(This is a personal matter, so feel free to skip it.)

1/4
During the New Year's holidays, I went on a hot spring tour. Soaking in hot water seems to energize my head and relax various parts of my body. During this period, I didn't do much seated meditation, but rather enjoyed soaking in hot springs. Simply entering the hot springs relaxes my occipital region and other areas.

1/6
After returning home, I felt a slight sore throat and seemed to be catching a cold, so I spent this week resting.

1/8
I have a slight headache.

1/10
I'm starting meditation again. Since I haven't meditated properly for a while, various parts of my head felt stiff. Although the cold symptoms have improved, I had a runny nose and felt cold after going out in the cold weather.

1/11
The cold is not worsening, but is improving.
Headache continues.

1/12
By meditating properly from the beginning, the headache was resolved. It was difficult to determine whether the headache was due to the cold or because I hadn't been meditating, but it seems that my head was stiff, which caused the headache. The headache almost disappeared with just a slight loosening of my head, especially the forehead area. Specifically, the following:

■Areas that were loosened by meditation:

- First, the area inside the nasal bridge felt stiff and energy couldn't flow through it, so I focused on resolving that area. I used focused attention to gradually allow energy to pass through the left and right sides, as well as the top and bottom of the nasal bridge. After the energy started to flow, suddenly, the area around the nasal bridge loosened, and I felt that the position of the nasal bridge shifted slightly forward. At the same time, I felt that an aura was flowing through the outer skin around the nasal bridge. I also felt that energy was starting to flow through the outer layer of the skin of the nasal bridge, more than before. I felt that energy was flowing through the entire nose, not just the nasal bridge. This area is not perfect, but it has been somewhat resolved.

- (After the nasal bridge loosened), I focused my attention on the area from the space between the eyebrows to the forehead and loosened it. When the energy started to flow, suddenly, a vertical slit-like mark appeared in the center of the forehead, and I felt that it spread slightly to the left and right from the center. At the moment when that slit appeared and the energy started to flow, the headache disappeared. It seems that the headache was caused by this area being blocked. Although there was a slit in the forehead, the entire forehead is still stiff, so I need to continue loosening it.

- I focused my attention on the top of my head and loosened it.

- I loosened the area on the left and right sides of the mouth, which is the route that connects the nose to the mouth on the left and right.

These areas have been issues recently, and I think it is necessary to repeatedly loosen them to stabilize and deepen the loosening.

1/26 Night meditation
A significant loosening occurred in the "upper left part of my head." It was like a tangled rope being untangled. It was like a folded carpet being spread out.
Something that was closed opened, and then loosened.
As a result, I feel that my head has become slightly wider.

まだ、頭頂部と後頭部に硬さが残っていますが、周辺部に隙間あるいは余裕のようなものができて、緩みが加速していく予感があります。

1/28
顔の前面の硬さが、まるで「海に流れ出た氷河」のように取り残されている。今までは氷河が陸続きでピキピキと音が鳴って少しずつ動いていたことに対し、今は、その氷河の周辺部が緩んだことにより氷河が海に流れ出て、それにより、周辺部および氷河の緩みが加速してどんどんと動きが出ていることを感じます。その比喩のごとく、顔の硬さが瞑想によりどんどんと解消されます。まだ完全ではないとはいえ、全体に動きが出て顔の周辺部に「隙間」が出来たことで更に緩みやすくなってきたことを感じます。

1/29
頭を左右に広げることで、頭の中心部の隙間を広げていくような間隔があります。
今までは頭の周辺部が堅くて、このように広がりにくかったように思います。特に、先日に頭の左上でロープがほどけるような感覚と共に緩んで以降、頭の動きにダイナミズムが生まれて、頭の中心部が広がりやすくなってきているように思います。

思うに、以前から頭の中心部が広がろうとしていたものの、周辺部がとても堅かったために広がることができず、結果、変なところに力が入って調子が悪くなって寝込んでしまっていたりしたことが過去に多々あったように思います。頭の中心部を動かそうと思っても動かない場合は、まず頭の周辺部から動かしていくことが肝心のように思います。私にとっては今更のお話ではありますが、他の人にとっては参考になるかもしれません。

1/30
頭の固さの解消が一定水準に達し、エネルギーが頭の上下に通るようになってきました。今までは頭頂の頭蓋骨の部分でエネルギーが止まっている感が強く、下方向から上昇するエネルギーが頭頂の上にあまり通っていない感じでした。瞑想をすることで通ることもありますが、しっかりと通っているという感覚はそこまでありませんでした。今日も全開というわけではないにせよ、30〜50％は頭頂へとエネルギーが通っているように主観では感じます。瞑想をしていない状態ではそこまで通っていませんが、瞑想をすることでそのくらいまでは通ることが出来る感覚があります。

これは、先日に頭の左上（頭頂の左側）でロープがほどけたような感覚になってきた後に、この傾向が顕著で、頭の中程も緩んできたことで、頭頂へとエネルギーが抜けやすくなっていることを感じます。

1/31
Even in a normal state, if I meditate, the Sahasrara (crown chakra) at the top of my head activates relatively quickly, and I can feel my aura extending in a heavenly direction. Originally, it felt like a loosely connected sphere the size of a fist, extending gently towards the heavens. However, I feel that it has expanded to the inner diameter of my head. Even so, it still feels like some parts are blocked and not fully open. Nevertheless, I feel that energy is flowing more freely than before.

