Until recently, I had been focusing on the nasal root for a long time, but while I still continue to slightly loosen the nasal root at the beginning of meditation because it makes it easier for energy to flow, I have found that it takes less time to work with the nasal root. Therefore, the focus is now shifting to the forehead.

Previously, when channeling energy to the forehead, there were two routes: one that went from the front of the face, including the nasal root, and another that went through the middle of the head. However, the route that goes through the center of the head requires channeling energy all the way to the head, which means raising energy from the crown chakra (Sahasrara) or the central axis of the body, through the neck, back of the head, and the center of the head. While this route is somewhat open, the energy flow through the center of the head is not completely clear, so channeling energy from the center of the head to the forehead was not very powerful. Previously, I mainly used these two routes: loosening the nasal root and then channeling energy to the forehead.

The basic principle remains the same, but the situation has changed as the energy starts to flow through the nasal root.

The left and right energy channels, known as Ida and Pingala in yoga, run through the body and reach the area around the nasal root. Previously, I was channeling these Ida and Pingala channels to the nasal root. It seemed that the Ida and Pingala channels stopped at the nasal root and then diffused.

While the basic principle remains the same, the fact that the Ida and Pingala channels have started to flow through the nasal root means that they no longer stop at the nasal root, but instead pass through the nasal root and continue as a clear energy channel to the forehead. The core of this route is located near the inner corners of the eyes, and the Ida and Pingala channels run from the inner corners of the eyes, slightly outside the nasal root, and extend to the cheeks and neck. Because there is a blockage at the inner corners of the eyes, I focus on the inner corners of the eyes as a key area during meditation, channeling energy through the Ida and Pingala channels.

By channeling energy through the inner corners of the eyes, the amount of energy entering the forehead increases, and I feel that the forehead becomes more relaxed. Furthermore, I feel that not only the forehead but also the area around the nasal root, which is close to the forehead, is becoming more relaxed. Previously, the focus was on the nasal root, but now the focus is on the inner corners of the eyes.

Currently, the situation is as described above, but in the future, we expect that the amount will further decrease and integrate with the center of the head, the ajna, to become activated.

As usual, I was meditating and circulating energy through my nose and forehead. Today, compared to the previous time, the movement in the forehead area was less, and I felt a sense of pressure in my head. Usually, from here, the forehead relaxes and movement begins, but today, instead of the forehead, the upper part of the back of my head felt like it was suddenly bulging, and I felt that bulge gradually rising towards the top of my head, like a "topknot" forming.

The bulge felt like a hard balloon that was being inflated but not opening, and although energy had been flowing to the upper half of the back of my head, I didn't feel much bulging or movement there before. The difference is that it's not just an energetic movement, but a feeling of bulging.

Initially, the sensation was only in the lower half of the upper part of the back of my head, which is the second section when the head is divided into four vertically, and it felt like a quarter of that section was bulging. From there, I felt the expansion of energy rising towards the uppermost quarter, or as if two quarters were forming. It hasn't yet reached two quarters, but I feel that the area is expanding from a single quarter, gradually increasing to 1.2 and then 1.4.

At the same time, my consciousness is also rising.

Not only consciousness, but energy is also entering the top of my head, which was still somewhat stiff, and there is a sign that the top of my head will soon relax and bulge.

Energy is entering the top of my head more easily, and the feeling of connection upwards is stronger than before. I feel that the energy from the bulging in the back of my head is making it easier for energy to enter the top of my head.

This route itself has existed before, but what used to appear individually and temporarily now appears relatively regularly and continuously.

The moment this change occurred was when I was meditating or just waking up, and suddenly several lines of energy began to pass through the front of my face, and it feels like energy now flows more easily through the front of my face. There are still many challenges on the front of my face, and it feels like there is still a long way to go, but it feels like energy flows more easily than before.

- Lines that pass from the outside of the mouth, through the cheek, and rise to the eyes (both sides).
- Lines that pass from the chin, through the mouth, and rise to the nose.
- Lines that rise diagonally from the inner corner of the eye towards the forehead, from the direction of the nose or cheek.

I feel that these are intertwined and that the front of my face is becoming more active. And now, I feel these things not only regularly but also in a way that I can feel that the area "slightly away from the skin" is also becoming active, and I can perceive this as a sensation on the skin and inside it.

The sensation was that the aura was not reaching the surface of the skin on my forehead, but suddenly the aura penetrated, and it spread to both sides of my forehead, just above my eyes.

A little while ago, the aura had penetrated up to below my eyes, but it had not yet penetrated above my eyes. Now, it has penetrated above my eyes as well.

Sometimes, this happens suddenly and causes me to feel unwell.

It seems that in the past, people sometimes described this as "the devil coming." I vaguely remember something similar in the biography of Ignatius of Loyola or something, but I'm not sure.

