चिदाकाश धारणा
Chidakasha Dharana — the Inner Sky
cit = consciousness, ākāśa = space — gazing into the mind's own sky
Close your eyes: that dark screen before you is a sky. Watch it the way you'd watch night.
In the simplest words
Shut your eyes and look at the darkness like it's your own private sky at night. Sometimes tiny lights or colours float by — just watch them like slow fireworks. You're not making a movie; you're watching the sky.
What it is
Close the eyes and there is still a 'space' you seem to look into — dim, bordered by nothing, sometimes drifting with faint colours and sparks. The tradition names it chidakasha, the space of consciousness, and makes a whole practice of simply beholding it: attention rests in that inner sky the way trataka rests on a flame, watching whatever weather crosses — light-blooms, after-images, blankness — without inventing or chasing any of it. Yoga nidra visits this screen at its end; chidakasha dharana stays there, and teachers use it as the natural next step after breath and body practices are steady.
Where it comes from: Tantric dharana practice, taught systematically in the Bihar School of Yoga (Satyananda lineage).
Before you practise — health first
Gentle for most. If inner imagery ever turns intrusive or distressing — possible with trauma histories — open the eyes, ground in the room, and prefer breath-anchored practices; a trusted professional outranks persistence. Not for moments requiring outward alertness.
How to practise
Sit or lie steady; close the eyes and let the breath settle for a minute.
Notice the dark 'screen' in front of the closed eyes — its whole field, edge to edgeless edge.
Rest attention in it as in a sky; let colours, sparks or shapes drift through unclaimed.
Chase nothing, create nothing, name nothing — beholding is the entire technique.
After 5–15 minutes, deepen the breath, and open the eyes softly downward first.
Practise now
Practice timer
Finished sessions are added to your sadhana log — stored only on this device.
When & how long
After pranayama or trataka (whose after-image hands you straight into it), or as yoga nidra's quieter cousin at midday.
What it is kept for
Meditators ready to go subtler than breath; a natural home for trataka's after-image; screen-tired eyes that still want practice.