30-Minute Yin Yoga for the Third-Eye Chakra

If you’ve heard of the third eye chakra, you’re probably already aware that this chakra relates to a sense of spirituality and an ability to see beyond the everyday. But you might not understand the nuances of this powerful chakra, which includes your creativity and your imagination, your ability to listen to your inner guidance system and trust your intuition. Becoming more attuned to the third eye chakra through yin yoga can help you feel more empowered to make decisions that are right for yourself.

The theme of the third eye chakra, or Ajna, is all about the bigger picture. It supports aligning with your purpose rather than acting in a certain way that other people expect of you. The third eye chakra asks you to get clear with yourself so that instead of getting bogged down and clouded by the noise of everyday life, including people around you telling you what you should and shouldn’t be doing.

When you tap into the third eye chakra, you become better able to shut out the rest of the world out and listen to your inner voice. What does it want for you? What does your highest self want for you?

You can also expect a boost of creativity, heightened intuition, and maybe even the thrill of enhanced imagination. The following yin yoga for the third eye practice is designed to help support this chakra, and, by extension, all of the above.

I always recommend keeping a journal, a notebook, or a pen and paper close by during any chakra practice, so that you can write down any insights that reveal themselves to you, whether during the practice or afterward. I like to pair yin yoga poses with affirmations. So for each pose you practice during this yin yoga for the third eye chakra routine, I’ll share an affirmation. All you need to do is listen and silently repeat it to yourself a few times and notice how you feel in response to the words.

A reminder that in yin yoga, you don’t want to use any kind of muscular effort or strength. You’re looking to create a shape in which you find your edge—you want to feel some sensation but not go past the limit of what is tolerable. There’s no need to force the stretch. You want to let gravity do the work for you.

Yin Yoga for the Third Eye Chakra

I ask you to use props in some of the poses. A couple blocks, pillows, or folded blankets will work well. Simply keep them somewhere close by. Let’s start!

Centering

Bring your awareness to your sense of intuition, your imagination, your purpose. In what ways would you like to grow or evolve? Do you feel like you are in touch with your intuition? Simply be curious rather than search for answers.

Breathing Exercise

This is nadi shodana or alternate nostril breathing and it’s meant to clear the cobwebs of the mind and help us find balance internally, which in turn allows us to think more clearly to see the bigger picture.

Keep your eyes closed if that’s comfortable for you and lengthen through the spine. Bend the index and middle fingers of your right hand and keep your thumb, ring finger, and pinky finger straight. Place your thumb against your right nostril to seal it off. Then take an inhale through your left nostril for a count of four, five, or six. At the top of that inhalation, block off your left nostril with your pinky finger and release the right nostril as you exhale for that same count of four, five, or six. Then inhale through the right for that same count, seal it off, and exhale out of the left. Then repeat at your own pace for about eight rounds.

After that final exhalation, come back to your natural breath rhythm.

Child’s Pose

Make your way into Child’s Pose, either with your knees together or apart. Because our focus is the third eye, you’re going to rest your forehead directly on the mat or prop. Release your arms alongside your body, palms facing up. Allow your shoulders to settle and your belly to be soft as you connect your third eye to the earth.

Say to Yourself: I am connected to my purpose. I am connected to my purpose.

When you’re ready, bring your arms straight in front of you, press into the fingertips, and slowly lift up, inch by inch.

Half Butterfly

Come to sit and straighten your right leg in front of you. Bend your left knee and bring the sole of that left foot to the inside of your right thigh. You’re going to come into a seated forward fold that’s a variation of a pose known as Head to Knee Pose or Janu Sirsasana.

Keeping the focus on the third eye, you want the forehead to rest on something so there’s gentle applied pressure. Depending on how far forward you bend, you might need one or two blocks in front of you on which you lean. Let your head be heavy and rest your third eye either on the block or your hands stacked on top of the block. It’s perfectly fine to let your back round in this shape. So let yourself fully relax and imagine breathing directly into that space of the third eye.

Say to Yourself: My intuition is always guiding me. My intuition is always guiding me.

When you’re ready to come out of the pose, push your hands into the floor and slowly lift yourself back up, inch by inch. Keep your breathing slow and steady and switch sides. You might have one side that’s tighter than the other, and that’s very normal. Just ease your way into it as slow as you need.

Say to Yourself: I have all the answers within me. I have all the answers within me.

Bring your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent and let them lower from side to side, releasing the low back from those forward folds.

Supported Crocodile Pose

This next pose is a shoulder assist. So place both blocks in front of you on your mat on the first or second level. You’re  not trying to force the stretch too much, you’re just settling in here. Lower yourself onto your belly with the blocks underneath the fronts of your shoulders so the blocks support your shoulders. You want your forehead to rest on the mat. I prefer to have my arms extended alongside me, palms turning to face up. Breathe into your upper back.

Say to Yourself: My spiritual vision is clear. My spiritual vision is clear.

Savasana

Ease your way out of the pose and slowly flip over onto your back. So let yourself take up some space and get really comfortable here in Savasana, using props if you want although they’re not needed. Let yourself take in these final minutes of rest and relaxation.

Say to Yourself: I see the bigger picture and trust my inner wisdom. I see the bigger picture and trust my inner wisdom.

Closing

When you’re ready, start to wake back up from this rest and breathe a little more slowly. Make any movements that feel good. You can roll to one side, take a seat, and close your eyes once you’re there. Notice how you feel now, as opposed to when you first stepped onto your mat. Linger here for several moments. Maybe notice if there is a particular affirmation that resonates with you or jot some notes down in your journal before you return to your day.

Thank you so much for doing this yin yoga for the third eye chakra practice with me. You can also find practices for the chakras relating to the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, and throat.