Transform with Fire
In most spiritual traditions, fire has been used as an agent of purification for eons. It is one of the major elements that helped create our own Earth. At the center of our home planet is a deep well of molten rock, the source of land creation on our planet.
The teachings and stories that fill Yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy often include fire as a transformative energy. In the epic tale of the Ramayana, the solidification of friendship between the protagonist Rama and his loyal comrade Hanuman occurs in a walk around the sacred fire three times.
The term for fire in Sanskrit is agni. It is known as an element, a mythological deity, and an energetic force of transmutation. In Ayurveda, there are dozens of forms of agni in the body and mind. In the Yoga Sutras, tapas is the fire that is the guiding principle for our inner work, the first niyama (guiding principles for the journey inwards).
When I teach about tapas, I talk about how to make fire, the old-fashioned way. One gathers kindle and wood, and finds a rhythm to create just the right amount of friction to generate a spark.
Tapas is both the effort of creation and the moment of the spark. It is transformation guided by an inner attitude of perseverance and trust.
So as we enter the first new moon of 2021, how will fire help you transform? It all depends on how you use it.
The temple keepers and holy people in India use puja to invite the possibility of accomplishing anything one desires. Puja literally translates to “an offering to the Divine.” You can use fire to bless your new car or to forgive and expand. There are literally hundreds of types of puja; in order to perform the ceremony, you only need to be clear about why you are performing it in the first place.
In my Persian heritage, our New Year falls on the Spring Equinox. We build a fire a few days prior to the start of the year. We then jump over it and ask that the fire cleanse us of the previous year and give us good energy for the year ahead.
As we settle into 2021, I welcome you create your own fire ceremony. I do my daily fire ceremony with a candle. It’s an excellent daily practice to focus, clear, and cleanse. In Sanskrit, it is called trataka.
According to Yoga International, “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika defines trataka as ‘looking intently with an unwavering gaze at a small point until tears are shed.’ This simple technique has a purifying, invigorating effect on the mind and improves concentration, paving the way for a deeper meditation practice. Because it is one of the shat kriyas, or six cleansing actions, trataka also cleans and heals the eyes.”
I encourage everyone for the first 21 days of 2021 to commit to the practice of trataka. I encourage this practice in the morning, but it can be done in the evening, as well. Commit to the same time every day, if possible.
Here are the steps:
Find a comfortable seat and place a candle about three feet in front of you so you can look at it easily and comfortably without lifting your head. (It’s best to use unscented, fragrance-free candles made from natural products. If you want to use a scented candle, make sure it is naturally scented with essential oils.)
Open and close your eyes five times, blink rapidly, look up and down five times, look to the right (without moving your head) for five breaths, close your eyes, look to the left (without moving your head) for five breaths, and close your eyes. Circle your eyeballs clockwise five times, and counter-clockwise five times.
Close your eyes, place the palms of your hands on your eyes (please make sure your hands are clean), and very gently massage your eyes.
Light your candle.
Allow your gaze to wash over the entire candle, from the wax/oil holding the wick to the wick. Finally, allow your soft gaze to settle on the fire.
At first, you may just look at the flame and then away a few times, or blink a few times. Slowly invite your gaze to hold steady for as long as you’re comfortable. Begin with one minute and slowly build to three minutes.
Afterwards, gently close your eyes and sit in quiet contemplation. The image of the candle may stay in your mind’s eyes. Remain with this internal gaze.
Whatever your spiritual orientation, select a prayer or affirmation to repeat out loud, or in silence.
Trataka is great for the whole family, from the youthful to the elderly. A recent study shared, “In this study on elderly subjects, trataka intervention improved cognitive functions (short-term memory and working memory, selective and focused attention, concentration, visual scanning as well as activation and inhibition of rapid responses and executive functions) when compared to wait list control group at the end of 1 month.”
The eyes are an extension of the mind. The retina and optic nerve grow out of the mind into the eyes, starting at two weeks after our conception. The blessing of sight is exactly that—a blessing. Disease, the natural process of aging, and other imbalances can affect our sight and sometimes create blindness.
When there is no sense of sight, then what? We utilize other senses. Yoga is naturally trauma-informed. There are options to support the practitioner, so if trataka doesn’t feel appropriate, consider the following practices for 21 days. The benefits are there for all of us.
Touch: Holding objects can concentrate your awareness, especially if you are working with objects from nature: woods, stones, plants, crystals. Using your largest organ, your skin, you can bathe in a natural body of water and connect your own being to the element of water.
Hearing: You can also use sound/vibration to ground your awareness—just think of the power of music and vibration. Place a sound bowl (metal or crystal) in front of you and play it slowly to feel the vibration it produces.
Smell: Using scents in nature can support you to be present. Next time you walk in the woods, close your eyes, take a few steps, take a seat or stand, and be still as you take in the aroma of your surroundings.
Taste is not utilized for meditation, as it activates the digestive system. This process can overuse your energy and leave you pulling energy away from your meditation. It’s one of the reasons it is recommended not to eat or drink when you are studying or learning. Focus on what you are doing in the present moment. Digestive fire needs its own attention.
So, what do you think? Are you up for 21 days of trataka or a sensory grounding practice? Let’s do it! I will be diving into trataka for 21 days. Journey with me.
The element of fire can be literal or figurative. In the end, the internal fire is what we are truly lighting. Tapas is one of the major guiding principles to inner work to clear out any obstacles, and to support your internal and external peace. Sometimes, we are working so hard to heal everyone outside of ourselves, never making the time to tend to our own internal fire. May you be inspired to weave into this new year the sacred practice of trataka.