Going deeper into the meditation

Going deeper into the meditation

Something rather special happens whenever you go deep into a candle meditation. I’ll describe it so that you’ll recognize it, when it happens to you…

The reason that you are able to see is because your brain processes the signals via the optic nerves in your eyes. What happens as this meditation progresses is that your brain begins to stop processing these signals. That might sound dramatic, but it’s actually perfectly natural, perfectly safe and a profoundly serene experience. Let me explain what this looks and feels like…

Your eyes are firmly fixed on the image of the flame in front of you and because your eyes are not moving, they are not providing your brain with any new information to process. You then find that some areas of your peripheral vision start to fade from your vision completely…

Gradually, more and more of your peripheral vision fades away until you have no visual awareness of anything but the candle flame.

This is a profound experience, your eyes are open, but you are actually not seeing anything but the small flame in front of you. As a result, it feels as though there is no distance between yourself and the flame. In essence, you have become one with the flame.

To achieve this requires both mental stillness and the physical stillness of your eyes. As soon as you move your eyes around, your brain is then flooded with new sensory input and you will instantly be able to see the room around you again. Remain still and focussed on the candle, and you will slip back into this state of profoundly deep meditation quite quickly.

It may take some practise to really stabilize this experience, but it’s well worth it!

At the completion of your candle meditation, close your eyes and lie down for at least five minutes as you let your body and mind come back down to earth.