How to Meditate on the Third Eye
The third eye, or inner eye, is an energy center, located in the center of the forehead, known in biological terms as the pineal gland. When it is activated, people believe it has the ability to see and sense objects and energies. Meditation on the third eye, known as trataka, is one of the best ways to activate the third eye chakra (ajna chakra), or energy point, and open yourself up to the possibilities of greater feeling and understanding.
Third Eye Chakra Meditation
The third eye chakra is the chakra that catches most people’s attention by far. Before we get into how to open it with the third eye chakra meditation, I want to explain exactly what this chakra is and does. The third eye is our sixth chakra and is located right above our eyebrows in the center of our forehead. This is the center for psychic ability, intuition and spirit. Through the power of the third eye, you can receive spiritual guidance and tune into your higher self. People who have a strong third eye are able to sense future events, receive messages, can astral travel, experience telepathy and gain insight from past lives. A strong third eye also helps with reading other people. When I focus on keeping my third eye clear, I notice I clearly can tell peoples true intentions and if they are being fully honest with me and others. It brings a strong sense of knowing to every day situations.
When the third eye is out of balance, we may feel non-assertive, afraid of success and become egotistical. An unbalanced third eye may cause fatigue, problems with sleeping, inability to listen to others and may cause us to feel disoriented. A deficient third eye can result in poor vision and memory, difficulty visualizing and trouble remembering dreams. Excessive energy flow to the third eye may cause hallucinations, nightmares, obsessions, delusions, difficulty concentrating and can even cause headaches.
You can also open your third eye to help with experiencing the paranormal, however, it is not necessary to open yourself up to the paranormal when opening your third eye and you can still benefit from the other aspects of having an opened third eye. I have opened myself up to spirits in the past and have had many experiences with them and I have decided to keep myself closed off from this. I can be open to it whenever I want, but on a regular day, I choose not to.
If it interests you to experience paranormal encounters, opening the third eye is a good way to go about it. It is necessary to allow yourself to be open to these experiences, or you won’t be able to experience them at all. When you do the third eye chakra meditation, make it your intent to open yourself up to spirits and the paranormal. After being consistent in your efforts, you will start to notice things considered to be paranormal. You will start to get feelings and sense when there is another energy around. After a while of consistent focus, you’ll start to be able to see and hear spirits and other paranormal occurrences. You may even work towards being able to communicate with these spirits. If this is your goal, I highly recommend doing more research on how to keep yourself protected from negative spirits and energies. They can draw energy from you making you feel tired and exhausted. They can even latch onto you resulting in a feeling of “being watched” wherever you go. When dealing with spirits and areas with high activity, always surround yourself in a protective white light. They can not harm you unless you allow them to so deny them access to yourself and stay protected. Most spirits are positive or neutral, but negative ones are around so be careful when opening yourself up to them.
Ways to Open the Third Eye Chakra
To heal and open the third eye, creating visual art like coloring, painting and drawing can help. The third eye is related to the color indigo, or a deep purple, so wearing deep purple clothing and eating purple foods will help in healing the third eye. Gemstones known to assist with this chakra are amethyst, azurite and transfinite.
Third Eye Chakra Meditation
Meditation is by far the best way to go about opening your third eye, since it is activated most during meditation. If you aren’t sure how to get yourself in a meditative state, easily learn how with this Beginner Meditation. Once you know how to meditate, get yourself in a calm and relaxed meditative state. Start focusing on energy coming up through your feet with each inhale. Bring this energy up through each of the five previous chakras, before focusing the energy on your third eye chakra in the center of your forehead. With each inhale, imagine a purple ball of energy growing larger and larger where the third eye is located. With each exhale, release any negativity or blocks that may be associated with your third eye. Continue this pattern until you feel a tingling sensation or a warmth on the center of your forehead. Once this occurs, you’re third eye is now healed and opened and you may move on to the Crown Chakra.
The third eye chakra is the energy center in our body responsible for reality, perception, manifesting, thought, and intuition.
According to yogic philosophy, the third eye is connected to duality which is a type of perception that opposes reality and is created solely by the mind. Once the third eye chakra is in harmony with the rest of the chakras, it is said that a doorway towards spiritual enlightenment is opened.
When our third eye chakra is clean and balanced, we see life with clarity and possess strong intuition, insight, self-awareness, and emotional balance.
On the other hand, when our third eye chakra is blocked or imbalanced, we tend to struggle with problems such as closed-mindedness, cynicism, anxiety, depression, paranoia, and various other mental illnesses and mood disorders.
If you think you might have a blocked third eye chakra, think back to your childhood. Were you raised in a closed-minded family? Was freethinking encouraged in your childhood, or were you conditioned to “obey without questioning”? Was your early life environment emotionally stable? Did you parents or caretakers value your insights and perspectives? If not, you probably struggle with third eye chakra issues as a result of your childhood conditioning.
