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After all my devotion and study, I was pretty excited that I was "so in synch with the band!" I left the concert feeling superbly validated that I was on the same page as Mick & Keith. How I managed this magical feat is explained in yogic terms as intuition -- that hunch, instinct, or knowledge that has no rational explanation -- which is the domain of the Sixth Chakra.
 | | Kundalini Archer Pose |
The Sixth Chakra is located at the brow point in the middle of the forehead and home to that famous yoga cliché, "The Third Eye." It is part of the Upper Triangle of chakras (the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh) that emphasize the subtlety and refinement of wisdom needed to awaken us to higher consciousness. The Third Eye point is represented by the color Indigo and physically governs the brain and the pituitary gland.
The pituitary gland is also called the "master gland" because it regulates the secretion of the thyroid, adrenal and reproductive glands. With this much influence over the functions of the endocrine system, consider the implications of a compromised pituitary gland. However, the upside is that a tune-up of the Sixth Chakra strengthens the pituitary and is, therefore, the fast track to keeping all the glands happy.
A balanced Sixth Chakra can heighten intuition, clarify sense of purpose and nurture imagination. Imbalances here will show up physically in the form of headaches, eye problems, and dissociation from the body. Emotionally, a wonky Third Eye can manifest as confusion, depression, worry, rejection of spirituality, and nightmares. Imbalance may also be manifested as self-absorption, manipulative behavior, rigidity, inappropriate reliance on the intellect, and scattered attention.
Meditation enhances and balances the Sixth Chakra, which can be a gateway to stepping outside the realm of "real events" into timelessness. This quality partly explains why people who suffer chronic physical or emotional pain experience so much relief through a meditation practice. Any meditation is effective, but chanting the Kundalini yoga mantra "Ong" is particularly useful because its nasal quality vibrates the cavity of the skull in which the pituitary rests. Visit the Spirit Voyage website for an explanation of this mantra and to listen to examples of how it is chanted.
In addition to meditation, Child's Pose (or any pose that rests the forehead on the floor), Kirtan Kriya, Archer Pose (a Kundalini yoga variation of Warrior II pictured above) and Whistle Breath all stimulate the Third Eye.
So if you're hoping to build up your intuition and take a peek at the world through that Third Eye, where you can know without knowing, either try one of those techniques... or head out to a Rolling Stones concert (just, please, take me with you).
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I started collecting all things associated with the band -- biographies, albums, articles and anything with their famous logo on it. I also went to see them in concert every chance I got (which was a total of four fabulous times, before ticket prices became absurd). I remember one concert at the football stadium in my hometown of Louisville, Ky., where I "guessed" what song was coming next as if I had the playlist right in front of me. And not all of the songs were no-brainers, like "Satisfaction" for the encore. No, some of the choices for that show were "B" sides and yet I was eerily on the mark. I even guessed they would play "Dead Flowers" and when they would play it (the song contains a line about the Kentucky Derby), and I was right.
