SIXTH CHAKRA – AJNA (Beyond Wisdom, Command)

Location:

Forehead, brow, root of the nose

Colour:

Indigo or White

Element:

Light

Sense:

Intuition

Overview:

The Sixth Chakra, often referred to as the Third Eye, is located between the eyebrows on the forehead. Whereas chakras 1-5 have been concerned with self and how we relate to the world and others, the sixth chakra is about transcendence. It doesn’t focus on healing but development.

A big part of the sixth chakra is recognising patterns – in the world and also in our own life. This requires a certain amount of detachment – you are unlikely to recognise patterns of behaviour when caught up in them. This is why meditation is crucial to the sixth chakra and the development of the “witness”, the silent and neutral observer. The Sixth Chakra allows us to see our reality clearly – it enables us to perceive patterns and to begin to sense the truth. We start to see through behaviour patterns that family, past experiences, media, peers and society have thrust upon us. We can work out who we really are and begin to make sense of our purpose in life.

The sixth chakra also transcends duality. In yogic science yin and yang intersect at the sixth chakra and continue as one to the crown chakra. The same happens with the ida and pingala nadis. Again it’s about developing neutrality or equanimity – things are no longer viewed as positive or negative, they just are.

When our sixth chakra is strong, we have a reliable intuition and are able to listen to and be directed by our inner voice or gut instinct. When we are disconnected from the third eye and our intuition, we can feel confused and depressed. Our mind seems “out of control” and we have a hard time focusing on any one thing. We may also hide behind intellectual analysis or become very fixed in our thinking. In our information saturated society, where truth is often deliberately obscured, having a strong balanced sixth chakra is key.

Body Associations:

Eyes, autonomic nervous system, pineal gland, hypothalamus

Key Words:

Insight, pattern recognition, guidance, wisdom, intuition, perception, focus, sixth sense, vision

Issues:

Image, imagination, visualisation, insight, dreams, clarity, confusion, illusion

Physical issues:

Headaches, problems with the eyes, sinusitis, nightmares, panic attacks, learning disabilities, seizures, deafness, mind problems, loss of memory, depression, diseases of the brain

Balanced characteristics:

Intuitive, perceptive, and imaginative. Good memory, and good dream recall. Able to visualise. Open-minded, able to see the big picture, and comfortable in any reality. Psychic ability. Clear, calm and focused

Deficient characteristics:

Insensitive. Cynical. Poor vision. Poor memory. Difficulty visualising the future. A lack of imagination. Poor dream recall. Denial (failure to see what is going on). Stuck in rational thought, and hiding in intellectual analysis. Indecision.  Jumping to conclusions. Passive aggression

Excess characteristics:

Hallucinations, and obsessions. Difficulty concentrating. Unrealsitic. Nightmares. Feeling “out of it”. Confusion, paranoia, being out of touch with reality. Overly reliant on psychic readings and other psychic arts

Possible addictions:

Hallucinogens, marijuana, psychic arts

Essential Oils:

Sandalwood, frankincense, rose, clay sage, patchouli, myrrh, vetiver, vanilla

Gemstones:

Amethyst, obsidian, sodalite, blue tourmaline, lavender quartz, celestite, fluorite

Healing Practices:

Meditation. Dreamwork (eg keeping a dream journal, interpretation, improving dream recall). Visualisation. Expressing yourself through visual art (drawing, collage, mandalas, vision boards). Fasting. Developing your intuition / learning to acknowledge and trust your intuition. Spending time in natural light. Star-gazing. Learning to relax and focus the eyes (dhristi). Dark foods (blueberries, grapes, red wine and dark chocolate in moderation!). Alternate nostril breathing, and whistle breath.

Yoga Postures:

Downward facing dog, forward bend, bowing, eye exercises, spinal flex, tree pose, archer pose, child’s pose, shoulder stand and plough pose, certain arm exercises, any posture that brings the forehead to the floor, Sat Kriya, spinal twist, yoga mudra

Bij (Seed) Mantras:

OM

Meditation to Experience the 6th Chakra:

Sit with a straight spine, bring your hands into prayer pose, fingers point up, and place the thumb tips on the space between the eyebrows (if this is uncomfortable, bend the thumbs and press the nailed segment into the space). Press firmly and with the eyes closed, roll the eyes up to where you are pressing. Breathe long and deep. Feel as though the breath is going in and out through the point where you’re pressing. Hold for 3 minutes. Then lower your hands into your lap and sit for a further 3 minutes, eyes directed to the brow point.