Day 8 - Steady Gaze, Still Mind
“The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.”
... and meditation is a tool for calming the mind. Many people who are new to meditation (and even some who aren't) think they're not good at it because their mind wanders. But that's the most important part of the practice—recognising that the mind has wandered and re-focusing.
Today's session is the meditation practice of trataka or 'steady gazing'. This is a seated meditation and you'll need an object on which you can focus. My favourite object? A candle flame. However, I've also used flowers (particularly gerberas), sea shells, crystals, or for something different, a geometric design.
- Back problems
- Knee or hip problems, or both
Don't use a candle flame if you are epileptic or have any problems with strobing, flickering or very bright lights.
The session
Recommended Poses
- Seated in a chair
- Kneeling
- Cross-legged seated pose
Poses, Modifications, and Alternative Poses (PDF 0.6 MB)
Download session
The following compressed file contains all the files related to Day 8.
Day 8 - Steady Gaze, Still Mind files (ZIP 7.7MB)