Looking at my records, I used similar expressions to describe the Sahasrara in 2022, but the quality of the energy seems different compared to that time. I think there are stages and hierarchies in chakras and auras, and that the Sahasrara activates at each stage. At that time, it seemed to be an activation of the aura closer to the physical body, and now, it seems like it was temporary. Now, in addition to the different quality of energy, the stability has increased. It might be an exaggeration to say it's a difference in dimensions, but some people might express it that way, and it can also be said to be a difference in hierarchies. It seems that each stage goes through a period of instability before reaching a stable period, and I have seen such descriptions in books. Recently, I have had periods of instability, but they have not been as large as before, and even when they collapse, the recovery is faster. It seems that the Sahasrara has become more stable by shedding one level.

2/1
Relaxation is progressing in the back of the nose, both jaws, and the ends of the lips.

2/2 Early morning meditation
In the center of the top of my head, a hard balloon suddenly expanded, or a soft cartilage-like stiffness suddenly eased slightly, and a feeling of movement started, and the top of my head relaxed a little. Because the center of the top of my head relaxed, the surrounding area was pulled or moved, and I felt that the relaxation accelerated throughout the top of my head.

As a result, the pressure at the top of my head was relieved. Furthermore, it seems that energy is flowing more easily. I don't think the maximum flow of energy has changed from before, but the stability seems to have increased. In other words, the ease of energy flow after meditation has not changed much, but the relaxation in a non-meditative state seems to make it easier to maintain the energy state of the top of my head. Therefore, while the maximum value has not changed much, the average ease of energy flow over a certain period seems to have increased. It's like a base has been raised. I think such a change has occurred.

This area is described in Honzan Haku's "Awakening and Liberation of the Chakras (P244 onwards)" as follows:

Even a slight awakening of the Sahasrara chakra, (omission) the skin tends to protrude more than usual. (omission) This doesn't mean that simply doing this will immediately open the gate to Brahman. However, this area is definitely becoming more active. (omission) If it's just vibrating, it's often happening in the dimension of energy. (omission) If it's colored, it generally means that energy is moving in the astral dimension. (omission) When it becomes a transparent light, it means that Kundalini or Sahasrara is moving in the Karana dimension. (omission) If the gate to Brahman truly opens, you will be able to move upwards from here. (omission) If this happens in the astral dimension, it's called astral projection, and if it happens in the Karana dimension, it's called Karana projection.

I don't yet have the feeling of being able to freely exit the gate to Brahman, but at least I know that the Sahasrara chakra is becoming active in the dimension of energy. In my case, it seems to have been in a sealed state for a long time due to various circumstances, so it feels tightly closed and difficult to open. However, even if it's not open, it's a good example of being able to open it forcibly. I have experienced the activation of the Sahasrara chakra several times before, but this time, it seems to be a more solid and substantial activation compared to previous cycles.

Same day (2/2) Afternoon
Along with the feeling of the crown chakra loosening, I also felt a slight pain, and my heart felt slightly prickly and strained. This is something to observe.

Same day (2/2) Evening
Similarly to the crown chakra, I felt a sensation like a hard balloon expanding in my forehead, like a hard cartilage that wouldn't stretch, starting to stretch. This wasn't specifically during meditation, but it was during a time of studying scriptures, so it may have had a beneficial effect. This resolved the pressure in my forehead. Although the hardness inside my forehead remains, at least the feeling of pressure seems to have been resolved.

At least, the pressure in the crown chakra and forehead was resolved during the same day, and although there is still some stiffness in various places, the recent headaches and discomfort associated with the expansion and loosening of my head have decreased, and the surface of my head feels much more relaxed.

2/3
Due to the loosening of the surrounding area, the inside of my head has become easier to loosen. I will further loosen the muscles and other structures that remain in various places. Even simple actions like opening my mouth wide or opening my eyes cause the inside of my head to stretch and loosen. Previously, the area around my head felt tight and wouldn't stretch, but now, even though it's not complete, I can expand the inside of my head while the area around it stretches.

2/4
I feel a sense of pressure slightly deeper, such as in the back of my eyes. Until recently, I felt the pressure near the surface of the skull, but now the pressure on the surface has lessened, and I feel it slightly deeper inside. It seems like the pressure on the outside has eased, allowing the inside to stretch more.

2/5
I feel a sensation of energy becoming thicker horizontally along the eyebrow line.

2/6
I feel a sensation of stretching upwards and to the sides, slightly inside the top of my head. This stretching from the inside seems to have caused my head to expand slightly. It's not perfect yet.

It's similar to the sensation I felt recently when something felt like it was loosening on the "upper left" side of my head, but it's not as significant a change. It's about one-third or one-fourth of that change, but I feel like the area around the center of my head is stretching. This means the upper left and center areas have loosened, but compared to those areas, the upper right still feels a bit stiff.

