Train with Rachel (Sat Siri) on Wanderlust TV: her new series, Root to Rise: Journey Through the Chakras, which also includes a companion series of free 10-minute self-reflection and journaling lessons. The 7-part Kundalini Yoga series and samples of thousands of yoga, meditation and movement classes on WLTV are available to you with a free 14-day trial of WLTV, giving you access to a huge library that includes dozens of Kundalini classes with Rachel Dougherty.

We’ve all looked back and noticed times when we just felt something about someone… Maybe our gut was telling us not to trust them, or we found ourselves saying yes when we really wanted to say no. Our bodies sent sensations that we simply knew, on a level that was not intellectual. But so often we ignore this inner knowing, don’t we? I know I’m not alone in this!

When we talk about situations that call for your intuition, we are discussing the realm of the sixth chakra, or Ajna chakra. It is known as the house of wisdom or the center of inner guidance, and is considered the eye of intuition and intelligence. The sense organ associated with it is the mind.

I once started a business with someone and he was so big and loud and full of bravado. He didn’t seem to have any self-doubt like I did. He seemed so imposing and confident to me, so sure of himself. I thought, “I need to be more like this! More cheerful and self-confident!” I completely ignored the warning bells going off in my gut. I convinced myself not to believe in them. He was literally telling me that he knew better than I did, and—yeah! – I believed him. The warning bells in my gut turned out to be right after all, and while there were some good results from the experience, it ultimately failed me and betrayed the trust of many customers. This was a big lesson for me in terms of how I learned to trust myself and be more attuned to my inner guidance. Did you have these lessons too?

Balanced sixth chakra (Ajna)

A balanced, normally functioning sixth chakra activates the intellect and promotes spiritual development. It allows us to see beyond the distractions and stories that enter our minds and understand the truth, not the illusion. When this chakra is strong and healthy, it is often associated with the ability to “see” the bigger picture: a bird’s eye view of any situation.

A developed sixth chakra allows us to rise above polarity and develop a “witness consciousness” where we become capable of detached observation. This awareness is cultivated through our regular meditation practice.

An imbalance of this chakra weakness manifests itself in the form of lack of clarity, inability to focus and black and white thinking. Someone with an underactive sixth chakra may be extremely practical, but will likely only be aware of the “5-sensory” material world. Therefore, they will only trust what they can see, hear, taste, touch or smell. They can fall into rigid patterns of thinking, rejecting anything spiritual, magical, or that which cannot be explained.

People with an overactive sixth chakra often have wild imaginations, tend to live in a fantasy world that makes them irrational, and often have difficulty functioning in society. Do any of these characteristics apply to you?

Tools for balancing the third chakra

Some of the most beneficial activities to support the health of your third eye include:

Join the inspiration: Traveling to spiritual places, especially those with elevation and sweeping views, such as mountains overlooking valleys or bodies of water, can be very expansive and nourishing for this chakra.

Self-help: Massage of the scalp and face is considered a stimulating support for balancing the energy of the third eye.

food: Food that is good for the eyes and brain nourishes this ajna chakra. Include more fatty fish, sweet potatoes, walnuts, whole grains, tomatoes, broccoli, pumpkin seeds and blueberries in your diet.

Meditation: Finally, be silent every day. Calm down and meditate, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day. This will develop a mind that can calm down enough for you to begin to hear your inner guidance. Listening, hearing it, acknowledging your own wisdom, and then taking action on what you hear is the key to strengthening your relationship with the sixth chakra.

Don’t forget you can also practice with me on Wanderlust TV balancing the third eye chakra in my ajna class and then continue your practice with this 10 minute journaling exercise:

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Rachel Dougherty (Sat Siri) is a pioneering new generation Kundalini yoga teacher and trainer. She travels the world teaching Kundalini Yoga in places like Bali, Maui, Mexico and India. She has been practicing yoga and meditation for over twenty years and teaching Kundalini Yoga for fourteen. She practiced Iyengar yoga, Vipassana meditation and many other methods before finding Kundalini yoga. A former ballet dancer with the Australian Ballet, Rachel found ballet meditation in movement, a creative expression that renewed her perspective with every step, turn or leap.

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