Third eye chakra is the spiritual center of the body that is strongly related to concentration and consciousness. The brow chakra is a gateway through which new levels of perception are obtained and awareness can be projected into higher dimensional planes.
The two most important energy channels Ida and Pingala meet and conclude in the sixth chakra area.
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Third Eye Chakra Meaning
Ajna represents the connection to the spiritual world and as such enables both intuitive insight, and the command of reality which you can achieve as soon as you transcend the dual understanding of the world and can calm your thoughts.
Within this superior presence, you can develop telepathic abilities that can manifest as the premonitions of what is to happen or as intuitive perceptions of other people.
These spiritual phenomena are commonly connected to the sixth chakra activity.
Another strength of a well-developed and balanced Brow chakra is self-cognizance.
The Third Eye experiences can be described as moments of enlightenment or as moments when our eyes are truly opened.
The sixth chakra connects our awareness of the world around us, and our “sixth sense” perceptions and acts as a command center of our psyche.
The brow chakra color is dark blue or indigo, which symbolizes wisdom, inner peace, intuition, and spiritual awareness.
It is very cerebral in its nature and somewhat detached from emotions. In the absence of emotional turmoil, it is easier to have a wider perspective, reach a higher understanding, and deeper knowledge.
Third Eye Chakra Location
Third eye chakra is located on the forehead, between the eyebrows, at the bridge of the nose
The Brow chakra is the center where two of the most important Nadi channels Ida and Pingala meet and cross before entering the crown chakra.
It is positioned above the throat chakra which balances the emotional and reasoning aspects and below the seventh chakra, the Sahasrara.
Third Eye Chakra Symbol
The brow chakra is depicted as a two-petalled rosette. The two petals represent the two main nadis, Ida and Pingala.
Each leaf contains a letter हं “ham,” representing Shiva (cosmic consciousness), and क्षं “ksham,” representing Shakti (life force), and together they signal the ultimate union of the two.
An important symbol of the sixth chakra is Shakti Hakini, an androgynous deity, in which the female and male principles are equally represented.
The brow chakra represents many dual principles, but it also signals the necessity of transcending these dualities.
The Effects of the Ajna Imbalance
If your third eye chakra is imbalanced, you might notice the following symptoms and issues:
- anxieties and phobias
- problems with concentration
- depression
- eyesight issues
- headaches and migraines
- problems with sinuses
On a physical level, the issues originating from third eye chakra imbalance are manifested in health problems with sinuses, ears, and head.
Especially frequent migraines which are felt as tension or pulsation in the frontal lobe area or frequent sinus infections can be indications that your sixth chakra is not functioning properly.
Mental and psychological problems are a bit harder to recognize and often we are not prepared to admit that we actually have such problems.
The Ajna chakra affects our intuition and imagination.
The common imbalances can lead to concentration problems, fears, anxieties, and depression, which all originate from the sense of detachment from your true self.
If you have trouble setting your goals and finding your true meaning in life, it will benefit if you find a way to strengthen your third eye chakra activity. There are many easy-to-follow techniques that are also quite enjoyable and fun to practice.
Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of the Sixth Chakra
The sixth chakra is connected to perception and understanding so an imbalance of the brow chakra might manifest as an inability to distinguish between what is truly important in life and what is just everyday debris.
Problems with priorities may arise that give way to the inability to choose a correct path in life or make sound decisions.
The same goes for the lack of perspective that keeps one bogged down, waddling through insignificant details while the big picture remains elusive. The lack of a big picture is similar to traveling through life without a roadmap.
Brow chakra problems reflect in the inability to detach oneself from one’s emotions to the degree necessary for accurately perceiving and evaluating situations in life. The result can be a skewed image of reality that leads to wrong responses.
A significant imbalance in the brow chakra can manifest as delusional disorders, which require medical treatment.
When you invest some effort into balancing your brow chakra, you can expect to see improvement in the health and perceptive power of your sensory organs.
Their function is not limited solely to transmitting the outside stimuli but also includes the quality of perceived input.
When the nerve impulses reach the brain, a healthy brow chakra assists in making sense of them by clearing the perception, sorting the significant from the insignificant, adjusting the perspective, and forming knowledge and understanding.
Psychological Manifestations of Third Eye Chakra Imbalance
If you:
- have difficulty assuming responsibility,
- find it hard to accept new ideas or opinions different from your own,
- lack imagination,
- have trouble concentrating or retaining information,
- cannot seem to find meaning in life,
- feel you cannot access your intuition,
- are haunted by fears, anxieties, or depressive moods,
Properties of the Ajna Chakra
- Common names: brow chakra, sixth chakra, third eye chakra, Ajna
- Name meaning: Ajna comes from Sanskrit and translates to “knowledge”
- Corresponding gland: pineal gland
The pineal gland, associated with the seventh chakra, is responsible for the production of melatonin, which regulates sleep patterns. The pineal gland in esoteric traditions has always been the focus of interest for people who aspired to reach higher levels of consciousness.
