Meditation is an ancient practice that aims to quiet the mind and help you stay present, ideally leaving you in a more calm and relaxed state. In the quest to achieve this inner tranquility, many people meditate with their eyes closed. However, it’s possible—and sometimes even more practical—to meditate with your eyes open.

Ahead, we’re uncovering everything you need to know about meditation with eyes open vs. eyes closed, including the benefits and drawbacks of each. Plus: how to meditate with your eyes open if you’re new to the practice.

Can You Meditate with Your Eyes Open?

While meditation is traditionally practiced with closed eyes, it’s also completely fine to meditate with your eyes open. In fact, keeping your eyes open is necessary for certain types of meditation. 

For example, Peloton instructor Chelsea Jackson Roberts says that you’ll absolutely want to keep your eyes open during a walking meditation for safety and awareness. The same applies for other types of moving meditations, but some still and seated meditations also call for keeping your eyes open or maintaining a soft gaze.

John Christopher, PhD, a licensed psychologist and mindfulness expert in Montana and New York, cites a few other examples of open-eye meditations, such as cloud gazing, candle gazing, and object meditation, during which you maintain a mindful state while focusing your gaze on clouds, a candle’s flame, or any other particular object, respectively.

You can also meditate with your eyes open if you simply prefer this technique and find it helps you stay consistent with your practice.

Meditation with Eyes Open vs. Eyes Closed

Meditating with your eyes open is a great way to connect with your surroundings, stay alert, and turn everyday moments into opportunities to practice mindfulness. On the other hand, keeping your eyes closed during a meditation is often more ideal to connect with your inner sensations, relax, and maintain your focus.

There are pros and cons to meditation with eyes open vs. eyes closed. Keep reading to find the main advantages and drawbacks of each practice to consider.

Benefits of Meditating with Eyes Open

Here are a few of the key benefits associated with eyes-open meditation:

1. It Helps You Stay Connected to the World Around You 

Open-eye meditation can be beneficial if you want to be present for a big moment in front of you. “For example, if I am about to hike a mountain and the mountain is in front of me, I can soften my gaze and place my visual focus on the mountain while breathing,” Chelsea says. The same applies no matter if you’re about to run a race, play sports, or tackle a big test or project.

“Open-eyed meditators would say that they have an enriched sense of connection to everything around them,” Christopher adds. By familiarizing yourself with and leaning into your environment, you can begin to get out of your head and ground yourself in the here and now.

2. It Heightens Alertness

Some people feel so relaxed while meditating that they get tired or fall asleep mid-practice. While this is certainly ideal for sleep meditations, it isn’t the goal for other settings, such as  morning meditations or pre-performance rituals. Keeping your eyes open while meditating, however, can help you stay alert and avoid dozing off.

“This technique ensures that all senses stay alert, providing a unique experience of being fully engaged with the external world,” Christopher says. “Since you are actively engaged with the environment, you’re less likely to feel drowsy or mentally drift.”

3. It Can Ease Restlessness

Moving meditations that require you to keep your eyes open can be especially attractive for those who get antsy during seated, eyes-closed meditations. Walking meditation, for instance, “is a good option for individuals who feel restless and struggle with sitting,” Christopher says. Not only will you be able to take in and appreciate your surroundings, but also observe how your body moves and how your feet feel on the ground with each step.

You can even transform your Peloton rides into a meditative experience—eyes fully open and tuned into your instructor’s cues. “Feel the balls of the feet while riding, or continually return to the sensation in your knees,” Christopher says. “Keep your attention on the sensation of movement—how your body feels with each pedal stroke and how you’re transitioning between different resistance levels or cadence.”

4. It Boosts Balanced Awareness

According to Christopher, eyes-open meditation can also create harmony between your inner and outer sensations. “As you’re observing both internal and external stimuli, you can learn to cultivate a more continuous awareness throughout the day,” he says.

5. It’s Easy to Integrate Into Daily Life

When you keep your eyes open, you have the ability to transform countless scenarios into opportunities to practice mindfulness. This can apply to nearly any activity at any time of day, even if you’re merely walking, eating, or sitting down. By staying in tune with what’s in front of you, you “enhance your ability to respond to daily experiences with a thoughtful and mindful stance,” Christopher says.

This accessibility and lack of formality may be especially attractive for those who:

Potential Drawbacks of Meditating with Eyes Open

Although you can absolutely meditate with your eyes open, Christopher notes that the potential downsides of doing so include:

Benefits of Meditating with Eyes Closed

Meditating with your eyes closed is popular for a reason. Here are a few advantages associated with the practice:

1. It’s Beginner-Friendly

Meditating with eyes closed vs. eyes open may be a better option for those who are new to meditation. After all, keeping your eyes closed gets rid of visual distractions and clearly sets the stage for your practice. “This technique helps you turn your attention inward, making it easier to concentrate on your breath or focus point,” Christopher says.

