Note: This article is part one of a series focused on chakras in yoga. Below is a summarization of concepts, which I have stickied to each article. If you’re familiar with chakras, or have already read the intro, feel free to jump below the pic to skip straight to the Third Eye Chakra!
The concept of chakras can be traced back to the early (ca. 1500 BCE) Vedic texts of Hinduism, and there are believed to be over 100 in each of our spiritual energy fields. According to modern yogic philosophy, there are 7 chakras located in our body; they are in ascending order: root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown. Each chakra is thought to support us physically and energetically as we navigate our lives.
It’s worth mentioning that the location of each chakra in our body corresponds to part of the endocrine system, which is pretty cool when you consider how much time spanned between the conceptualization of chakras and the discovery of glands/organs. The endocrine system is responsible for regulating our hormones via a complex system of messaging and feedback loops, and is comprised of (in corresponding order as above): gonads, pancreas, adrenal glands, thymus, thyroid, pituitary, and pineal.
Chakras are thought to be spinning energy discs within the subtle (metaphysical) body, which overlaps with our physical bodies. Much like our breath can link our minds and bodies, or our endocrine system links our organs and brain, the chakras link our energetic self to our physical self.
When we work on our chakras, we are thought to be manipulating our prana, or life force energy. Often times, chakras are said to be “blocked;” when we talk about opening our chakras, we are aiming to allow unrestricted flow of prana within our subtle body, in other words, “aligning our chakras.”
Chakras can be worked on in a number of ways, including meditation, mantra, diet, reiki, and of course yoga! Other modalities for chakra work include tapping, aromatherapy, and color therapy. I will do my best in this series to touch on as many of these approaches as possible for each chakra.
Chakra meditation is really very beginner friendly once you know the basics, and can be a really fun way to add mind-body work to a busy routine. It doesn’t need to be complicated!
Color therapy: a wild passion flower blossom from my favorite park
Third Eye Chakra
- Sanskrit: ajna
- Bija mantra (“seed sound”): OHM
- Color: indigo
- Essential oils: mint, jasmine, myrrh
- Symbol: two-petaled lotus
- Element: light
- Endocrine analogue: pituitary
- Pranayama: brahmari breath
- Mudra: hakini mudra
The third eye (ajna) chakra is located in the center of the forehead, just above eye level, within the chakra column. The sixth chakra, it is associated with inner wisdom, self-awareness, and intuition.
A blocked third eye chakra can result in avoidance of self-reflection, truth, or facing one’s fears. Fear of the unknown my arise, and/or depression or other emotional imbalances. Balancing ajna chakra allows for clarity of one’s inner wisdom and intuition, higher self-awareness and imagination, and detachment
from the physical or mentally illusory.
Opening ajna chakra be accomplished in many ways, including breathwork, mudra, mantra, asana and meditation. As usual, I recommend whatever combination speaks to you personally. There are no wrong answers when you listen to your inner voice!
Here is a simple series for balancing the third eye chakra: eagle pose (both sides please!), down dog (or dolphin if the body allows), child’s pose, hero’s pose, easy sit, legs up the wall (wall allowing.) Hold each pose for 3 to 5 deep breaths, or longer, and transition from each pose to the next with mindful care.
Meditation is another lovely way to work with the ajna chakra. Arranging your space to incorporate indigo shades for color therapy can enhance your meditation, as can adding an element of light, whether from a window or a lamp. Essential oils can also be used to add dimension to the meditative
experience.
If you want some plug and play aromatherapy options, check out my exfoliating lotion bars on Etsy!
The seed sound, or bija mantra, of ajna chakra is OHM, but other mantras may be used, including but not limited to:
-I trust my inner wisdom
-My intuition guides me on the right path
-I feel, I act, I sense, I see
Other elements to consider adding to your third eye meditation include mudra and pranayama. The list at the top of this post provides a starting point, but what’s most important is that the pose makes you feel connected to the elements of ajna; any scent, color, or breathwork that makes you personally feel linked to your inner wisdom is going to be perfect.
To meditate for ajna chakra, bring your focus to the third eye space, envisioning a deep purple, spinning disc positioned in the center of the chakra column. Practice brahmari breath for at least 5 rounds, focusing on drawing prana inward.
Whenever you are ready to move on from breathword, you can take your pranayama of choice, perhaps finding hakini mudra. You can use the “ohm” mantra at this point, or choose any mantra that resonates with your intuitive self.
So, to recap, our third eye chakra is associated with our intellect and higher-level spiritual needs; when it’s off balance in some way, we can feel avoidant, fearful of the unknown, or just plain depressed. Spending some time working with ajna chakra can improve mental clarity, self-knowledge, and intuition.
An aside for my skeptical hearts: if you’ve never done this kind of work, you may be thinking “I don’t think that there’s a spinning disco puck in my brain, dictating the quality of my connection to myself, that needs to be fed jasmine oil or it’ll give me anxiety.” To which I say, “Completely fair.”
But what if I told you that the third eye chakra is an idea; the idea of intuition, wisdom, and the fulfillment of intellectual needs, and that all of this asana and meditation is a ritual to tell our senses and nervous system “you can trust yourself, your wisdom supports you”? In this sense, balancing ajna chakra is simply self-care for your intellectual needs.
In fact, I view the entire chakra column as a choose your own adventure of mind-body work that can be utilized at any time to bring your awareness and focus to a specific idea or emotion. Conditioning your nervous system to relax through breathwork while centering your awareness on something you would like to improve in your life can be a powerful exercise for skeptics and practitioners alike.
Anyone have a favorite ajna chakra meditation or flow? Let us know in the comments!
Love and light,
Erin