• WHAT: A visual focus method using a single point to steady attention quickly.
• WHY: Builds focus, lowers stress, helps you start or get back into work.
• HOW: Choose a point at eye level, keep a focused gaze, and refocus on the point if your mind drifts.
• WHO: Suitable for all experience levels.
• WHEN: Can be practised anytime.
• WHERE: Can be practised anywhere.

Name(s)

The Staring Technique, also called Soft Gaze and Trataka, is a practice where you keep your eyes on a point so the mind quiets and focus builds.

Description

Staring Technique is where you rest your gaze on a single target and keep it there without strain. Choose a dot on the wall, a sticker, a symbol on your screen, or, traditionally a candle set at eye level. Relax your face and shoulders. Let your breath be easy and even. If thoughts appear, notice them, then return your eyes to the point. Keep the gaze soft. Blink when you need to. Aim for comfort, not force.

This setup cuts visual noise and reduces the urge to scan. With less input, the mind settles and attention holds more easily. For a quick reset, try one to three minutes between tasks. For deeper settling, use longer durations. You can optionally pair this technique with slow breathing or a short body scan before or after the practice. These add calm and help the steady feeling last.

Benefits

Staring Technique can ease stress, quiet inner talk, and help you start or re-start a task with a clear head. It supports steady attention for deep work, reading, or creative work. It also helps during breaks by giving the mind one job so you can reset fast before the next block. At night, the same simple steps can help you drop into an easy wind-down and prepare for sleep.

With regular use, many men feel calmer, more focused, and more in control of where their attention goes. It can improve patience and make it easier to notice tension in the face, jaw, and eyes, so you can relax them. It works well with breath awareness and short body scans around this practice if you want to build a repeatable focus toolkit routine. Because it is simple and low effort, you can use it on busy days to maximise your focus.

History/Origin

 Steady gazing shows up in many older practices. In yoga, Trataka is taught as looking at a small point or a candle to build one pointed attention and prepare the mind for meditation. In monastic prayer, fixed point gazing helped the mind stay with a verse or a symbol. Martial arts and calligraphy used quiet eyes to train calm hands and a settled body before action. These simple drills taught people to keep the eyes still so the mind could follow.

In the last century, teachers began using soft gaze in therapy rooms and coaching to help people settle before tasks and to reduce distraction. As home spaces filled with candles, wall marks, and screens, the steps became even easier to follow. Today, short guided videos and apps teach fixed-point and candle gazing as part of mindfulness, focus methods, and even sleep preparation. The method is now common in classes, clinics, and home routines because it is easy to learn and gives clear results for improved focus in real time.

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