If you’re first learning about chakras, the concept can sound confusing. You might wonder where the chakras are, what they do, and how to influence them. Thankfully, opening the chakras doesn’t require years of study or practise – particularly if you work with one at a time. Once you understand how the chakras work, you can influence them both on and off the yoga mat. In this article, we look into the Third Eye Chakra and explore exactly what it does.
Where is it Located?
To influence the Third Eye Chakra, you’ll need to know where it’s located. The chakras range from the Root Chakra at the bottom of the spine to the Crown Chakra at the top of the head. The Third Eye Chakra is the sixth energy point and sits directly between your brows. For best results, you’ll need to keep all of your chakras open and balanced. If one of the energy points becomes blocked or misaligned, you may experience physical or emotional symptoms as a result.
What is it Responsible For?
The Third Eye Chakra is connected to your spirituality. The energy point is responsible for your ability to form accurate gut feelings, whether or not you meet your goals, your sense of the bigger picture in life, balancing emotion and reason, and whether you feel you’re stagnant or moving forward.
When the Third Eye is open, you’ll use both your head and your heart to make decisions in life. You’ll be able to trust your intuition and feel confident that you’re living your purpose. When using Third Eye Chakra healing, you’ll notice a difference in your ability to be mindful and in your atonement with the world around you.
If your Third Eye Chakra becomes blocked, you’ll start to notice negative Third Eye Chakra symptoms. These will show when something causes you to doubt your intuition, or when something gives you a reason to question your purpose.
Symptoms of a Blocked Chakra
Unfortunately, there will be times when your chakras become blocked or unbalanced. To resolve this, you’ll need to perform chakra healing. To know when to do this, it’s important to understand the symptoms of Third Eye Chakra problems. Some of the most common emotional symptoms are:
- Lack of faith in your purpose
- Paranoia
- Feeling pointless
- Finding your work or life insignificant
- Indecisiveness
Third Eye blockages can also cause physical symptoms. Some of the most common include:
- Headaches
- Back and leg pain
- Eye discomfort
- Sinus pain
What Causes Blockages?
What unbalances the Third Eye chakra will differ from person to person. That being said, it’s useful to be aware of the most common causes. Someone belittling your passion or vocation is likely to throw your Third Eye off balance, as is going through a transitional life experience such as illness, job loss or divorce. For some people, even just moving into a new period can impact your chakra.
How to Cleanse and Open it
Use Healing Stones
Healing stones are a great way to cleanse the Third Eye Chakra. In crystal healing, different colour shades are tied to different chakras. For the Third Eye, the most effective colour is purple. With this in mind, some of the best stones for Third Eye healing are:
Purple fluorite: Purple fluorite is a semi-precious gemstone. When used correctly, the stone can sharpen intuition and sort through muddled thoughts. If you’re trying to make a difficult choice and want to minimise distractions, use purple fluorite to cleanse the Third Eye.
Amethyst: One of the most famous precious stones, amethyst is associated with Third Eye headache relief. While headache relief is the most common use, some people use the stone to enhance wisdom.
Third Eye Chakra Meditation
Another way to cleanse the Third Eye is through chakra meditation. If you’ve never tried mindfulness meditation, don’t panic. There are plenty of simple techniques for beginners. Below, we explore one of the most popular.
To practice Third Eye Chakra meditation, sit comfortably and close your eyes. Breathe in and out ten times, slowly and deeply. Focus your attention on the space between your brows – the location of the Third Eye chakra. As purple is the Third Eye’s colour, imagine a purple ball of energy in the middle of your forehead. As you continue to breathe, imagine the sphere of energy getting larger and warmer. As it grows, imagine it pushing negativity out of your body. Finally, allow yourself to absorb the Third Eye chakras energy.
Change Your Diet
What you eat can also affect your chakras. For instance, wholegrain foods, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables promote alignment throughout the chakra system. Additionally, there are chakra specific foods. To prevent or combat blockages of the Third Eye Chakra, consider adding these foods into your diet:
Dark chocolate: When trying to open the Third Eye, eat as much dark chocolate as you like! It is said to boost concentration and enhance mental capability. Additionally, the food is rich in magnesium which relieves stress. It also promotes the release of serotonin which puts you in a more positive mood.
Purple food: As purple is the colour of the Third Eye, all purple foods will have a positive impact. Good choices include purple cabbage, red grapes, blueberries, blackberries, and aubergine.
Omega-3: Foods that are high in omega-3 benefit the Third Eye chakra by enhancing cognitive function. Some of the best examples include salmon, walnuts, sardines, and chia seeds.
In Summary
Located in between the eyebrows, the Third Eye Chakra is the centre of spirituality. When it’s flowing freely, you’ll be able to form accurate gut feelings, meet your goals, balance emotion and reason, and sense the bigger picture in life. If the energy point becomes blocked, you may experience indecisiveness, lack of faith in your purpose, and even physical symptoms such as headaches and eye pain. Thankfully, the Third Eye Chakra can be balanced with healing stones, meditation, and diet change. To make things easier, some people use chakra meditation straight after yoga practice. Before you take off your yoga bra, find a quiet space and cleanse your Third Eye Chakra through meditation.