Meditations

Today’s practice is a meditation to awaken the 3rd Eye, the gateway to our internal and subtle vision. This guided practice will nurture your sense of awareness, help you develop inner vision and lead you to a state of profound stillness. Our last two practices in this Awareness Meditation series consisted of a Breath Awareness meditation and a Mindfulness meditation. Both guided with the intention to calm the mind and draw our awareness inward. As we enter into our 3rd session of this series, we will use the 3rd Eye as our point of focus. As the 3rd Eye can act as a portal or a gateway to gain access from the more dense/physical body to the inner, more subtle body, it is one of the most effective navigational techniques on our path to deepen our practice of meditation. We have 5 external senses, which we recognize and celebrate…senses that allow us to see, hear, taste, smell and feel our world around us. But there are other senses as well: internal senses, secret senses or sixth senses if you will, that are equally vital, but not as commonly recognized or honored in our day to day life. Today, we are going to explore that 6th sense…our internal sensory perception, our inner awareness, intuition and inner knowing. From the perspective of the chakras, our energetic centers, this 6th sense is found in the 6th chakra at the space between the eyebrows commonly known as the 3rd Eye, Spiritual Eye or Ajna Chakra. From a Shamanic view, looking at the Native American Medicine Wheel of the High Andes, the 3rd Eye is associated with The Hummingbird. The Hummingbird represents a state of harmony with all of nature and a balance within and without. The Hummingbird’s medicine is to spread Joy and to recognize the beauty and divine within all of existence. It is able to find stillness in motion…as it rapidly flaps it’s wings while hovering effortlessly in stillness, tasting the sweetness of all that its encounters. This directly relates to the 3rd Eye Meditation where we are moving energy between the physical and subtle realms while staying focused on touching the stillness, the beauty and the light within. The characteristics of the 3rd Eye are that of inner wisdom, clarity, imagination, clairvoyance and self awareness. It is about visualization and insight and exploring the seat of our perceptions. As we bring more light to this chakra, we shine the light of truth on our perceptions. And as a result, we become more clear and luminous in our knowing. Based on our understanding of the 3rd Eye, we will be using an affirmation today: “I am always guided by my inner vision.” So, let’s move into our meditation and open our 3rd Eye!

3rd Eye Meditation Coming in to our 3rd Eye meditation….Take a moment to consider your posture and become aware of the architecture of your body and the space it occupies. Sense it in relationship to the space outside of it. Now, take a moment to reflect on the space inside the body. Making any subtle adjustments to align inner and outer bodies. With the eyes closed, begin to breathe softly and smoothly…a silent ujjayi breath. Partially closing at the back of your throat as you breathe gently in and out of the nose. Pause… As you consciously refine your breath, allow it to become involuntary and recognize that behind the movement of the breath, awareness…or consciousness is starting to blossom. This is the intelligence behind the intellect. This is the inner knowing…the all knowing. Pause… As the breath becomes involuntary, allow your awareness to rest at the point between the eyebrows. Feel, sense or see your awareness collecting and intensifying at this physical space, the flesh on the forehead between the eyebrows. See if you can relax the muscles of the forehead as much as possible…letting the spaces be open and soft like a baby’s forehead. Keep your attention here…. Now notice as you inhale, awareness moves into you…from the flesh of the forehead into the mid brain. As you exhale, it moves out of you…from the mid brain back to the space between the eyebrows. There is nothing to force…instead, just sense and feel with out any effort. Sense awareness moving in and out. Notice as your mind gets quieter, the breath becomes more subtle and thus, the movement will change. Eventually, the movement from the brain to the forehead will flow independently of the breath. Begin to feel a sense of presence at the 3rd Eye. Imagine this presence as a ball of light or a blossom of energy. Keep bringing your attention here as you begin to awaken the energy center and bathe in the light of the 6th chakra. This is the center of intuition and inner wisdom. Eventually, the whole brain soaks in light as if the brain is resting in a bath of light. And you sense the power of becoming merging with the power of being. Observe this unfolding…the brain now resting in this light and you resting in the forces of becoming and being. Repeat the affirmation: “I am always guided by my inner vision”. Breathe, soften and allow yourself to see what you feel. This is your own unique experience. “I am always guided by my inner vision”. Allow the space for the energy to do whatever work it needs to do here. The energy will move and clarify this chakra for you. You don’t have to do anything but breathe and allow. “I am always guided by my inner vision”. We will rest our attention here for the next few moments in inner stillness and silence. I will let you know when it is time to release the affirmation….enjoy… Pause… When you feel ready, begin to open your eyes. Bringing your hands to you heart as we close our practice with the sound of OM. “AUM…” Thank yourself for taking this time for you and for trusting the exploration of your 3rd Eye center...Ajna Chakra. I thank you for joining me, and invite you to use this meditation any time as a portal to awaken your inner vision and opening up to the awareness that is, and has always been, a part of your divine existence. In Great Love and Gratitude, Namaste