Where's Your Mind

On the heels of a federal election campaign and the beginning of the formation of a new government in Canada, we move our focus this week to the third eye chakra.  This 6^th chakra, also known as Ajna (to perceive and command) is all about perception.  Perception makes all the difference in how we form our reality.  We can see this by using the simple “is the glass half empty or half full” idiom.  Two people are seeing the same thing – a glass with water, but one person chooses to see the abundance in the scene, while the other chooses to see the lack.  One picture can create two different perceptions that result in two very different realities.  So it is with the current
election results, but instead of two options/perceptions, you can choose to 
perceive it from many different angles.  You can be disheartened and fearful of what is to come.  You can rejoice and look forward to change.  You can blame others for not being informed.  You can look to the past and make the assumption that what happened in the past will repeat itself.  You can see it as a new day, knowing that each new day begins without judgment, with hope and expectation and will ultimately unfold in its own way bringing new experiences.  Whatever you choose, you WILL be right.  That is the very essence of Ajna – how you choose to perceive things is how your reality will be created.

The element associated with the third eye chakra is the mind.  Our perceptions are created in our mind.  It is also in this energy centre where we begin to think in terms of duality and opposites.  The shady side of the mountain is just as important as the sunny side.  Good and bad, light and dark, male and female, Liberal and Conservative, crest and trough, up and down, yin and yang - each side of these pairs have positives and negatives.  The yantra (symbol) for the 6^th chakra is a circle with two petals on either side, which illustrates this dualistic nature.  The circle represents the inner eye, and the two petals represent the left and right hemispheres of the brain.  Both are important, both are needed, and in an ideal world, we would have been taught how to use and value both.

I see clearly.  My imagination is vivid & powerful.
I envision, create & perceive beauty and goodness.

When our third eye chakra is out of balance, we are in our mind too much, but we can be at two different extremes.  We can either be too much in our left (analytical) brain where we lack trust in our intuition and imagination and are extremely skeptical, or we can be too much in our right (intuitive) brain where we have difficulty concentrating, live in our fantasies and possibly have hallucinations or delusions.  A yoga posture to help bring this chakra into a more balanced place is utthita hasta padangustasana (extended hand to big toe pose).  This posture forces us to focus in one direction.  We are concentrating on what matters most in the moment - staying upright – instead of letting our mind wander aimlessly or falling back into its old habitual, repetitive thought patterns.  The minute we think about anything else that is not important to what we are doing in that moment, is the minute we will fall out of balance.  Any balancing yoga posture is going to help us to strengthen this chakra and bring more balance into the mind.

Other healing practices for the mind and Ajna chakra include meditating, creating visual art, or even just sitting down for a few minutes to daydream.  What do you want your life to look like?  What perception do you want to create?  How about starting by taking some time to distance yourself from the current negativity circulating in the media (whether it is news or social media) and listen to some tunes?  Below is some music to help soothe the third eye.  Enjoy!