Brow (Ajna) Chakra

This week, we cover the sixth major chakra. That is, the brow or ajna chakra. It's location is between the brows and thus it is sometimes known as the third eye. Ajna is translated as to perceive or to visualize.

The third eye is the seat of imagination, intuition and vision -- even clairvoyance.

If you cover the third eye with your fingers or an eye pillow, that light weight on that area feels like a very nice massage that may instantly put you at ease. It also helps to keep heat in the body when you cover that third eye. Thus when we do Yoga Nidra, I recommend an eye pillow to keep warm and to internalize your vision.

The color of the ajna chakra is indigo. The symbol includes two lotus petals surrounding a circle with a single triangle pointing down.

Eyestrain, blurred vision, blindness, nightmares and headaches are all signs of an unbalanced ajna chakra.

Stones and crystals associated with this chakra include lapis lazuli, quartz, and star sapphire to help balance the chakra.

Eye yoga help to balance this chakra as do poses such as wide child's pose. Here is an eye yoga sequence that you can do in any position of your body. Close your eyes and allow everything to become dark. Bring your awareness to the your third eye between the brows. Then softly open. Lids can stay at half-mast.

In this blog, I generally offer yoga poses that are safe for most people, if you are interested in something a little more sophisticated, I am always happy to accommodate your needs. Please let me know by contacting me using the form below.

Resources:

Judith, Anodea. Wheels of Life. Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.. Kindle Edition.

Chakra Workshop

Before the end of the year, I plan to offer an online chakra workshop that will dive deeper into this beautiful framework for understanding our subtle body. Stayed tuned in this space for details when they become available.

Classes this Week

Once again I will be teaching online Yoga Nidra for OLLI at 1:00 pm where we will go on a journey to a reflecting pool. Tonight is the usual Yoga Nidra class at 7:30. In this class we will do a brow chakra meditation. If you want to get deep into a chakra meditation, this one's for you.

I hope to see you at one of these online events today. As always, I am available for private one-to-one lessons in person or online. These one-to-one sessions are adapted to the needs of you and your body. Please contact me using the form below. The workshop normally scheduled for this week is suspended.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy

Covid cases are on the rise. Cases at Sarasota Memorial, recognized as the bellweather for this area, continue to grow. They reported last Friday, that 89% of their 170 COVID cases are in unvaccinated people.

In Florida the governor has banned mask-wearing and vaccination mandates. He is leaving it us as individuals to make decisions on our own. So here, I provide you with more information to help you make your choices.

Interdependence is key in this time to help us get through it more quickly. By taking measures for us to stay healthy as individuals, we have a better chance of a healthy community. In yoga philosophy we call this ahimsa, non-violence or freedom from harm. Ahimsa is the first principle in the 8 branches of yoga and means doing no harm to ourselves and others. That is, taking care of ourselves and our community at the same time. Avoiding the spread of Covid-19 goes a long way toward practicing ahimsa. Ahimsa is about you and how you interact with your community. By protecting yourself from harm, you automatically contribute to the well-being of your community. Ghandi, Mandela, and MLK made their marks on the world using this same principle of ahimsa or non-violence or non-harming.

Medical practitioners continue to recommend masking and vaccination to avoid spreading Covid. They recommend that if you are vaccinated, continue to wear a mask when you are indoors in public. If you are not vaccinated they recommend wearing a mask at all times in public to protect yourself and others. Practice ahimsa.

From the SMH website:

"This is our chance to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us. This is our shot.

Thanks to safe, effective vaccines powered by decades of research and sound science, this is our shot to —

• Protect ourselves and our community.
• Restore normalcy, and make a difference.
• Safeguard our youngest, our oldest and our most vulnerable.
• This is our shot — but only if we come together as a community and take it."