At the center of my head, I heard a "pop" sound, and the tension in my forehead eased slightly.

This morning, around 3 AM, I suddenly felt a sensation, a "pop," "tick," or "thud" – a short, fleeting sound that's hard to describe – and it felt like things loosened up a bit. While the "pop" itself isn't particularly unusual, this time, I experienced a distinct change in awareness.

Immediately after, I checked various parts of my head, and the "scraping" sensation I had the night before was significantly reduced. Although some areas still have a slightly cartilaginous feeling, the sandy, gritty sensation that was in the center of my head has lessened considerably, and I feel like my head is more relaxed. "Relaxed" might be misleading; it's as if the gritty sensation has been replaced by a substance, perhaps water or oil, or something with a similar consistency (neither oily nor watery), creating an "aura" in the center of my head, and the grit seems to have absorbed some of that substance, making it "less gritty" when I move my head.

Furthermore, along the energy channel (nadi in yoga) from my forehead to the center of my head, which previously felt blocked by something like grit or cartilage, making it difficult for energy to flow, I now feel that the flow is significantly better than before, although there's still a sense of blockage. It feels like only half of the channel is open, but it's definitely better than before.

I feel like the loosening and the improved energy flow are gradually progressing.

I'm not sure if this directly connects to the third eye (ajna), but at least the improved energy flow seems to make it easier to maintain a clear state of consciousness.

This morning, despite sleeping less than before, my awareness is relatively clear. While there's still a ways to go, my morning awareness is definitely better than it was before.

I'll continue to observe whether this is just a temporary phenomenon or if this state of awareness will persist.

▪️Reduced Sleepiness

Even though I've only slept for about 3 hours, I couldn't fall back asleep after taking notes. My consciousness is awake, and I don't feel particularly sleepy. However, my body is still somewhat tired, so I'm lying down for my body's sake, even though my consciousness is relatively alert.

...There's a common saying that as one approaches enlightenment, sleep time decreases, and consciousness remains active even at night. I feel like I'm experiencing this in stages. Perhaps, as my awareness becomes clearer, I'm first experiencing a reduction in sleep time, and now I'm entering a stage where my consciousness is somewhat active even at night.

▪️"Buzzing" Sensation in the Chest

About an hour after I heard the "pop" in my head, (while I was lying down to rest), I felt a similar "buzzing" sensation in my chest, like something heavy was shifting. It wasn't a strong sensation, but after that, I felt like my heart chakra (anahata) opened up a bit more, and I felt a sense of connection between my heart and my third eye (ajna), creating an aura.

The tension in various parts of my body, especially around my chest, seems to have eased slightly, and I feel like my aura has expanded.

Perhaps, the increased energy flowing into my third eye from my forehead is causing energy to flow into my heart, which is opening up further. (I'm not entirely certain, but that's my hypothesis).

...As a result of this, I'm increasingly feeling that the space around me is becoming "silent." This silence has stages, and the depth of the silence seems to be increasing. When I try to describe it in words, it sounds similar, but it's like the silence of a winter day, the sharp, cold air, and I'm experiencing something similar in the space of my room (even though it's not particularly cold because the heater is on). It's not exactly cold, but rather a feeling of fullness, and the "silence" is a quality of that space.

I feel like not only my inner self but also the space around me is changing into this kind of space.

▪️Energy Channel (Nadi) from Forehead to Center of Head

...And this morning, during meditation around 8 AM, the sensations in my head haven't changed much compared to before, and it's basically the same as before. However, I feel like a "stream" is forming from my forehead to the center of my head. This stream of energy, which has appeared and disappeared intermittently in the past, has become more consistent this time, and it feels like it's a slightly thicker stream.

If I were to compare it, it's like a glacier melting in the summer, and a small stream is forming. The surrounding sensations of creaking and crackling are still there, but even so, the formation of the stream and the flow of energy through it seems to have widened the energy route from between the eyebrows, to the center of the head, and to the heart. I have felt this route before, and I was aware that this energy was important, but this route was still quite prone to blockage, and this time, it seems to have become a little wider and less likely to be blocked. There are still many obstacles, so it may become blocked again, but I feel that energy is gradually starting to flow through it.