gives you. For example, you can fly, walk through walls and teleport. Use your power and enjoy lucid dreaming.
Travel to other planes.
Once you have harnessed your dream powers, develop the intention to meet enlightened beings while you sleep. Ask that they bestow you with important knowledge and help your growth toward higher consciousness. You can also intend to travel to different planets and planes of existence, and take on the body of a creature such as an eagle or bear, experiencing what it is like to be them. Ultimately, dream yoga can help you recognize your limitations and blockages to growth and provide opportunities to overcome them. You can gain confidence, and even heal from your past when you become proficient at this ancient art.
This article was originally published on Ipnos’ blog, associated partner of Expo Yoga 2018.
]]>What type of sensations might you experience?
You might feel a sense of being at one with the universe, which in a way, is the opposite of concentrating on your body. You may feel as though your consciousness doesn’t reside in a physical form.
You might feel lightheaded, or experience a tingling sensation. Some people report having involuntary movements, such as a hand rising, while others say that their body twitches.
What causes sensations during meditation?
The jury is out regarding why some people experience sensations while they meditate. According to some meditation teachers, the phenomenon are caused by the release of stress as part of a healing process that taking place. Others say that sensations occur simply because the brain is relaxed. What we do know, is that people tend to become more aware of physical sensations while they meditate.
Instead of focusing on the outside world as is typically done, meditations brings the attention to our inner-world, including our body. By concentrating on the process of breathing, on your heart or perhaps, on your chakra points, your attention will be directed to the way your body feels. You might become aware of sensations that regularly occur, but that you don’t usually notice when not meditating.
What should you do when you have sensations?
If you experience sensations, you can visualize yourself breathing into the areas of your body in question. Alternatively, you can just allow them to happen without paying them any more or less attention.
It can be normal to discover that you become aware of your body and of specific sensations while you meditate. Instead of letting them worry you, you can make them part of your practice purposefully, or allow them to simply happen.
This article was originally published on Ipnos’ blog, associated partner of Expo Yoga 2018.
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