White Tantra Yoga
Eye Meditation
Some would describe it as powerful and deeply connecting, self-explorative, self-reflecting,
intimate, comforting, grounding, calming, peaceful, immensely potent, being fully in the now or promoting deeper self-awareness. Others would describe it as challenging, initially uncomfortable, self-conscious.
Life begins outside of our comfort zones; experience this potent parallel practice to find out more about yourself and connect with another human being on another level never experienced before. Feel your raw emotions and let them flow. Allow to see and be seen. Let any tension inside of you melt away, cry or laugh while avoiding to speak, keeping your focus and holding space for each other.
As much as many of us might have been told not to stare, this ancient eye contact practice has been an integral part of Tantric, Buddhist, Sufi and Hindu traditions for millennia bringing along innumerable benefits to its practitioners. In these traditions, eyes have been considered the windows or getaway into the soul. Maintaining eye contact, or eye gazing, would become a type of a meditation with the main aim of a deep connection and intimacy with one-self and another, opening one’s heart, expanding awareness, letting go of fear, breaking down barriers while increasing love and kindness.
Potential scientifically backed Benefits of a prolonged therapeutic eye contact meditation include:
Reduce anxiety including social anxiety
Alleviate loneliness
Deep connection to one self and each other
Oxytocin “the love hormone” is released
Sense of closeness and gratitude
Possible form of a release through tears or laughter; uplifting
Feeling of deep peace, connection and love
Grounding and healing
Better connection with strangers
Reminder of our humanness
Self-alignment
Confidence and self-esteem booster
Better self-awareness
Can help with speech impediment
Become more present and fully experience another human
Gain more comfort with one self
Breaks down barriers
Improve communication and increase compassion
Decrease judgment
Deepen intimacy
During this connecting form of White Tantra practice (naturist if you would like and always respectful) one is sitting cross legged face to face, eyes locked, getting conscious of breathing while the mind becomes still. It can bring your brain to a state of theta brainwaves in an awakened state, giving you the chance to access an amazing flow state. With practice prolonged eye gazing can bring about altered states of consciousness according to scientists including the Italian psychologist Giovanni Caputo.
Eye gazing is an interesting part of a neuroscience phenomena called “brain to brain coupling” where brain wave patterns are reflecting each other, becoming intimately synchronized (breath, heart rate, mental focus all sync) with another human being.
The famous alternative performance modern artist Marina Abramovic knows her fair share about the powerful effects of eye gazing. In 2010 she presented a unique installation in New York's Museum of Modern Art 'The Artist Is Present', where she would eye gaze while sitting motionless for 736.5 hrs over three months, eight hours a day. She met the gaze of 1,000 strangers, many of whom were moved to tears.
Joy first experienced a powerful and intense 11 day silent Vipassana meditation retreat, in the US, several years ago. Since then she has been practicing Transcendental, guided and eye gazing meditation. She practices daily, exploring the vast inner land scape of her self. As meditation is intimately linked with breathwork, she has as well done a number
of mind blowing and unforgettable Wim Hoff and Holotropic Breathwork workshops.
You are invited to experience a whole new compelling experience (traditional or naturist) and in the process to become familiar with the potent eye tantra eye contact today for better connection to one self and others.