- Color: dark blue, indigo blue
- Mantra: OM, KSHAM
- Number of petals: two petals, each containing one of the following Sanskrit letters हं ham, and क्षं ksham
- Corresponding deities: Shiva, Shakti, Hakini
- Animal Symbols: /
- Element: All
- Symbol: upside-down triangle
- Sound: Aye
- Frequency: 426.7 Hz
- Corresponding sense: sixth sense, extrasensory perception, second sight
- Corresponding natural phenomena: night sky, stars
- Planet: Uranus
Uranus is the sixth planet from the Sun. An interesting, less known fact about Uranus is that it has a tilted rotational axis, meaning that it’s north and south poles are where most other planets have their equators.
Key themes: intuition, wisdom, stability, immediate perception, fantasy
Affected body parts: cerebellum, eyes, face, ears, nose, nasal cavity, endocrine system, nervous system
Positive spiritual aspects: self-esteem, creative energy, intuition, enlightenment, healing energy, the power of imagination, openness to new ideas, control over one’s thoughts, mutual interconnectedness of souls
Negative spiritual aspects: self-absorbedness, self-aggrandizement, coveting, desire to dominate, irresponsibility
Physical signs pointing to abnormal functioning of the Brow Chakra: headaches, hearing problems, eye problems, myopia, hearing impairment, nasal cavity inflammation, diseases of the nervous system
Mental issues pointing to abnormal functioning of the Brow Chakra: problems with concentrating and learning, wandering thoughts, fears, lack of meaning concerns, constant obsessive search for meaning, superstition, mental confusion
Third Eye Chakra Healing and Balancing
If you put an effort into balancing your third eye chakra, you will step on a one-way path of opening the doors to the universal truth, insights, and understanding beyond the scope of an average human being.
Once you open your third eye to a certain extent, you will be able to see through the illusion of so-called reality. And even though these insightful breakthroughs usually come one at a time, there will be no way for you to get back into the close-minded comfort zone.
You are making a choice – do you want to live your life with your eyes open facing the challenges? Or do you want to continue to follow the path of the ‘average Joe’ who is comfortable in his own perception bubble? An open and well-balanced Ajna chakra makes all the difference.
Third Eye Chakra Imbalance: The Impact on Your Physical Health
Since the functioning of the “third eye” impacts some of the endocrine glands, tasked with regulating the hormonal balance, you must not overlook the brow chakra’s importance for the overall health.
Imbalanced sixth chakra reflects mainly in spiritual and psychological disorders, primarily as frustrations, anxieties, phobias, feelings of aimlessness and meaninglessness, and in having troubles concentrating.
But where there are mental issues, the physical problems follow suit. Headaches, migraines, or sensory organs’ impediments point to brow chakra issues.
A severely weakened Ajna can cause severe mental illnesses, which bear physical consequences as well. Holistic medicine believes that various forms of depression stem from the “third eye” not functioning properly.
An overly active sixth chakra can also cause serious issues, such as hallucinations and schizophrenia.
Physical Manifestations of Imbalanced Solar Plexus Chakra
If you:
- suffer from frequent headaches or migraines,
- endure frequent sinus infections,
- have hormonal issues,
- have trouble with your eyesight,
- are hard of hearing or have other auditory issues,
- have a nervous system disorder,
- have been diagnosed with a mental disorder,
How to Heal Your Third Eye Chakra?
Meditation, focusing on your inner feelings, and developing trust in your intuition, are the keys to healing your third eye chakra.
Any kind of spiritual practice which is not based on dogmatic beliefs, but is more of an open-minded nature, will be beneficial for balancing your sixth chakra.
8 Easy Techniques for Sixth Chakra Balancing:
- Take up regular night walks, gaze at the starlit sky, and feel the peace, silence, and power of the nighttime.
- Exercise your imagination by reading books. Read fantasy novels and fairytales to stimulate your brow chakra.
- When you are picking out new clothing items or accessories, opt for indigo or dark blue-colored apparel.
- Benefit from the mystical Eastern and Western wisdom and read the works of Buddha, Laozi, Epicurus, Seneca, and Schopenhauer.
- Keep a dream journal. As soon as you wake up, make a quick bullet point list of everything you manage to remember from your dream. Your imagination will come to life.
- Take one of the following herbal extracts before your three main meals: European crab apple, walnut, or grapevine. You are not supposed to mix these extracts so stick with the one you choose.
- Essential oils of violet, lemongrass, and cajuput also have a stimulative effect on the sixth chakra. Put three to four drops of the chosen essential oil in the diffuser, add them to your body lotion or add eight drops to your bath.
- Relax and slowly repeat one of the following third eye chakra affirmations every day:
- I open myself to my inner light.
- I know that deep down I carry the answers to all questions.
- I am establishing a connection with my intuition and imagination.
The Benefits of Balancing Your Ajna Chakra
A well-developed and well-balanced sixth chakra is your ticket into the world of imagination, mental images, and even visions.
