What are the types of Trataka?

Trataka comes in three broad forms. In external Trataka (bahiranga), you gaze at an object such as a candle flame. In internal Trataka (antaranga), you close your eyes and hold the image in your mind. Some yoga schools add a middle form (madhya), where the gaze rests on a point of your own face: the space between the eyebrows or the tip of the nose.

Within external Trataka, the target can be a candle flame, a black dot, a symbol, the moon, your reflection in a mirror or a screen. Some traditional lists also include the rising or setting sun. That is the one type eye doctors say you should never practice.

This guide compares nine ways to practice, what each is good for, what the research says and the cautions that go with each. If you are completely new, start with the beginner's guide to Trataka and come back here to choose a target.

Types of Trataka at a glance

Type What you gaze at Best for Main caution
Candle flame A candle or ghee lamp The classic practice and a vivid afterimage Open flame; flicker if you are photosensitive
Black dot A small dot on white paper or a wall Beginners, daytime and flame-free spaces Less vivid, so attention may drift more
Symbol or yantra Om, a yantra or a mandala A meaningful or devotional focus Detail invites the eyes to roam
Moon The full moon Occasional outdoor evening practice Depends on weather and moon phase
Mirror Your own reflection Curiosity and self-reflection Strange-face illusions in dim light
Screen or app A digital flame or pattern Consistency, timing and tracking Brightness; animated patterns if photosensitive
Eyebrow center The point between the eyebrows Experienced practitioners Eye strain and headaches
Nose tip The tip of your nose Short periods in seated meditation Discomfort from crossing the eyes
Internal An image held with the eyes closed Tired or dry eyes, advanced practice The image fades quickly at first
The sun The rising, setting or daytime sun Nobody Retinal burns that can be permanent

Does research favor one type of Trataka?

Not yet. Most Trataka studies we have found used a candle flame, including the trials covered in our guide to what the research says about Trataka benefits. Almost none compare one type with another.

The exception is a 2026 study of 60 healthy adults aged 20 to 35. Half practiced external Trataka on a candle flame and half practiced internal Trataka, visualizing a point of light with their eyes closed, for 15 minutes over eight weeks. Memory scores improved in both groups, with larger changes in the internal group on some measures. The study had no group that skipped Trataka, so it cannot show that either type beats doing nothing (Chundawat and Panda, 2026).

In practice, choose the type you can do safely and consistently. The rest of this guide shows how.

External Trataka: gazing at an object

Traditional teaching allows a wide range of targets. Articles in Yoga Magazine, published by the Bihar School of Yoga, list a black dot, a crystal, the moon, a symbol such as Om, a yantra or mandala, reflections in water, your own image in a mirror, and even the rising or setting sun (1991 article, 2005 article). These are the options worth knowing.

Candle flame (jyoti Trataka)

The candle flame is the classic target. Teachers favor it because it leaves a vivid afterimage when you close your eyes, which becomes the object for the eyes-closed phase of the practice. Vision scientists attribute afterimages largely to adaptation in the retina's light-sensitive cells, although the exact mechanisms are still debated (Illusions Index).

  • Best for: most beginners, and anyone who wants to practice the way most studies did.
  • Setup: place the flame at eye level about an arm's length away, in a room without drafts.
  • Cautions: never leave a flame unattended. If you have photosensitive epilepsy, skip the flickering flame and ask your doctor first. For about 3% of people with epilepsy, flashing lights or certain visual patterns can trigger seizures (Epilepsy Foundation).

Black dot (bindu Trataka)

A small black dot on white paper or a wall is the simplest flame-free option. There is no heat, smoke or flicker, so it works in daylight, at a desk or anywhere candles are impractical. When you close your eyes, a dark dot on a bright background leaves a light afterimage rather than a dark one (Illusions Index).

  • Best for: daytime practice, offices and anyone who cannot use a flame.
  • Setup: draw or print a small, solid dot and fix it at eye level, an arm's length away.
  • Caution: a dot is less vivid than a flame, so attention may drift more. Keep sessions short and treat each return to the dot as one repetition of the skill.

Symbols, yantras and mandalas

Traditional practice also uses meaningful images, such as the Om symbol, a yantra or a mandala.

  • Best for: people who want the practice to carry devotional or personal meaning.
  • Tip: detailed images invite the eyes to wander across them, which works against the single point Trataka trains. Rest your gaze on the center of the design.

