・Furthermore, the nose and its surrounding areas have become relaxed, and energy is flowing more smoothly (previously, the nose felt slightly stiff).
・The manipura (solar plexus) has become more activated and further opened.
・The area between the eyebrows and the forehead still has some stiffness, but it is gradually loosening (a challenge for the future).

I wasn't particularly focusing on the manipura, but the area just above the navel is becoming activated. There are various theories about the location of the manipura, but the swadhisthana (sacral chakra) is slightly below the navel, and the anahata (heart chakra) is around the chest, so the area in between or slightly below that is the manipura, and that area is becoming activated, which is increasing grounding. This can be considered a vital force, and it seems to be an important force for living in this human society. I had been generally activating the area around the manipura, but a clear center point had not yet been established. When kundalini was first activated, there was no center point, but it simply felt warm overall. It seems that the process of kundalini awakening and the formation of a chakra center are different stages, and they don't happen simultaneously. First, kundalini awakens and becomes activated, and after a period of stabilization, the chakra center forms.

Basically, the chakras tend to activate from the bottom up, but it seems that there are some chakras that are easier to activate for different people. Yoga books often contain accounts of people who have experienced difficulty activating certain chakras. Even when a chakra is said to be "open," the degree of openness varies, and it may be that a chakra center is only just beginning to form, with the potential to become a more clearly defined chakra.

In my case, it seems that the anahata chakra was activated before the manipura. The manipura is a chakra that is quite related to human emotions, so it seems to be deeply connected to earthy sensations and worldly attachments. When it comes to love and affection on this Earth, it often relates to the manipura stage. Therefore, I have often felt more of a universal love associated with the anahata chakra rather than human emotions, but with the activation of the manipura, I have also started to feel more of the human passions.

When it comes to the love of the anahata chakra, it is closer to tears and the beginning of oneness, while the manipura is about human, earthy emotions. Neither is superior, and both aspects exist.

When people talk about spirituality, there seems to be a misunderstanding that it involves abandoning the lower chakras and moving on to the higher ones. There's a misunderstanding that it involves letting go of emotions and moving towards universal love. This represents a certain aspect of it, and it's not entirely wrong, but rather than abandoning the lower stages, it's about transcending them through the higher stages, and there is no contradiction between them. The higher stages allow you to understand the lower stages, and there is no conflict.

I used to think that I didn't need to cultivate the lower chakras and that the Anahata chakra was enough, but without consciously doing so, the lower chakras have been spontaneously activated, and I feel that the balance of the chakras in my entire body has been improving. In particular, the Ajna chakra has been activated, and since the Ajna chakra is one of the main energy entry points in the center of the body, it makes sense that activating the Ajna chakra would also activate the other lower chakras.

By the way, the conventional wisdom is that the Manipura chakra is yellow, but when reading yoga books, there are also descriptions of it as red and having a blood-like sensation. In that regard, my own experience is similar, and I feel that the Manipura chakra is more red than yellow.

I have been quite resistant to the Manipura chakra, and while this sensation has appeared many times, I often felt it was unpleasant and closed it off. I felt a very animalistic, blood-like sensation, and I judged it as having a low vibration, so I tried to separate myself from it. However, it seems that this is not the right approach, and my current understanding is that the chakras should be activated comprehensively from top to bottom. If the higher chakras, such as the Ajna chakra, are not active, activating the Manipura chakra or the lower chakras can cause various problems, but if the higher chakras are active to some extent, these problems are less likely to occur.

The fact that I felt disgusted and closed it off is closely related to the fact that the Ajna chakra was not open. Some schools of thought teach that it is better to open the Ajna chakra first, but I think that it may be about opening the area around the nose and eyes, rather than the Ajna chakra itself.

In this regard, yoga books mention that the areas around the eyes and nose are related to the Manipura chakra (not just the Ajna chakra). It is said that there are meridians that control the digestive system around the eyes and nose, and that these are closely related to the Manipura chakra. Therefore, although I was not particularly aware of it, I have been focusing on relaxing the various parts of my head, especially the areas around the nose and eyes, and this has been related to the activation of the Manipura chakra, which is consistent with the logic of yoga. Similarly, it is understandable that yoga practices like Trataka (focusing on a candle or other point) can activate the Manipura chakra.

Those areas are not exactly Ajna itself, but they are important energy routes (nadis). If the nadis that pass through the nose and eyes are blocked, you may feel that your Manipura chakra is unpleasant, and at the same time, it may seem that your Manipura chakra is unstable. I think it is necessary to open the nose and eyes properly, not just the lower abdomen, in order to stabilize the Manipura chakra.

People with a strong Manipura chakra give the impression of having strong vitality. However, that is human vitality. If there are people with weak and strong Manipura chakras, the person with a strong one may have a slightly unpleasant aura. In reality, chakras are complex entities, but when the Manipura chakra is activated, an unpleasant aura may be mixed in. Some people may not notice it, but it seems to depend on the degree of activation of the Manipura chakra between the person and the other person. If the other person's Manipura chakra is stronger than yours, you may feel unpleasant, and that is expressed as a sensation of the Manipura chakra. If your Manipura chakra is stronger than the other person's, you may not feel anything in particular. The Manipura chakra has an image similar to that of Japanese samurai or swordsmen from the Edo period. It is a chakra full of vitality, overwhelming the opponent with courage, and it seems to be quite difficult to handle.

When I checked the chakras around the Manipura chakra, the Anahata chakra was relatively open, while the Vishuddha (throat) and Ajna (third eye) chakras still have a lot of work to be done. In my case, I originally have a weak Vishuddha chakra in my throat, but the Ajna chakra in my forehead is also tightly closed. Even if the Ajna chakra moves slightly, it still seems to be closed as a chakra. However, even if the Ajna chakra is basically closed, it seems to be moving slightly. In particular, there is a feeling that the Ajna chakra is moving slightly due to energy from the nose and eyes, and energy from the Sahasrara (crown), and even a slight movement can affect the lower chakras, so it can be said that the Ajna chakra is powerful. Now that the Manipura chakra is activated, it seems that it would be better to activate the Ajna chakra a little more. This is a challenge for the future.

I, myself, have tended to underestimate the Manipura chakra. Thinking back, chakras seem to be different depending on the stage, whether it is the level of energy (qi), the astral level, or a higher level. I think that the chakras at the level of energy were relatively open overall, but I don't think they were properly open at the astral level. There were times when I felt like I was slightly entering the causal level, but I realized that I am finally entering the causal level properly, and that the basic level is still astral, through this experience.

Even if it is said that an energy similar to Kundalini has risen and enveloped the body, I think it was still mainly in the realm of Qi. Although it may contain astral energy, when the astral chakra opens, a clear sense of rotation is felt, and in the realm of Qi, the rotation of the chakra was not yet appearing. That is my understanding.