It has been called the Eye of Horus and the Eye of Shiva, the Eye of God in the mind of man. The ancient Greeks and Romans considered it to be the supreme gland.

Descartes called it the seat of the soul. Maybe it’s what Jesus was referring to when he said: “If thine eye be single, the body will be full of light.”

The pineal gland gets its name from the pinecone, and it is shaped like one. This tiny structure sits deeply in the center of your brain, and yet it is sensitive to light—and it is especially to vibration.

It is said that the pineal gland is where spirit and matter collide, or body and soul meet. On the physical, chemical level we know that it manufactures serotonin and melatonin and possibly even dimethyltryptamine (DMT).

When your third eye or your pineal body is awakened, your imagination, creativity, intuition, and lucid dreaming are enhanced, and your moods are stable.

When your pineal gland is healthy and active, you easily experience empathy and a sense of connection and belonging, and a heightened state of clarity that goes beyond the five senses.

This month, I invite you to play with three breathing exercises, techniques and meditations meant to awaken your pineal gland and to open your third eye.

1. Close your eyes and rotate them upward, aiming your attention toward the point between your eyebrows—your third eye, or toward the center point of your brain—to your pineal gland, and plug your ears using your fingers

Take in a full breath in and then exhale slowly thru your nose while making a humming or buzzing sound. Do 6 to 12 rounds of this ‘humming’ or ‘bumblebee- breath.

2. With each breath, for several minutes, imagine sending beams of light toward the front and toward the back, to the left and the right, straight up and straight down. With each breath imagine directing light outward from your pineal gland in the center of your skull. (From the inside out.)

Then again for several minutes, imagine sending beams of light from the front and from behind, from the left and the right, and from above and below. With each breath, direct light from around you toward that central point in your brain—to your pineal gland. (From the outside in.)

3. In the morning when the sun is rising, and again in the evening when it is setting—when the sun is not yet bright—gently gaze at the sun. Breathe consciously with the intention to exchange energy and light between the sun and your pineal gland.

Give yourself lots of time for this practice. Be patient. For some, it may take days or weeks to awaken or develop this sixth sense.

Good luck in your practice and many blessings on your path!

(Guchu Ram Singh)