The moon

Gazing at the full moon is a traditional outdoor variation. Moonlight is far too dim to burn the retina the way direct sunlight can, so the limits are practical: you need a clear sky, the moon's brightness and position change through the night and the month, and you cannot control the distance or the background.

  • Best for: occasional practice on clear, full-moon evenings.
  • Caution: find a safe, comfortable place to sit, and do not strain to hold a small, distant target.

Your reflection in a mirror

Some traditions use your own image in a mirror. Mirror gazing is also the one variation with its own body of research, and the findings are surprising.

In a 2010 experiment, 50 people gazed at their reflection for 10 minutes in a room lit only by a dim lamp behind them. Within about a minute, all of them began to see apparitions. Afterwards, 66% reported large distortions of their own face, 18% saw the face of a parent, and nearly half described fantastical or monstrous beings (Caputo, 2010).

A 2023 systematic review of 21 studies with 1,132 participants found that about 58% of non-clinical participants experience these "strange-face illusions". The illusions were linked to low light, faces and prolonged eye fixation. They also occurred when two people gazed into each other's eyes, and higher-quality studies reported them less often (Mash et al., 2023).

Mirror gazing is used very differently in mirror meditation, a self-compassion practice developed by psychologist Tara Well at Barnard College. Barnard reports that her research has linked the practice to lower stress, anxiety and depression (Barnard College).

  • Best for: curiosity and self-reflection, practiced in normal light.
  • Caution: the illusions can be unsettling. If you have experienced psychosis, dissociation or panic attacks, skip mirror and eye-to-eye gazing, or try them only with professional guidance.

A screen or app

A digital target, such as an on-screen flame or pattern, is the newest variation. It removes the open flame and keeps brightness, timing and session records consistent. If you want an app with guided sessions and blink tracking, ours offers focal patterns ranging from a digital candle flame to mandala designs.

We found no study that tested screen-based Trataka, so research done mostly with candles may not transfer directly.

  • Best for: consistency, travel and places where candles are not allowed.
  • Cautions: turn the brightness down, keep the screen at eye level and an arm's length away, and remember that it adds to your screen time. If you are photosensitive, avoid animated, flashing or high-contrast patterns such as spirals, and choose a static image.

Middle Trataka: gazing at the eyebrow center or nose tip

Some yoga schools describe a third, middle form that uses no external object. Instead, the gaze rests on a point of your own face.

Eyebrow center (bhrumadhya drishti or shambhavi mudra)

In modern yoga classes, shambhavi mudra usually means turning the eyes gently upward toward the point between the eyebrows. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (4.36) describes it more abstractly: awareness is held inward while the eyes gaze outward without blinking (read a translation).

  • Best for: experienced practitioners, ideally with a teacher.
  • Cautions: holding the eyes turned upward is tiring and can bring on eye strain or headaches. Release at the first sign of strain, and skip it if you have glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or recent eye surgery unless your eye doctor says otherwise.

Nose tip (nasikagra drishti)

The Bhagavad Gita (6.13) describes a meditator holding the body, head and neck straight and still, with the gaze fixed on the tip of the nose rather than wandering (read a translation). Many teachers read this as a soft, lowered gaze rather than a hard, cross-eyed stare.

  • Best for: short periods within seated meditation.
  • Caution: holding the eyes crossed is uncomfortable for many people. Keep it brief and relaxed.

Internal Trataka: gazing with the eyes closed

In the classic sequence, you gaze at the object, then close your eyes and visualize it as an inner image at the eyebrow center (Shathirapathiy, Mooventhan et al., 2020). Internal Trataka practices that second phase on its own, or extends it.

  • Best for: people whose eyes tire or dry out quickly, anyone sensitive to light, and practitioners with a steady external practice.
  • Research: in the 2026 comparison above, memory scores improved in the internal group too, but there was no group that skipped Trataka.
  • Challenge: the image fades quickly at first. Starting with a flame helps, because its afterimage gives you something to hold.

Why you should never practice sun Trataka

Some traditional teachings include gazing at the rising or setting sun, sometimes called surya Trataka, and social media has revived the idea as "sungazing". Eye doctors are unambiguous: never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection (Cleveland Clinic).

Staring at the sun can cause solar retinopathy, a burn to the retina. Symptoms include blind spots in the center of vision, distorted vision and sensitivity to light. Many people recover over weeks to months, but some damage is permanent (Cleveland Clinic).

In a 2024 case report, a young woman tried sungazing after watching videos of the trend on TikTok. She developed solar retinopathy in both eyes and a permanent blind spot in the center of vision in one eye, after looking at the sun for what she estimated was "probably less than a minute" on a clear afternoon (Schroeder, Zimmerman and Fogt, 2024).

