Meditation Class update - Trataka Practice, Information

Our first Meditation class was done yesterday evening and I was really happy with the students' reactions, questions, and connections.
It was a good community of my students, who made time on a Sunday evening to understand and practice Meditation.
I loved hearing all the questions; "What is Meditation? "; "What's the purpose of Meditation?"; "Am I doing it properly?".
All these questions are completely normal and expected. Every single one of us is asking these questions since we began the path of understanding ourselves better.
Meditation is a process of understanding and accepting our inner selves; our quirks, our joys, our sorrows, our fears, our insecurities, our pain & suffering - all of it. That said, it's not an easy process or a fun one;
It takes a Warrior's heart to sit with oneself, to listen to the chaotic thoughts; to not run away at the next tantrum of the mind; to hear our own monologue about our pain or the unfairness of our life; so, why do it?
We do it because we want to understand this strange and interesting journey we are on; to understand where we come from; where we are going; does all this have a meaning and purpose; or is all of it pointless.
In one's evolution as a Conscious Human, this is an essential turning point. Without this inner search for meaning, we do not grow, we are stuck with the next treat which gives us momentary joy, to dissolve into dissonance again.

This is the description of the Trataka Practice we did. Do practice at home; you are welcome to send me any questions / doubts you have.


Trataka Practice :

Concentration on a Point or Candle Flame:

Sit in meditation pose in front of a candle. Place the candle about an arm’s length away from you. The flame should be still and not moving in a draft.
Look at the flame. The flame has three zones of colour. At the base of the wick is a reddish colour, in the middle it is bright white and at the tip it is slightly smoky. Concentrate on the upper part of the flame where it is brightest.
Observe for 1 minute.
Close the eyes for 1 minute.. If the image of the flame appears within, gently concentrate on that image without creating any tension. Try not to pursue or hold onto the image, otherwise it will fade and disappear.
Repeat the practice 3 times.
The practice time should gradually build. In the initial stages, look at the flame only for about 10-15 seconds. Slowly increase this time, so that after about one year you can look at the flame for 1 minute and then concentrate on the inner image with closed eyes for about 4 minutes. Under no circumstances should this recommended length of time be exceeded.
One may also practice Trataka while looking at a white point on black paper, or at a black point on white paper. When one concentrates on a white point, one sees this as a black image when the eyes are closed and vice versa with a black point.

Benefits:
Purifies the eyes, strengthens the eye muscles and improves vision and memory. Helps with sleeping difficulties.
Strengthens the ability to concentrate and is therefore recommended for school children. Develops intuition, the ability to visualize and willpower.

I do hope to see all of you in class again next month.
Till then, enjoy sitting in silence :)
Namaste.