THIRD EYE CHAKRA (6th Chakra)

The sixth and final stop along the body in the chakra ladder is the Third Eye Chakra.  The third eye involves inner vision.  What do you see when you close your eyes?  What colours, what shapes, what images are there or what pictures do you create in your own internal darkness?  The third eye chakra is located between the eyebrows.  As we move up along the body and along the chakra energy centres, the focus becomes less on the physical body and more centered on the mind.  The third eye centre is about balancing the body and the mind (finding the value of both the left, logical, analytical side of the brain and the right, imaginative, intuitive side).  We'll focus on balance poses to help find this physical and mental balance, and to recognize what pictures and expectations we are actually creating for ourselves.

Third Eye Chakra
Sanskrit	Ajna (to perceive & command)
Location	between the eyebrows
Color	indigo
Element	mind
Symbol	circle with two side petals
Purpose	insight, mind development
Verb	I SEE
Demon	illusion
Yoga Postures (to support & open centre)	- Garudasana (eagle) - Balasana (child's pose) - Virabhadrasana III (warrior III)

Manas Mandala Pranayama for the Third Eye Chakra
*** this breath technique comes from the Gitananda yoga tradition

This technique involves a simple in and out of the breath done to a count:
     - inhale for a count of 6
     - exhale for a count of 6

As you focus on the space between the eyebrows and the colour indigo, continue this pattern for at least 9 rounds.  The count can be decreased to 5 or 4, or increased to 7, 8, or 9.  Focus on how the inhale and the exhale are balanced with the same count - both are needed equally and both have equal value.  For an audio recording that includes a visualization for the third eye chakra that can be used with this breath, you can visit my site by clicking here.

Happy breathing and allow yourself to find balance and to notice the pictures you are creating within.

See you on our mats!

Roxanne