How to Balance the Third Eye Chakra
The third eye chakra is located between the brows, at the centre of the forehead. It is the place of imagination, visualisation, instinct, and intuition. Of course, all the chakras are connected to spiritual awareness, but arguably, the third eye is second only to the crown chakra in this regard.
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While an unbalanced third eye might not affect your day-to-day life in an obvious way—especially if you are living a very modern life, with screens, commuting, coffee, repeat, where you are so distracted by all the things—it is vital to address it if you are on any sort of healing journey, spiritual path, or awakening.
If clarity, insight, and wisdom sound wonderful but unattainable for the ordinary person, you couldn’t be more wrong. Your intuition, imagination, ability to visualise, mental clarity, and psychic abilities all resonate from this space. If you wish to manifest, manifestation starts here. There are actually some physical and emotional signs of imbalance, such as confusion, lack of direction, lack of trust in your own ability to make decisions, headaches, and mental fog. But because these could have so many other sources, they may get overlooked. Misunderstanding the importance of balancing this chakra for improved decision-making, deeper self-understanding, and inner wisdom is a mistake. The good news is that everyone has the ability to tune in—you just have to know how.
Only in My Dreams
For many of us, long before we ever heard of yoga, energy healing, or any esoteric practices, we may have had vivid or significant dreams. Dreams are a direct conduit to the subconscious. Keep a journal beside your bed and write down your dreams before you forget them. It’s funny that a dream can feel so real, and if you tell someone about it upon waking, you have all the details. Yet, after a few hours, the memory often fades to nothing. Recording your dreams over time increases your self-awareness and intuition; your inner wisdom will start to communicate directly with you. While you can explore the meanings, only you will be able to earth the real truths.
Visualisation Meditation
While the practice of meditation is essential for all chakra healing and balancing work, some methods and styles are more suited to certain chakras than others. Visualisation meditation is the one for the third eye, as the practice of visualisation activates the third eye. Even if it doesn’t come naturally at first, it strengthens your ability to focus and visualise. Once you have the practice down, you may find that not only can you visualise what you like, but you can also allow visualisations to arise spontaneously in your field of awareness—almost like tuning into a TV station and allowing the picture to gradually become clear.
The All-Seeing Eye.
Candle Gazing (Trataka)
Another form of meditation for the third eye is candle gazing, called Trataka in Sanskrit. This helps improve focus and activates the third eye chakra. Of course, this is not a suitable practice for everyone universally and should be avoided by those with epilepsy, migraines, or eye problems. Do your own research if you think this may not be the practice for you. If you are trying it, light a candle in a dimly lit room and focus on the flame without blinking. Allow all your focus to be on the flame and the flame only; this facilitates the heightening of concentration and the ability to channel intuitive insights. Close your eyes and continue your meditation using the inner Drishti (focus on concentration), which is the third eye. Allowing your eyes to water is a cleansing practice originating in Ayurveda, the science of life.
Trust Your Intuition
The third eye acts as a residence for our intuition, and it’s a little different from the intuition housed in the solar plexus chakra, which is the gut instinct. While the latter is more about feeling things, an inner knowing, the third eye is deeper. It’s about both inner and collective wisdom and guidance—a higher awareness and perception that transcends logic. It’s about the subtle: subtle energies, subtle vibrations, and a deep-seated sense of clarity. Engaging with tools like tarot cards or oracle decks can be a fun way to practice tuning into your intuition and seeking deeper meanings and messages.
Limit Screen Time
Finally, revisiting the idea that the modern world of go-go-go can distract us from our inner gifts and intelligence: take this as a friendly reminder to be mindful of your screen time. Constant stimulation from screens can not only confuse our circadian rhythm, our body’s own biological clock, but it can also block intuitive clarity. As we move from fight-or-flight mode to rest-and-digest in the evenings, drastically reducing or eliminating screen time at bedtime can be really beneficial for your third eye to remain open and connected. Reducing constant external noise and stimulation to listen to yourself is fundamental. Before you fall asleep, when the veil between wakefulness and sleep—consciousness and the subconscious—is thin, take a few moments to tune into your third eye.
