How a Candle Flame Helped Me Focus Again
A few months ago, I found myself totally burned out. Not from work exactly — more from constant input. Screens, messages, deadlines, noise. I couldn’t sit still, and my mind was constantly spinning. One night I stumbled on a post about Tratak Kriya — a yogic technique where you just...stare at a candle flame.
Honestly? It sounded weirdly simple. But also kind of perfect.
So I tried it. I lit a candle, turned off all the lights, sat cross-legged, and stared. My eyes watered after a few minutes. Then I closed them and saw the flame still flickering behind my eyelids. That night, I fell asleep faster than I had in weeks.
Turns out, Tratak Kriya isn’t just some fringe yoga thing. It’s a legit purification technique from the Hatha Yoga tradition. You're not just sitting still — you’re training your attention, your inner gaze. This deep dive explains it way better:
https://ask-ayurveda.com/articles/1237-what-is-tratak-kriya-meaning-practice-steps-and-yogic-benefits
As I dug deeper, I found more stories. One person posted on Threads how Tratak helped stop their late-night overthinking:
https://www.threads.com/@askayurveda_24/post/DL90SG5sTl-
On Instagram, someone shared their practice as a way of releasing stuck emotions:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DL90SimRGgg/
And on Facebook, a post talked about combining Tratak with slow breathing — apparently it creates a super calming effect:
https://www.facebook.com/885804900366149/posts/1055348883411749
I even saw a beautiful candle altar setup on Pinterest that inspired my own little practice space:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/895934919625321277
On Twitter, someone described how just five minutes of Tratak in the morning gave their mind more space for the entire day:
https://twitter.com/1857364984759541760/status/1943634009914761704
And one LinkedIn post really hit home for me — it said that focused attention is becoming a rare skill. That doing something like Tratak regularly can literally help us rebuild it:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ask-ayurveda_focused-attention-is-becoming-a-rare-skill-activity-7349399785902129152-uZxF
I’ve been practicing almost every evening now. Just 10 minutes. Some days I miss it, but on the days I show up, my thoughts feel less chaotic. I’m calmer. I don’t scroll as much before bed. I’m less reactive the next day. It’s like this tiny candle teaches my brain how to be quiet again.
Ask Ayurveda calls Tratak a way to clear both the eyes and the mind. I think they’re right. It’s old wisdom that fits perfectly into modern burnout.