चन्द्र त्राटक
Chandra Trataka — Moon Gazing
candra = moon — trataka upon the full moon
On full-moon nights the sky hangs a lamp for you — gaze, soften, and let the mind turn to silver.
In the simplest words
On a full-moon night, sit somewhere comfy outside and just look at the moon softly for a few minutes — like it's a nightlight the sky switched on. Then close your eyes and find the little moon glowing inside. NEVER try this with the sun!
What it is
Folk tradition and hatha teachers alike have always sent restless minds to the moon: sit where the full moon is visible, rest the gaze on its disc, and practise exactly as with a candle — soft eyes, minimal blinking, then the closed-eye after-image glowing at the brow. The tradition times it to purnima and the nights around it, when the disc is whole; Sharad Purnima, when moonlight is said to carry amrita, is its festival. Unlike the sun — which must NEVER be gazed at — the moon's light is reflected and gentle, and the outdoor stillness it demands becomes part of the medicine.
Where it comes from: Hatha-lineage outdoor trataka practice, kept on purnima nights across folk tradition; Sharad Purnima is its festival home.
Before you practise — health first
NEVER transfer this practice to the sun — solar gazing damages eyes permanently, and no tradition on this site teaches it. Keep night-time safety in mind (company, safe rooftops/parks), dress for the night air, and follow the usual eye-comfort rules.
How to practise
Pick the full moon or the nights just around it; sit or recline where the disc is comfortably visible.
Settle the body, take three slow breaths, and rest the gaze on the moon's disc.
Gaze softly 1–3 minutes, blinking freely whenever needed — comfort over duration.
Close the eyes and hold the silver after-image at the brow till it fades.
Repeat once or twice; end with a few So'ham breaths under the open sky.
Practise now
Practice timer
Finished sessions are added to your sadhana log — stored only on this device.
When & how long
Purnima nights and the two on either side; Sharad and Kartik purnimas most of all. City haze softens the disc — rooftops beat windows.
What it is kept for
Cooling an overworked head; the tradition ties moonlight to the mind's soothing — and simply sitting under the night sky is half the cure.