If you are involved into Yoga or meditation, you probably know how great this type of spiritual practice is, and how you are constantly in a position to uncover new layers of understanding and spirituality. The lessons about the Bindu chakra certainly belong to the category of teachings that come in a more advanced phase of our development. Have you ever seen a bhakti yogi with a shaved hair except for a tiny area close to the top of their head with a pony tail. That's the position of the indu chakra. indu is one of the main chakras of the human body , although it is often left out from the charts. It is sometimes referred to as the !ight "hakra. This mysterious energy center is very often overlooked and little is known about it. The ma#ority of Yoga books don't even mention it. ut, because of its ability to provide strength, energy, and longevity, Tantra antra Yoga Yoga devotes a great deal of attention to t o this chakra.
Here is a list of main points you should know about the indu chakra.
The meaning indu means a drop or a point. In fact, as the Yoga tradition says, it is the point of manifestation of our entire physical body, and, likewise, the point of its dissipation. This chakra is important for overall physical, emotional, and spiritual health and vitality of our entire microcosm. indu brings a sense of happiness, well$being, purpose, and enthusiasm.
Metaphysical The indu chakra is the primal point of appearance of "lear "onsciousness that exists beyond time, space, energy, matter, or form. It represents a very subtle level of consciousness. The subtle pranic energy that flows through this chakra is concentrated into drops %elixir& and winds %help carry this elixir through the channels, nadis&. indu is the point where we gain true experience about the ivine, because here the many forms of manifestation cease to be observed as such. Here we are faced with the Infinite as (ne, not as )any.
Location
indu is located at the back of the head, near the top. It is placed behind the place where most people have a lock of hair growing in the opposite direction from the rest of their hair.
Symbol
The "*!+"!T )oon is the symbol of this chakra. ecause of that, yet another name of this center is )oon "hakra. The energy of the )oon is life giving and sustaining. It is responsible for the growth of the plant life on !arth. If indu is fully activated the light that shines from it resembles the bright shine of the full moon.
Function indu holds our life force within. It is the center of where our life nectar, -)*IT-, is produced. -mrita is said to help the yogi obtain enlightenment. rom there, this nectar drops down toward the third chakra, Manipura . In the )anipura chakra, the life nectar from the indu chakra is being used up for various activities of our body. In other words, the fire of )anipura %the name +olar /lexus "hakra is not given by chance& is responsible for burning up and gradually using the nourishing powers of the -)*IT- nectar. In the 01th century Gheranda Samhita, one of the three classic hatha yoga texts, we find verses that describe this process. This book is presented as a manuscript that presents the secrets of Hatha Yoga with regard to the 2ltimate *eality as taught by 3heranda to "handa. Here are the verses4
The sun dwells at the root of the navel, and the moon at the root of the palate. The sun consumes the nectar of immortality and thus man is held in the sway of death.
If only we could catch up this nectar before reaching the +olar /lexus, preferably in the Throat chakra, we could en#oy the vitali5ing, nourishing energy of the indu chakra. This is certainly not easy, but with certain Yogic exercises, it may become possible. The proof of this may be found in the reports of yogis capable of living without food or water for 16 years. (ne of the possible explanations of these astonishing achievements is the direct use of the indu chakra nectar. -s a result of underutili5ation or dissipation of the indu's life force, we grow older, our skin becomes dryer, rougher, slack and more transparent, we lose bone tissue and cartilage and hair, develop age$related hearing loss, suffer from dementia and have to deal with other mental and physical problems.
Benefits 7hen properly mastered this energy center helps overcome many problems we encounter in our life, for example, unhealthy eating habits, poor eyesight, headaches, depression, and anxiety. /eople who lack energy should concentrate on the indu area to get some of the invigorating effects of this chakra.
Physical Connection indu chakra is connected to the Pineal gland . 7hen indu is awakened, the /ineal gland and our Third eye are activated too. The more active this chakra becomes, the more active the pineal gland is. +cience has determined that an active pineal gland means having greater awareness, psychic and empathic powers, vivid dreams, lucid dreaming, and greater imagination and creativity.
Practical Exercises to eep the Bindu !ectar
There are some exercises everyone can use to keep the elixir of this chakra from dissipating in the lower chakras and active within the upper part of the chakra system.
Massaging the Scalp )assaging the area of the indu chakra is one obvious, albeit not overly effective way of activating the soothing energy of this center. It could be done by applying circular movements, with or without using oil.
Asana — Special Posture: Vipareeta Karani If you do hatha yoga, Vipareeta karani is an asana you might want to try. 8ipareeta karani is something like a half shoulder stand. It is one of the easiest inverted postures and 9uite simple to perform. It is said to protect the bindu chakra and its nectar because in this inverted position the nectar flows toward the throat and 8ishuddha chakra. Here is what 3heranda +amhita has to say about this asana4 Carefully place the head and both hands on the ground, raise the feet, and remain steady. This is considered to be Vipareetakarani." and also "Put the sun up and bring the moon down. This Vipareetakarani mudra is concealed in all the tantras.
-ny type of yoga asana that involves inversion, like +upported +houlderstand %+alamba +arvangasana&, +upported Headstand %+alamba +irsasana&, /low /ose %Halasana&, or eathered /eacock /ose %/incha )ayurasana&, should be great for the awakening of the indu chakra and for concentrating the amrita elixir. In fact, you
might even want to try some of the inversion therapy tables for that purpose.
Pranayama — Breathing exercise -ny type of breathing exercise, deep yoga breathing , or pranayama can potentially help. - pranayama has three important stages4 inhaling, exhaling and breath retention. The breath retention phase is actually when the life nectar is being held in the indu chakra. 7e should be aware, however, that whenever we exhale, unfortunately, this nectar goes down toward the lower chakras. This part cannot be prevented, so, in a way, a part of the -mrita is always lost during the normal process of breathing.
Khechari Mudra This is an exercise done with your tongue. The tongue is rolled back to the soft palate as far as possible. This helps preserve the -mrita nectar from the indu chakra. The idea is to caught the downward stream of -mrita and control it by redirecting it toward the 8ishuddha chakra. Here is what 3heranda +amhita says about this practice4 Gently insert the tongue into the base of the palate. hen the tongue is turned back into the cavity of the skull and the ga!e is directed between the eyebrows, that is hecharimudra.
The Bottom Line 7e have considered the most important properties and spiritual functions of the indu chakra. 7e have presented some practical exercises that could potentially help awaken and preserve some of the energy of this center. 7hat this teaches us is that we all carry within the power of immortality, everlasting happiness, and blissful consciousness. 7hen we have progressed on our path of spiritual and personal self$ growth, indu is activated naturally and without our deliberate intervention. +o, take your time and en#oy the process.
- word of caution at the end. on't rush too much into reaping the benefits of this chakra ahead of time. on't try to develop this center without previously working on the other chakras. e patient and follow the instructions of your spiritual teacher. 7hen the time comes, you will be able to work with the indu chakra in a natural and pleasant way. amaste:
