From Karma Gaia:
Balancing The Third Eye
Your third eye chakra is known by the Sanskrit term Ajna. It is a spot on your brow between your eyes and is connected to intuition, insight, and inspiration. We have a profound grasp of both our inner and outside worlds when ajna is in harmony.
While our physical eyes are associated with the past and the present experience as it unfolds, it’s said that ajna looks to the future. We can envision our next moves with confidence and clarity when we are not distracted by uncertainty and confusion.
Most often, when our ajna is underactive, we lose touch with our own inner wisdom. The good news is that you can do a lot to help ajna grow, thrive, and be in balance.
1. Using a Bija Mantra
The ajna's bija mantra, or seed syllable, is "om" or "aum." The best technique to connect with your insight and intuition is to chant om while closing your eyes and concentrating on the brow point. Setting your purpose can be especially effective in the morning or at the beginning of an ajna-centered yoga practise.
2. Working with Hakini Mudra
The hakini mudra is connected to ajna and is believed to encourage awareness and focus, which improve insight and intuition. When reflecting intently, many people will naturally adopt this mudra; perhaps they sense its value in aiding in the connection with knowledge and insight.
3. Ajna Balancing Asanas
The stance most frequently connected with ajna is Asanas Balasana, also known as the child's pose. There are two basic causes for this. First, the forehead can touch the mat to physically ground and link the brow point to earth.
This area can benefit from additional massage provided by gently swaying the head from side to side. Secondly, child’s pose is a gentle and supported forward fold. Forward folds can aid in fostering self-reflection and research.
Uttanasana (standing forward fold) and prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged standing forward fold) are other front folds that can aid in balancing ajna. A block or bolster positioned beneath the forehead will increase stimulation.
4. Nadi Shodhana Pranayama
Nadi shodhana pranayama, or alternate nostril breathing, is already well-known for its balancing properties as a separate practise. This variation can improve its impact on ajna:
To keep your attention on ajna, place your right hand's index and middle fingers on the brow point.
Using your right thumb to cover your right nostril, take a four-count breath through your left nostril.
Exhale for four counts via the right nostril while closing the left nostril with the left ring finger.
For a count of four, inhale through your right nostril while keeping your left nostril shut.
Thumb-shut the right nostril, then open the left and exhale for four counts.
For several minutes, repeat steps 2 through 5, possibly extending the count to 6 or 8 to further relax and centre the mind.
After you've finished the breathing exercise, give yourself a minute to settle back into your regular breathing pattern and focus your awareness on the moment.
From Karma Gaia:
The Path Of The Yogi - 8 Limbs Of Yoga
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes an eight-fold path to right living that is called The Eight Limbs of Yoga, or Ashtanga in Sanskrit. In the practice of yoga, individuals are dedicated to creating a union between mind, body and spirit. Patanjali's eight limbs outline a way to achieve and practice that balance. The eight limbs act as a guide for yogis to live a life of integrity, self-discipline, respect for nature and the spiritual aspects of life.
LIMB 1: Yamas
The first limb is yamas: ethical principles that clarify one’s relationship to the world and everything in it. The yamas emphasize our connection to others as an integral part of yoga—everything is interconnected. They break down to five practices, which define our personal integrity:
Ahimsa – non-harming
Satya – honesty
Asteya – not stealing
Bramacharya – wise use of creative energy
Aparigraha – non-possessiveness
LIMB 2: Niyamas
The second limb is niyamas: internal disciplines that teach us to respect ourselves—body, mind, and spirit. They are forms of self-discipline as well as reflective practices. The niyamas break down to five habits:
Saucha – purity, cleanliness
Santosha – contentment, gratitude
Tapas – discipline
Svadhyaya – self-reflection
Isvara Pranidhana – devotion
LIMB 3: Āsana
The third limb is āsana: the physical practice of yoga. Of the 196 verses in the Yoga Sūtras, a mere 2 are dedicated to poses, but the practice of āsana is invaluable to cultivating a sublime meditative state. By linking breath with movement, asana teaches us to embody steadiness and ease.
LIMB 4: Prānāyāma
The fourth limb is prānāyāma: the focus on the breath. Prānāyāma enables us to cultivate our very life force (prāna) through various techniques that teach us to relax and control our breath…creating divine conditions for health in the body and peace in the mind.
LIMB 5: Pratyāhāra
The fifth limb is pratyāhāra: the withdrawing of the senses, so that when we feel, hear, see, taste, and smell we let go of reacting. By abandoning the countless distractions of day-to-day life, the mind focuses inward and is free to move into meditation.
LIMB 6: Dhāranā
The sixth limb is dhāranā: strict concentration on one object or task, a state in which there are no distractions. Thus, when you are enthralled with the object of your concentration, all hindrances disappear.
LIMB 7: Dhyāna
The seventh limb is dhyāna: meditation, a state in which you experience the sacred (what is personally sacred to you) through a deeply focused awareness. Through the practice of dhyāna, we begin to see reality for what it really is: impermanence. This is how we ultimately achieve bliss.
LIMB 8: Samādhi
The eighth limb is samādhi: the culmination of practicing all the other limbs of yoga which brings you to an understanding of truly knowing and feeling that everything is interconnected. The clinging mind has ceased; there is only the experience of indescribable joy. A liberated soul can thus enjoy pure awareness and harmony.