A strong brow chakra stimulates the formation of images and visualizations and enables the abstract aims to come alive. It also helps you envision your life, which is a necessary prerequisite for planning your future efficiently.
A balanced Ajna helps establish a connection between intuitive knowledge and your mentality.
One of the aims of working on your brow chakra is to achieve the experience of mystical unity, beyond good and evil, and beyond any such dualism.
An active and healthy sixth chakra will make you more confident in letting intuition guide your perception. This will allow you to avoid many an earthly mistake and glaze over insignificant fleeting occurrences of the here and now, while keeping in line with the pure, calm thought process accompanying the view of the big picture.
According to Patanjali yoga, Ajna benefits from yoga and meditation, which allow the peace of thinking to fill the chakra.
In the silence of thought the energy of the sixth chakra can be applied to resolving the duality between the opposing principles – the sun and the moon, the male and the female, the right and the left hemisphere of the brain – and to reaching reconciliation. The balance between reason and intuition is established, and thus an awareness of inner peace is within your grasp.
When you balance your third eye chakra, you will be more at peace with yourself and the world around you. You will have more clarity to help you deal with the increased sensory confusion of the modern world.
You will be able to develop an ability to retreat into thought and process the whirlwind of information that surrounds you.
You will find your mood and mental health improve significantly, once you restore balance to your brow chakra.
6 Signs of a Healthy and Open Sixth Chakra
The third eye chakra opens the doors of the mind to the imagination, intuition, and extra-sensory perception. The sixth chakra is also known as ‘the third eye’ and is associated with the sixth sense.
- Sharpness and agility of your mind,
- clearness of thoughts,
- strong intuition and confidence in yourself,
- having inner peace,
- emphatic and emotional perception of reality,
- telepathy, clairvoyance, vivid dreams, etc,
are the main signs that your third eye chakra is balanced, open, and energized.
How to Open Your Third Eye Chakra?
By executing some easy exercises such as third eye chakra yoga poses, breathing exercises, meditation, and mudras, you can get on the fast track towards opening your brow chakra.
While these techniques are very simple they are also very effective. The only thing needed is persistence in maintaining and executing these activities.
1. Third Eye Chakra Yoga Pose: Balasana
Assume the “sleeping child” pose:
- Sit on your heels. Slowly lower your upper body down and let your forehead touch the floor. Your arms should be on the ground, besides your body, palms facing up.
- Take a couple of deep breaths while concentrating on your forehead.
- Slowly raise yourself up, almost one vertebra at a time, until you sit up straight. Tilt your head, gently rest it against the back of your neck, open your eyes and look up for a couple of seconds.
Repeat this exercise three times.
Balanasana is a yoga position for bringing energy and balancing your third eye chakra.
2. Third Eye Chakra Mudra:
Third Chakra Mudra: Matangi Mudra
Sit on the floor in an upright position.
- The middle fingers of both hands should be straight, pointing up, tips touching.
- The tips of your thumbs should touch as well as the thumbs are directed towards your chest.
- The rest of the fingers should be clenched and touched at the second knuckle.
- Take a deep breath through your nose and as you exhale repeat the mantra “ksham.”
Repeat the whole sequence seven times as you keep concentrating on your brow chakra.
3. Crystals for Opening the Sixth Chakra
Brow chakra stones and crystals:
- blue sapphire
- opal
- blue tourmaline
- lapis lazuli
- sodalite
- blue agate
- blue azurite
- blue dumortierite quartz
- blue iolite
- blue tanzanite
- blue spinel
Choose a stone instinctively, pick it up and hold it often. Visualize the energy flow from the stone to your brow chakra.
The effects of the stones are strongest if you keep them on your person at all times. You can wear them as pendants, bracelets, or rings. You can also place them on your forehead while you meditate and let your sixth chakra benefit from them directly. Lapis lazuli is especially suited for direct application.
Choose your stones after doing yoga or after meditation. You will be better equipped to pick the ones that are best suited to your needs after you have been concentrating on the “third eye”.
After having chosen your stones let your intuition guide you every time you pick a stone among them. This will stimulate your intuition further.
4. Third Eye Chakra Meditation
Meditational harmonization of your brow chakra:
- lie down on your back and close your eyes.
- Gently place your left palm on your forehead and place your right hand over your left hand.
- The position of your arms should be natural and follow the natural line of your forearms.
- Your arms will end up being placed diagonally to each other.
- Your hands should be resting softly on the forehead.
- Relax, breathe deeply and imagine you are drawing in life energy with each breath and directing it to your forehead upon each exhale.
- Imagine the energy to be of a strong dark blue color, at first shining through your hands and then radiating through your entire body.
- Maintain this position for seven breaths. At the end of the exercise place your arms on the floor beside your body and enjoy the relaxing benefits of the meditation for a while longer.
This exercise will make it significantly easier for you to reach other plains of consciousness but do not try to force the process.
Until all the chakras are in harmonious balance do not attempt to focus on the brow chakra.