vibration, you feel the etheric. When you reach a total stillness
that is more than an absence of movement, it means that your
etheric body is not so caught into the physical body any more. It
is partly freed, and more available to perform certain functions
independently of the physical body. Therefore you can feel a very
intense vibration all over.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that ‘the eyes are the
gates to the heart’, and that ‘the heart is the gate to the shen‘. In
our context, this last phrase can be translated: ‘the heart is the
gate to the Higher Ego’. While applying your palms to your eyes,
could you feel the heat reaching into your heart? Try to enhance
this transfer of warm energy that feeds the heart.
5.6 To blink or not to blink
In Hatha-yoga there is a technique called trāṭaka, in which one
gazes at a very minute object such as a point on a wall, or the
flame of a candle. It is said by the Sanskrit texts that the practice
should be continued until tears are shed, and then all sorts of eye
diseases will be cured. I have often heard Indian masters comment
that during trāṭaka the tears released many ‘poisons’ and negative
energies that had accumulated in the eyes. As a physician, I have
found this technique very helpful in correcting certain defects of
eyesight, if applied early enough. Quite a few people were able to
get rid of their glasses by doing this exercise. It worked for people
who had not been wearing them for too long, no longer than a
few months or maximum one or two years. In particular, trāṭaka
works wonders on teenagers.
All this is to tell you that if you reach the stage where your eyes
are burning and tears start rolling down your face, you should not
worry but rejoice. According to the ancient science of Hatha-yoga,
this will release tensions from your eyes and prevent several
diseases. Anyway, use common sense: increase duration gradually
and do not force the practice. There is no spiritual value in
hurting yourself.
Tips, tricks and traps
- As always, when you deal with energy, there are days when it is
easy and effortless to remain without blinking for long periods.
Other times, it is as if you had a cloud of toxic smoke just in
front of your eyes, and it seems impossible not to blink every 2
seconds. The best approach is to accept that energy is whimsical