2/7
I focus on loosening the back of my head. I don't consciously think about it, but when I meditate, the stiff areas are in the back of my head, so I naturally tend to loosen that area.

Also, my crown chakra (Sahasrara) is more active in my daily life than before, so my head continues to loosen during my daily activities. As a result, I feel various areas, such as the back of my eyes, temples, and the back of my head, loosening and making cracking sounds. The area of focus extends from the front of my head to the back of my head, at a height around my temples, and the lower part of the back of my head is loosening particularly.

A recent characteristic is that the areas of loosening are slightly inside, rather than on the periphery of my head.

I think that in the past, I repeatedly experienced situations where I tried to loosen the inside of my head, but the periphery was stiff and blocked, and trying to loosen it forcefully made me feel very unwell. If that's the case, would it be a good idea to first loosen the area around my head? However, it's not that simple, because the inside of my head expands, which causes the periphery to move, and the entire head loosens as a result. While massaging just the scalp seems to have some effect, it's only on the surface, and to properly loosen it, it seems necessary to go through a painstaking process of channeling energy throughout the head and gradually loosening it. People whose heads are naturally softer probably don't have as much trouble. Now that I think about it, I probably had symptoms similar to juvenile Alzheimer's, and although it may not be Alzheimer's itself, the skull may have been tightly closed and stiff, which prevented my head from moving properly.

2/8
Recently, even in my daily life, I feel a cracking sensation as if the back of my head is gradually breaking.

2/9
Until recently, there was a clear boundary around eye level, with the upper part of the head being looser than the lower part, and conversely, the lower part being too tightly connected to the upper part, almost like a hamburger bun with no filling. However, recently, due to increased looseness, a small gap has appeared.

First, I loosen the area between my eyebrows, then I let it relax naturally, and then I loosen the back of my head. In this state, there is still a difference between the upper and lower parts, so I gradually lower the position from the eye line, and gradually rotate energy around the head to loosen it. When I loosen the height of the eye line, each part loosens slightly, so I refocus on the boundary area and repeatedly rotate energy while loosening it. As a result, various parts of the head loosen with a cracking or popping sound, and the boundary gradually moves downward. Although it hasn'檛 completely reached the throat area yet, it feels like it has loosened to around the upper lip. Repeating this process many times causes the lower half of the head and the central area of the head to loosen further.

I loosen each part of the inside of the head one by one, especially the upper right, upper center, around the nose, the back of both sides of the mouth, the back of the jaw, the base of the head and neck, and the lower back of the head. When one area loosens by one level, the surrounding area becomes easier to loosen, and when that happens once, other distant areas also become easier to loosen, creating a chain reaction.

I'm not yet sure how far it will go before reaching the final stage or a critical breakthrough. I suppose I will only know when that happens. Some people's experiences say that the change is instantaneous, so there must be a point where something "switches on," but what do you think? One clue or hint is the "back of the head." For example, there was a saying in Hawaiian Kahuna or something like that, "By reaching the back of the head..." and so on, which seems to be somewhat consistent with my current feeling.

2/11
Even when I'm just living my normal life, I feel a sensation as if the muscles in my head are stretching or breaking, and at the same time, the loosening is gradually progressing.

2/12
Compared to before, the movement of both shoulders and shoulder blades has improved quite suddenly. Perhaps the tension in the muscles that extend to the shoulders has been released due to the alleviation of the tightness in the head. I once heard from a chiropractor that to loosen the head, you need to loosen the muscles connected to the head, such as the shoulders and waist, and eventually the head will loosen. So, whether it's the head first or the shoulders first is like the chicken or the egg problem, but in any case, the head and shoulders seem to be loosening in coordination.

In addition, it seems that the rotation of the lower back and the left and right sides of the upper body has become easier. Previously, it felt like it would get stuck and stop halfway, but now it seems to be able to rotate more than before. However, compared to someone who is naturally flexible, it is still not much. But, in conjunction with the loosening of the head, especially the loosening in the upper left part of the head, I feel that various parts of the body are becoming looser and easier to move.

2/13
I am living with a feeling of tightness and muscle stretching in the inside of my head, especially near the back of the head.

2/14
Focus on loosening the area behind the eyebrows.

2/15
A feeling of the area behind the eyebrows becoming more swollen.

2/16
Meditation focusing on loosening the area behind the eyebrows, as well as the top and back of the head.

2/17
A feeling of expanding the area behind the eyebrows in sync with the breath.
It feels like an egg shape, but it's not a shell, it's a soft membrane. That membrane is repeatedly expanding and contracting.
It's like the feeling of a body that has been covered with sand in a sand bath, repeatedly expanding and contracting with each breath.

2/18
Not only during meditation, but also in the middle of my head, it makes a "crack" sound.
If I meditate, I can more clearly loosen each area in sequence. As the aura permeates, the loosening deepens, and sometimes the area behind the eyebrows or the back of the head makes a "crack" sound and loosens. I have been continuing this type of meditation.