How to open your third eye: 5 gentle practices

What "opening your third eye" means

Your third eye is the third eye chakra, Ajna, between your eyebrows. In the yoga traditions it's the seat of intuition, insight and inner vision.

"Opening" it doesn't mean suddenly seeing ghosts (sorry). It means quieting the noise enough to notice what you already sense. It's slow, it's soft, and honestly it's mostly about paying attention.

Here are five gentle ways to start.

1. Brow-point meditation

The classic. Sit tall, close your eyes, and gently bring your attention, and your closed eyes, up towards the point between your eyebrows. Not crossed, not strained. Just resting there. Breathe slowly through your nose.

If your eyes start to feel tired, relax them completely and just keep your attention at the spot.

2. Alternate nostril breathing

Nadi shodhana is the go-to breath for a clear, calm mind.

1. Rest your left hand on your knee. Bring your right hand up and fold your index and middle fingers down.
2. Close your right nostril with your thumb. Breathe in through the left.
3. Close the left with your ring finger, open the right, breathe out through the right.
4. Breathe in through the right. Close it, open the left, breathe out through the left.
5. That's one round. Do five to ten, slowly.

3. Chant OM

OM is the sound linked to the third eye. Chant it slowly: a long "oh" with your mouth open, closing into a long "mmm" hum. Feel it buzz in your forehead. Eleven times, then sit in the quiet.

4. Candle gazing

This is trataka, a classic yoga focus practice.

1. Put a candle at eye level, about an arm's length away, in a room with no draught.
2. Gaze softly at the flame without staring hard, for one minute.
3. Close your eyes and watch the afterglow until it fades.

Blink whenever you need to. Skip it if you have epilepsy or a light-sensitive condition, and never leave a candle burning on its own.

5. Write down your hunches

The most underrated one. Every time you get a little gut feeling, write it down with the date. Check back in a week. You'll start to see how often you were right, and trusting yourself gets easier.

Signs your third eye is opening

People often describe:

• better focus and less brain fog
• stronger gut feelings, and actually listening to them
• more vivid dreams
• noticing small things, like the mood in a room, more easily

If you ever feel pressure, headaches or anything uncomfortable, stop the practice, rest, and see a doctor if it continues.

FAQ

How do I open my third eye fast?

There isn't a fast way, and that's okay. A few minutes a day of brow-point meditation and alternate nostril breathing is the classic slow-and-steady approach.

What happens when your third eye opens?

People describe clearer thinking, stronger intuition, more vivid dreams and a deeper sense of calm.

What is the third eye mantra?

OM (or AUM).

Is opening your third eye dangerous?

Gentle meditation and breathing are generally very safe. Stop any practice that makes you dizzy or uncomfortable, and don't push through pain.