Chapter 15 – Night Practice 3: The Whys and Hows of the Technique approximately one inch directly behind the area between the eyebrows – hence the direct effect on the eye of the awakening of the sense of smell. To get a clearer picture of the connection between the third eye and smell, tune into the eye of a dog. The third eye of this animal is completely ‘smell’. You can see clearly how its eye extends into its nostrils. In addition to its local effects, this exercise is a powerful stimulant to vitality in general, due to both the extra intake of energy and the reflex stimulation of several organs of the body from the mucosa of the nostrils. The capacity to receive more vibrant energy will persist during the day and you will develop a prodigious sensitivity to smells. Your nose will become a constant source of wonder. In Kundalini-yoga the sense of smell is related to mūlādhāra-cakra, the root chakra, located in the perineum and at the base of the spine. In mūlādhāra lies the most primal, the most grounded and physical level of the bodily vitality. Any strong awakening of the sense of smell is considered to trigger a reaction in mūlādhāra, thereby activating the functions of the chakra. This can be used in the treatment of depressed patients who have lost motivation in the physical plane, and who neither wish to live nor die. (Think also of the smelling salts used to bring people back to consciousness after fainting.) Smell is the most primal of the physical senses. For instance, the olfactory lobe or rhinencephalon, which deals with smell perceptions, is one of the most ancient parts of the brain in terms of phylogeny. The above-mentioned technique to stimulate the ‘nose-power’ can therefore give unexpectedly powerful results in re-awakening the life force of depressed people or in patients suffering from fatal illnesses. Many of those who run after vitamins would be very surprised to realize how much their vitality could be increased by educating their nose. The nose is a main organ of reception of the etheric (vital force) of the air. It is not only during night practice, but also during your daily activities that you can work at catching more and more energy from the air.
Tips • The regular practice of neti (see Chapter 16) will be a powerful aid in developing the sensitivity of your nostrils and building up
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