The Brow – Ajna – Chakra
By Taryn Elise Herselman (Ma Akash)
Ajna is a Sanskrit word meaning, to have command or control of. The full meaning is to have control of ones thought processes. According to Swami Satyananda from the Bihar school of Yoga, the Brow Chakra is “situated in the midbrain, behind the eyebrow centre at the top of the spine”.
Stimulating Ajna Chakra develops all the faculties of the mind, such as intelligence, memory and concentration. Through the Brow Chakra we are able to open ourselves to universal, creative energy. This in turn allows us to consciously work towards the fulfilment of our life’s purpose.
Ambika Wauters states in her book “The Energy of the Chakras”, that the Brow Chakra gives insight and intuition. It also permits a person to master spiritual and emotional growth, transformation and ultimately death. At a deep level it links the small egoistic mind to the greater cosmic consciousness. At this level there is no duality (such as male and female) only a sense of unity and communion. When the Brow Chakra is awakened it gives us conscious control over every cell in the body, thereby opening ourselves to healing. This opening gives the very soul its outlet of expression.
Set aside some time to carefully work through the list of questions below. Give your honest and most spontaneous responses, by doing so you will know if your Brow Chakra is balanced or imbalanced:
1. Do you feel your life has meaning?
2. Do you feel that the difficulties and struggles you experience in life serve a purpose?
3. Do you stay open to new ideas and let yourself experience new situations?
4. Do you allow yourself the opportunity to reflect on your life and the situations and relationships you have experienced?
5. Do you value your own perceptions and insights?
6. Do you trust your intuition?
7. Are you willing to develop your intuitive skills as a valid means of gaining knowledge that may we useful to you?
8. Are you willing to alter your perceptions of situations and people to be more loving and accepting of them?
9. Are you willing to take responsibility for your life and create what you want for health and happiness?
10. Have the opinions of significant others dampened your creative spirit over the years? If so, what steps can you take to make the space and time in your life to develop your inspired visions?
Meditation to balance the to balance the Sixth Chakra
- Sit in a comfortable position and focus into the eyebrow centre.
- Bring your awareness to your breath, imagine it is entering and leaving through the brow centre.
- Visualise a silver lotus with two petals. In the centre of the lotus is a small burning flame.
- Work with the mantra OM, pronounced A-U-Mmmm. Imagine the sound is moving into your brow chakra.
- Using anyone of the affirmations below, work silently repeating the words to yourself several times.
- I live in the truth of my grace, beauty and wisdom.
- I open myself to my intuition and deepest knowing.
- I am open to new ideas, people and situations that will enhance my joy and happiness.
- I trust whatever comes to me for my greatest joy and highest good.
As you work with this meditation, trust your intuitions to guide you in all things. As Jesus said: “the light of the body is they eye. If therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light.”
List of References:
- Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Bihar Yoga Bharati, Bihar, India
- Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, PHD
- Healing with the energy of the chakras by Ambika Wauters