Meditation on the Heart Center

Question

Hello,

I’m doing breath meditation and recently in my third eye area. I’m getting too much pain and too much heat in my head region. As suggested by my friend I’m planning to move my concentration to heart chakra instead of third eye region. Kindly help me how to focus on heart chakra as whenever I’m trying, now automatically my focus goes to 6th chakra. Is it worth imagining my guru in the heart and look at them instead of breathing? Please help.

—Karthik N, India

Answer

Dear Karthik,

Yes, it’s wonderful to visualize your guru in the heart center. The Srimad Bhagavtam describes visualizing the heart first as a downturned lotus flower; then, see it turning upward.

Visualize, too, the guru sitting in lotus pose in the heart of the lotus.

As to pain and heat in the head and third eye: are you perhaps concentrating too much there? Looking up should be gentle and not too high: just to the region between the eyebrows as if gazing a little beyond the forehead, not further than the reach of your arm, perhaps even closer (but don’t cross the eyes).

Since focusing at the third eye is so important to all forms of meditation, may I suggest starting in the heart center and becoming relaxed and at peace with your guru. Then mentally ask him to help you to raise the energy from the heart to the third eye. You might then visualize him gazing back at you just past the third eye. Or, seated at the top of your head to guide you.

Experiment a little, in other words. There are certain cases where staying in the heart is best, but for most people, over time, it is better to gradually become accustomed to looking up and through the spiritual eye.

OK?

Blessings,

Nayaswami Hriman