Can you meditate with your eyes open?

Seems like a simple question, right? But anyone who has meditated before has asked this question. For some, being able to meditate with your eyes open is far more difficult than closing them down and finding peace within. With your eyes open, there are a ton of distractions that can overwhelm your senses.

Yes, you can meditate with your eyes open. The technique has been used for centuries, but beginning meditators are recommended to start meditating with their eyes closed to reduce distractions. You can then slowly start to adapt to half eye open meditations, finding a soft gaze but still being able to see your surroundings.

Spiritual master Sadhguru says that meditation simply allows us to become aware. He revealed we can actively become “meditative” for 24 hours of our day no matter what we are doing and said, “With eyes closed, staying aware, you know how many problems you have. You open your eyes, where all you will go.”

In Tibetan Buddhism, it is traditionally the correct way to meditate by looking downward, with our eyes at a 45-degree angle. Fixing your sight on a small object in the distance can also help, such as a flickering candle, or the fine, delicate details of a meditation blanket wrapped around you for comfort.

Being able to meditate with your eyes open is an amazing skill, because it means you can practically find peace in any moment. Whether you’re on a busy train or simply taking a walk, you don’t require somewhere you can safely close your eyes and meditate, but it’s certainly a trickier practice to master.

Another benefit is that a lot of us find it hard to meditate without falling asleep. The eyes open meditations make it particularly easier to slip into meditation with alertness and focus, which is also a great way to reduce wandering thoughts which naturally come to mind when your eyes are closed.

If you want to avoid falling asleep, keeping your eyes open during meditation provides a 20% alertness boost. It can help if you are meditating in a busy household and know you are bound to be distracted, as this means you can stay present with your meditation regardless of external distractions.

Personally, closing my eyes during meditation is a lot easier. However, I have found myself actively meditating during serene walks, but it is definitely a great effort to remember to do eyes open meditation during tasks requiring alertness, such as when I’m at work.

Over time though, I have managed to adapt a more calm approach to life, which I would say is a form of active meditation. When you practice meditation with your eyes open, you teach yourself to find peace the same way you face everyday life.

When everyday stressors come up, such as getting stuck in traffic or dropping your coffee everywhere in the morning, or perhaps much bigger life problems, you approach each situation with a newfound sense of peace. When you reach that level of awareness, your life changes forever.

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