The same report puts the sun's maximum permissible exposure time at 0.6 seconds, and says looking at it for 6 seconds or longer is likely to change the retina, temporarily or permanently. The sungazing videos it describes recommend 10 to 15 seconds at a time.

We found no evidence that gazing at a low sun at sunrise or sunset is safe. Whatever you hope to get from sun Trataka, a flame, a dot or internal practice lets you train the same steady gaze without risking your retina.

How to choose your type of Trataka

  • New to Trataka: start with a candle flame, or a black dot if you cannot use a flame.
  • Photosensitive epilepsy: use a static black dot or internal practice, avoid flames and animated patterns, and check with your doctor.
  • Dry, tired or sensitive eyes: keep sessions short and try a black dot or internal practice.
  • Practicing at work or during the day: a black dot or a dimmed screen.
  • Looking for meaning: a symbol such as Om or a yantra, with your gaze resting on its center.
  • Experienced and steady: internal Trataka, or the eyebrow-center and nose-tip forms with a teacher.
  • Never: the sun.

Whichever you choose, the method matters more than the target: a steady gaze, blinking when you need to, and short sessions that grow gradually. The session-length progression shows how to build up, and our guide on whether Trataka is dangerous covers safe practice in detail.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best type of Trataka for beginners?

A candle flame at eye level about an arm's length away, for two to four minutes a day. It is the target most studies used, and it leaves a clear afterimage for the eyes-closed phase. If you cannot use a flame, a black dot works well.

Is black dot Trataka as effective as candle Trataka?

No study has compared them directly. Because most research used a candle flame, the evidence applies most closely to candles, but the core skill of holding a steady gaze is the same with both.

Can you do Trataka on a phone or screen?

Yes, as a practical alternative, although no study has tested it. Dim the screen, keep it at arm's length, prefer a static image, and remember that it adds to your screen time.

Is mirror Trataka safe?

Mirror gazing in dim light often produces strange-face illusions, where your face appears to distort or change. A 2023 review found them in about 58% of non-clinical participants. Practice in normal light, and skip it if you have experienced psychosis, dissociation or panic attacks.

Is moon Trataka safe?

Moonlight is far too dim to burn the retina the way direct sunlight can. The main limits are practical: you need a clear night, and the moon's brightness and position keep changing.

Is sun Trataka safe?

No. Staring at the sun can burn the retina and cause permanent blind spots. In one documented case, that happened after less than a minute. Use a flame, a dot or internal practice instead.

What is the difference between bahiranga and antaranga Trataka?

Bahiranga (external) Trataka means gazing at an object with your eyes open. Antaranga (internal) Trataka means holding the image in your mind with your eyes closed. Many practitioners combine them, gazing first and then closing the eyes to hold the afterimage.

Primary sources

  • Chundawat A, Panda SK. An Interventional Comparative Study of Effect of Bahya and Aabhyantara Trataka Karma on Enhancing Smriti in Healthy Adult Individuals. Journal of Ayurveda. 2026;20(1):17-23. DOI
  • Caputo GB. Strange-face-in-the-mirror illusion. Perception. 2010. PubMed
  • Mash J, Jenkinson PM, Dean CE, Laws KR. Strange face illusions: A systematic review and quality analysis. Consciousness and Cognition. 2023. PubMed
  • Schroeder A, Zimmerman A, Fogt N. Case report: Solar retinopathy secondary to the viral TikTok trend "#SunGazing". Clinical Insights in Eyecare. 2024;2(4). Full text
  • Cleveland Clinic. Solar Retinopathy: Symptoms, Causes and Recovery. Read the clinical overview
  • Epilepsy Foundation. Photosensitivity and Seizures. Read the guidance
  • Shathirapathiy G, Mooventhan A, et al. Effect of trataka (yogic gazing) on insomnia severity and quality of sleep in people with insomnia. Explore (NY). 2020. PubMed
  • The Illusions Index. Negative Afterimages. Read the explainer
  • Barnard College. Prof. Tara Well Leads Research in Mirror Meditation. Read the article
  • Yoga Magazine, Bihar School of Yoga. Trataka: Concentrated Gazing (1991) and The Practice of Trataka (2005). 1991 article | 2005 article
  • Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 4. Translation
  • Bhagavad Gita, chapter 6, verses 12 and 13. Translation

Related reading

Last updated: September 27, 2026