Candles and meditation go hand in hand. There is nothing more relaxing than gazing into the flame of a candle. In fact, candle gazing is an actual form of
meditation known in Yoga as Trāṭaka (Sanskrit: त्राटक "look, gaze"). It involves focusing on a single point such as a candle flame. The act of focusing on a flame can help to increase your concentration and lead you to a state of meditation. This form of meditation is also thought to help open up the ajna (third eye chakra).
Whether you are performing candle meditation; Trāṭaka or candle gazing; or you simply like the ambiance of a burning candle whilst you meditate, there are certain candles that are better for meditation than others. This is what we will look at here.
What kind of candles are good for meditation?
When deciding which candles are the best to use for meditation there are a few things that need to be considered.
- Fragrance: the ideal candle for meditation is either unfragranced or fragranced lightly with essential oils. Highly fragranced candles are not ideal and can sometimes cause headaches and other issues. If in doubt, always go for non fragranced candles for meditation- especially if you are leading meditation classes for others and you do not know if they have any sensitivities to fragrances.
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Natural Wax: The ideal candle for meditation is also made from natural waxes. The natural beeswax candles, such as the ones we sell here are ideal for meditation. Soy wax comes in second place, however soy candles
can be harder to use for candle gazing as you want the candle flame to be at eye level. This is easy with beeswax candles as they are usually stand alone taper candles or pillar candles, however soy candles, due to soy wax being soft, are often packaged in glass jars or tins. This means that after the top of the candle burns below the rim, you are no longer looking at the flame, you are looking at the packaging. If you wish to have candles burning in your meditation space for the ambiance, seeing the flame does not matter, however if the flame is an integral part of your meditation, I would always suggest beeswax candles over soy candles.
- Stand alone candle or packaged?: as we pointed out above, if you are looking at using the candle for Trāṭaka or for a candle meditation, using a stand alone candle such as a beeswax candle is necessary. If all you want to do is to create ambiance, any other candle type will do.
Considering the above points, there is no denying that natural beeswax candles are the ideal meditation partners. Not only have they had the longest history of use amongst spiritual practitioners, they also produce the softest warm glow compared to the paraffin and soy wax candles.
Beeswax candles also have a superior burn time as they burn for longer than their soy and paraffin counterparts and they do not produce toxic smoke.
If beeswax is not in your budget, or you simply prefer to use a scented candle, make sure to choose one that is naturally fragranced and not overpowering. Also consider whether you want it to be a stand alone candle, such as the meditation pillar candles here, or a jar candle to create ambiance.
At the end of the day, the type of candle that is best for you will be the candle that you love to burn whilst meditating. There is no point buying the most expensive candle that someone else recommends and never doing any meditation because you hate it!
If you are looking for information on how to perform a simple candle meditation, check out our blog post here.
If you want to know how to perform candle gazing, check out our blog post here.
If you are looking for beeswax candles that you can use in meditation, check out our collection here,
If you are looking for meditation products or fragranced meditation candles, made with essential oils, check out the meditation range here.