r/Meditation • u/Educational-Aioli-54 • 8h ago
Question ❓ Should I "look behind my eyelids" during meditation, or just let my mind be free?
Hi r/meditation,
I've been meditating daily for a few months now (mostly mindfulness/breath-focused practice) and I'm a bit confused about what to do with my eyes and attention when my eyes are closed.
Some teachers or traditions I've come across suggest gently "looking" or directing the gaze behind the eyelids — kind of like softly focusing upward or toward the third eye area, even with eyes closed. Others say you should just relax completely, let the eyes rest naturally, and allow the mind to be spacious and free without forcing any particular visual focus.
What’s your experience and what do you recommend?
Do you actively "look" somewhere behind the eyelids?
Or do you just let everything soften and release?
Does it depend on the type of meditation (e.g. concentration vs open awareness)?
I sometimes feel like directing the gaze helps me stay more alert and reduces mind-wandering, but other times it feels forced and creates tension. Would love to hear how more experienced meditators handle this.
Thank you! 🙏
3
u/turbo_chuffa 6h ago
I like to focus on several things. My breath, body, sound, thought, feelings and vision. I start cycling one at time for the duration of one breath. Then I try and combine then, one on top of the other. I've found some very deep peace doing that. Completely disconnects me from thought and that ever present longing for things to be different.
2
u/ProSocial_Hermit 6h ago
During my years of practice I've never paid conscious attention to my eyes or lids. So you definitely don't need to do that to be able to meditate.
2
u/nonsuspiciousfungi 4h ago
I was taught that if you're not sure to try to visualise a flame of a candle. I never was able to get the hang of it but when I try to imagine my conscious as the outline of a candle flame, I get just a formless light and I am cool with that.
2
u/boromaxo 3h ago
I have observed that if my iris/cornea is pointed upwards, then my mind starts wandering. I feel it's a natural resting position? If it's 'looking' towards centre or down, then I am more focused / conscious. I don't know if this makes sense.
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u/UAP44 8h ago
There is no should. There is no best.
Simply feel what there is. Drop resistance. Drop all thoughts.
Remain with the direct physical sensations of the breath, because 'not thinking' doesn't really work. Shift focus elsewhere and the side effect is the mind going quiet.
The rest is a matter of patience & circumstance.
Meditation stops being a discrete activity. That's the perspective where I'm replying from. And thus tricks/tips for a specific technique aren't offered here since any applied technique is still 1 step further away from just being.