Don’t worry, this guide will help you initiate your own unique process of third eye chakra healing.
What is the Third Eye Chakra?
The third eye chakra, or Ajna, is the energy center within our bodies that is responsible for intuition, imagination, thought, and self-awareness. Located in the middle of the forehead just above the eyes, the third eye chakra is associated with the color indigo and the pineal gland within the brain. This chakra helps to regulate the energy associated with insight and wisdom.
Third eye chakra healing is the practice of cleansing, opening, and balancing the third eye chakra within our bodies. Third eye chakra healing employs a wide range of holistic healing remedies to bring alignment to the body, mind, and spirit. These remedies include practices such as meditation, mindfulness, color therapy, sound healing, yoga, self-inquiry, aromatherapy, and many others.
24 Signs of an Unhealthy Third Eye Chakra
The best way to tell whether you need to undergo third eye chakra healing is to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, actions, and physical sensations within your body.
Do You Have a Deficient or Excessive Third Eye Chakra Blockage?
While a deficient third eye chakra is passive or energetically “numb,” an excessive third eye chakra is energetically aggressive or manic.
Here’s a breakdown of the difference between the two:
Deficient = lifeless, sluggish, passive, blocked, inwards (not enough energy flows in).
Excessive = lively, agitated, reactive, aggressive, outwards (too much energy flows in).
Therefore, if you have a deficient third eye chakra, you will be more prone to issues such as dreaminess, underhandedness, and mental confusion. On the other hand, if you have an excessive third eye chakra you will be prone to narrow-mindedness, cynicism, and arrogance.
The question is, what type of imbalance do you have? It’s also possible to fall somewhere in the middle.
22 Third Eye Chakra Healing Practices
So what does a healthy and balanced third eye chakra look and feel like?
When you have a clear and harmonious third eye chakra, you are calm, self-aware, and possess foresight. You are not controlled or limited by the mind, and you find it easy to distinguish truth from illusion. You will also be much more insightful and understanding of yourself, other people, and life in general. Intuition will flow effortlessly to you as you make wise decisions that are grounded in reality, not fantasy.
Once you have opened and balanced your third eye, you will also find it easier to be objective and less fixated on your limited beliefs. As a result, life will take on a more fluid and vibrant quality which will help you to be more creative and spontaneous. You will be able to see life from a bird’s eye view which will give you wisdom and compassion. Spiritually speaking, you will be able to access mystical states of being much more easily, such as the feeling of timelessness and boundlessness that comes with ego death. Some people even report developing gifts such as clairvoyance after working on this energy center.
This all sounds very exciting, doesn’t it! But please understand that chakra healing can take time because it is a process of inner growth. Sometimes many things within us have to change before we seek the clarity we’ve been looking for. So be prepared to make changes and keep an open heart.
Here are twenty-two third eye chakra healing practices out there which will help you balance this energy center:
1. Explore different perspectives and viewpoints
One big problem associated with a blocked third eye chakra is being rigid and closed-minded. To overcome this problem, try reading books, watching new programs or experimenting with activities outside of your comfort zone. Even if it feels a little weird at first, try to be curious about other perspectives and ways of life.
2. Decalcify your pineal gland
Your pineal gland is a tiny pea-shaped mass within the brain that is linked to third eye chakra blockages. While the pineal gland is responsible for regulating our sleep cycles and reproductive hormones, it also has more mystical roots. Many ancient cultures such as the ancient Tibetan, Egyptian, and Chinese believed that the pineal gland is responsible for spiritual consciousness. To de-calcify your pineal gland, try to avoid products and water sources that contain fluoride. Read more about how to de-calcify your pineal gland.
3. Ground yourself with mindfulness
Our third eye functions the best when it is grounded in reality. Otherwise, we get lost in fantasy and delusion very easily. Try to practice being present with whatever arises in your daily life. Focusing on your breath helps a lot.
4. Get out into the sunlight
As the element of the third eye chakra is light, you might find your mind becoming much clearer if you get outside a bit more. If you live in a dark or cold climate, you might like to try light therapy if getting natural sunlight isn’t much of an option. On a physical level, light awakens the pineal gland which improves the function of the third eye.
5. Use the following herbs
Use herbs such as mug-wort, star anise, saffron, basil, jasmine, lavender, passionflower, rosemary, and blue lotus. You can diffuse these herbs, burn them as incense, apply them topically (in a diluted form), or consume them.
One of the best ways to take herbs is to drink them as tea. For the third eye chakra, I recommend Buddha Teas’ soothing and 100% organic Third Eye Chakra Tea which you can buy here. This tea is infused with the essence of sapphire.
6. Explore your limiting beliefs
One major cause of third eye malfunction is limiting core beliefs. Core beliefs are the central convictions we have about ourselves which cause us to feel fear, insecurity, and self-loathing. Common core beliefs include “I am not worth it,” “I’m a bad person,” and “I deserve to be punished.” By uncovering your hidden core beliefs, you might save yourself from attending years of therapy (not to mention improved mental health). Read more about core beliefs.
