Halloween – Samhain – Flame Gazing Meditation

Starting our 30 Day Challenge? Here is today’s intro post! You may also want to try our special practice for Halloween!

Good morning Yogis! Happy Halloween! We are going to close out our Meditation Month Bonus Challenge with a special type of holiday-themed meditation.

I have mentioned my interest in mythology of all kinds, and my super Irish name (Tarryn) means I am particularly interested in Celtic mythology. Today is Halloween in the West, and this holiday has some traditions that trickled down from the Celtic holiday Samhain. This is one of four seasonal Celtic holidays, half way between the fall equinox and winter solstice. It was traditionally celebrated October 31-November 1 because Celtic days began and ended at sunset, rather than at midnight as they do today. There are many interesting ancient Samhain traditions and rituals, some of which filtered down into Halloween. You can read more here if you are interested. We will focus on one traditional Samhain ritual – Bonfires, and today we will discuss Flame Gazing Meditation, a Dharana practice.

Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is to try a form of Flame Gazing, a Dharana Practice. There are a few different forms of this you can try!

Flame Gazing Meditation

• Try a more festive flame-gazing meditation with a bonfire – read more about campfire meditations here.
• Try the most traditional version – with a candle flame! Make sure you are in a dark room, and set the candle flame at eye-level. Read more about Trataka or Candle Gazing here!
• If you cannot get a candle or real fire today, or if you prefer guided meditations, try this video to accompany your candle-gazing.

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Please comment and let me know what you thought of this Dharana exercise! Have you done this meditative flame-gazing before, not knowing this was a meditation practice? Always remember, be kind!