2. It Redirects Focus to the Self

Again, meditating with your eyes closed is a customary practice that helps eliminate external distractions. “In yoga this is called ‘pratyahara,’ or withdrawal of the senses,” Chelsea explains. “Closing your eyes is a technique that encourages us to move the focus and attention inward.”

Christopher adds that given the lack of external stimuli, it can be easier to focus on the breath and sensations in the body with your eyes closed instead of open, which can in turn help relieve stress and anxiety.

3. It Can Help You Connect to Your Inner Self

If you want to be more in touch with your intuition or internal cues, meditating with your eyes closed can help you cozy up to your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It also offers a respite from hectic surroundings or the demands of your day. “This technique can provide a peaceful escape from the world, and is ideal for those seeking stress relief or a profound inner journey,” Christopher says.

4. It Helps Regulate Emotions

Again, meditating with your eyes closed will likely make it easier to focus on your internal sensations rather than external stimuli. As a result, you may develop a better stress response and emote more healthily.

“The more that we can observe and witness our inner sensations and inner experience, the less reactive we are and the better we become at identifying our emotions and regulating them,” Christopher explains. “It is crucial to take time to process our experiences to prevent them from ‘stacking up,’ which can lead to increased tension, burnout, and reactivity.”

5. It Promotes Relaxation

If you’re meditating for the sake of relaxing your mind or body, you’ll likely want to keep your eyes closed. “Closing the eyes reduces visual stimulation, which encourages an enhanced state of relaxation,” Christopher says. And when you’re more relaxed, you may have an easier time releasing thoughts and external stressors.

6. It Helps You Ease into Sleep

Naturally, meditating with your eyes closed is a good idea if you’re meditating in bed at night. A sleep meditation will encourage you to fully unwind and let go of any stressors from the day.

Potential Drawbacks of Meditating with Eyes Closed

According to Christopher, the potential cons of meditating with your eyes closed include:

How to Meditate with Your Eyes Open

If you’d like to meditate with your eyes open, keep the following tips in mind to set your practice up for success.

1. Find the Right Place to Meditate

Chelsea advises meditating in an environment that feels safe and comfortable. It’s also helpful to find somewhere quiet and with minimal distractions. This could be a corner of your bedroom, a dedicated meditation area, your local park, or even your car (safely parked, of course).

“While it’s not always possible to meditate in total silence, choosing a peaceful space or a place with minimal movement will make it easier to stay focused,” Christopher says.

2. Decide Where to Place Your Gaze

Once you sit down to meditate, Chelsea advises shifting your gaze to something inanimate and not moving, such as:

If you’re doing a walking meditation or another form of mindful movement, your gaze will likely move across different points. In this case, aim to keep your visual focus consistent—perhaps by taking note of trees, birds, and other elements of nature.

3. Maintain a Soft Gaze

If you’re just beginning to meditate with your eyes open, Chelsea suggests aiming for a soft gaze—one that’s not too intense or focused. “This practice makes meditation a little less scary, especially for people who are new to the practice,” she says. “I love the soft gaze because it makes meditation more approachable when people feel uncomfortable with a new practice and closing their eyes while doing so.” Christopher adds that it can also help prevent eye strain.

Chelsea recommends relaxing, closing, and opening the eyelids as needed until you settle upon the perfect gaze for you.

4. Observe Without Judgment

When you meditate with your eyes open, aim to find balance between your internal and external observations. “Bring attention to your breath, bodily sensations, and thoughts, as well as the [sights and] sounds of your environment,” Christopher advises. “Practice observing without reacting or becoming attached or overwhelmed by external stimuli.” Sensory distractions are likely to arise no matter where or when you’re meditating; simply acknowledge them and let them pass.

5. Breathe and Relax Into the Experience

As is the case with practically all types of meditation, your breath is a vital part of the experience. Use your inhales and exhales to help you anchor into the present and stay the course without judgment. “Let go of perfection and just breathe,” Chelsea says. 

The Takeaway

Meditating with your eyes open may be less common than doing so with your eyes closed, but it’s still a valid way to practice. Eyes-open meditation can help you stay present, alert, and mindful throughout the day, all the while being accessible to those who prefer mindful movement or find it hard to practice eyes-closed meditation.

According to Chelsea, taking a meditation class with eyes open—which you can do with the Peloton App—can foster a greater sense of awareness and mindfulness across all aspects of your daily routine. “You will be surprised how much more mindful you will become of other things in your life, including your body and its capacity to do hard things,” she says. “You will also hear the signals that tell you to rest and recover a lot clearer too.”

In short, meditating with open eyes can offer a fresh perspective—and countless opportunities—to enhance mindfulness and ease.