7. Hum or chant the sound “OM”
This sound matches the vibration of the third eye chakra. Try drawing out the letters into sounds, such as “ommmmmmmmmm” or “auuuummmmmm.” You might also like to listen to binaural beats (a form of music healing therapy) which helps to activate and clear all the chakras through alternating sound waves. Try these chakra healing songs.
8. Go on a psychedelic shamanic journey
Best suited to: excessive blockages
Under the guidance of a trained shaman or spiritual guide, try a sacred form of plant medicine such as peyote, ayahuasca or psilocybin mushrooms. These sacred plants help to open the third eye and balance the entire energy system. Often, during these sacred trips, many great and profound truths are revealed.
9. Eat more of these foods
Introduce more of the following fruit and vegetables into your diet which all resonate with the third eye chakra: prunes, dates, blackberries, blueberries, figs, raisins, eggplant, purple cabbage, purple kale, purple carrots, and purple potatoes.
10. Contact the owl spirit guide
The owl is the symbolic and totemic animal of the third eye chakra. In order to contact Owl, think about what you need help the most with. You may contact this spirit guide through self-induced trance states, meditation, visualization or prayer.
11. Reflect on all that you think and do
Self-reflection is an important skill to develop, and it helps to increase your self-awareness. Try reflecting on your thoughts and feelings in a private journal each day. Try to dissect why you believe certain things and behave in various ways.
12. Try star-gazing and moon-gazing
Gazing into the night sky is a simple but awe-inspiring way to put everything in perspective. Staring at the moon and stars tends to open the mind and help you to transcend the cage of thought.
13. Use essential oils
Use oils such as patchouli, frankincense, clary sage, sandalwood, juniper, and vetiver. You can put these oils into an oil diffuses, rub them on your wrist (in a diluted form), or wear them in a diffusing pendant.
14. Become an observer of your thoughts
Try Vipassana meditation, which is a type of meditation that involves learning how to watch your mind, and observe your thoughts. The number one reason why the third eye chakra gets blocked is that we believe the thoughts in our head and therefore identify with them. When we learn how to simply observe our thoughts, we can discover that thoughts are very temporary and spontaneous: they don’t mean anything about us unless we assign them meaning.
15. Do a third eye chakra visualization
Imagine a throbbing or swirling ball of luminescent indigo light in your third chakra area. Feel the ball of indigo energy dissolving all blockages, sluggishness, or aggressive flows of energy within you. You might also like to try the violet flame meditation, which is a powerful way to enhance your spiritual awareness.
16. Practice scrying
Scrying is an ancient art of revelation. Traditionally, screening has been portrayed through the popular image of the psychic woman gazing into her crystal ball. However, screening can be used with bowls of water, mirrors, and other objects. Scrying is essentially a practice that helps you to develop your inner vision or “second sight.” Read this step-by-step guide on screening (with instructional pictures).
17. Pay attention to your dreams
Your dreams are richly symbolic in nature and express your unconscious fears, desires, and needs. The third eye is responsible for helping you to interpret your dreams, so practice reflecting on your dreams each morning for about ten to fifteen minutes. Remember, dream dictionaries cannot provide you with the precise and nuanced meanings you need. Although it’s tempting to use one, see if you can try and discover the meaning carried within your dreams by yourself. Often important lessons and messages are conveyed within the dream world.
18. Use crystals
Use crystals as energetic totems that will help you balance your third eye chakra energy. Try meditating or carrying crystals such as shun gite, sapphire, lapis lazuli, kyanite, labradorite, and amethyst.
19. Supportive affirmations
Every day, infuse your mind with supportive and loving affirmations. Try to choose a statement that you sincerely resonate with. Here are a few examples, “I create my reality,” “I trust my intuition,” “I see with clarity,” “I connect with the wisdom of the universe,” “It is safe for me to see the truth,” “I trust in myself,” “My mind and heart are in perfect balance.”
20. Harmonize your energy with yoga
Balance your third eye chakra by doing yoga stretches such as standing forward bend (uttanasana), dolphin pose, child’s pose, and head-to-knee pose (janu sirsasana).
21. Wear indigo!
Wearing and surrounding yourself with the color indigo is a wonderfully simple way to stimulate your third eye chakra.
22. Candle gazing
Candle gazing, also called Trataka in Hatha Yoga, is a powerful way to open your third eye by simply looking into the flame of a candle. Try to incorporate mindful breathing into this practice to stimulate energy flow within your body. Light a candle and place it three to four feet in front of you at eye level. Keep your vision focused on the flame in a gentle and natural way.
If you’re wanting a few more tips on how to work with your third eye chakra, I wrote another article called How to Open Your Third Eye and Awaken Your Extrasensory Gifts which you might like to check out!