Recently, I've been thinking that the reason I feel unwell when insects or things get in my eyes is because the aura route (similar to nadis in yoga) on the front of my face becomes blocked by this. When I instinctively react to reject an insect, I tense the muscles on the front of my face, which disrupts my breathing and destabilizes my aura, ultimately leading to a feeling of being unwell.

Afterward, I meditate or sleep for a night, and the next day I recover to some extent, but compared to before an insect got in, the aura on my face feels somewhat blocked.

While it's common for insects to get in your eyes, I think the key to dealing with it is to be mindful of not disrupting the flow of aura. However, it's often an instinctive reaction, so the flow of aura can be disrupted suddenly. This could be seen as a test of how much mindfulness is present in one's daily life, and a measure of one's personal growth.

And (in yoga terms), the flow of prana also improved. In terms of aura, the heart chakra had been relatively activated from before, but in the area close to the physical body, near what seems to be the thymus, a part close to the bone opened up and started to move.

This happened after I tried to activate the aura throughout my body by performing the prayer posture (合掌行) for about an hour, and approximately 50 minutes into it, the thymus suddenly opened, and I felt a slight opening in the space between the bones in the chest area.

Although this was a change relatively close to the physical body, the physical body and the aura are closely related, so the aura became more flexible because the physical body relaxed.

This is a gradual process, and a little while ago, it felt like several lines were passing through, but gradually, those lines became thicker and connected, and I feel that the energy route, like the width of a river, is changing into a surface or a large river. Although there is still a feeling that the area around the forehead has not fully expanded, the area around the forehead has grown to some extent, and I feel that energy is flowing more easily.

Until now, there were two mountains on either side of the top of the head, and the balance between the left and right sides was not well-maintained.

Suddenly, the center of these two mountains connected and bulged, and the two separate parts merged into one. Then, the aura around the head began to rise, and the center of the head, slightly forward of the top, bulged slightly.

It doesn't quite feel complete, but before, the left and right sides of the head were each a separate, round shape, with different sizes and levels of activation. Suddenly, they connected in the center and began to activate as one. Although they are not completely fused yet, it feels like the mountains that were previously formed on the left and right sides have now come together and integrated to some extent, and the aura has begun to rise.

At the same time, the aura is also gathering on the forehead, above the space between the eyebrows, in the center of the forehead. Previously, the aura had not been able to reach the center of the forehead, but now it is suddenly gathering there.

- The rising of the aura mountain slightly forward of the top of the head.
- The gathering of aura in the upper center of the forehead.

These are relatively close locations, and I feel that they are activating along a central axis.

Recently, almost simultaneously with a slight swelling of the aura above my head, I felt a faint presence extending upwards, towards the top of my head.

Although not yet fully connected by the aura, there seems to be something faintly connected, something that exists, whether it can be called the "heavens" or not, but I have finally been able to feel a connection with the heavens, not only during meditation but also in my everyday life.

During meditation, I close my eyes, so my spatial awareness is limited, and I don't have much of a sense of that kind of thing, although I do have a vague feeling. However, when I am living my daily life, I keep my eyes open, so I have spatial awareness, and then I feel that something is extending above my head.

And that, it seems, is faintly extending from the slightly swollen aura above my head.

Recently, when I wake up, my body returns to a state where the tension is still somewhat present, so I meditate to relax it again. I repeat this process. Although there is this cycle, basically, the area around my eyes and the back of my nose has become more relaxed overall.

The location is in the upper half of my head, and I feel like the inside of my head is becoming empty, with the space inside the skull becoming hollow. And by focusing my awareness on the skull, it gradually relaxes. Compared to before, the skull has become more relaxed, but there are still challenges. The inside has become relatively relaxed, while the skull surrounding it still has some tension.

The tension in the back of my eyes seems to be somewhat related to the stiffness in my neck. When the back of my eyes relaxes, my neck also relaxes. The neck is also connected to my jaw and the back of my mouth, but those areas are already relatively relaxed, so the current challenge is to relax the back of my eyes through my neck.

In the morning, the back of my eyes and my neck are somewhat stiff. If I leave this state unattended, it seems like it could become even stiffer and cause tension and shoulder pain. However, now, by meditating beforehand, I feel like I am addressing the cause.

Previously, I was moving my awareness up and down through the area behind my nose and between my eyebrows. However, with this current state, although some individual issues remain, the overall area has already become more relaxed. So, those issues behind my nose and between my eyebrows are relatively minor, and the overall relaxation seems to be leading to the resolution of those individual issues. To avoid any misunderstanding, I believe that in the initial stages, it was necessary to address those individual problems such as the area behind my nose and between my eyebrows. However, by gradually resolving them one by one, and then achieving overall relaxation, it has become easier to address those individual issues. Therefore, while it might have been better to address the overall area from the beginning, that would have required more energy. So, it was necessary to first address the individual issues and then focus on the overall area, taking a step-by-step approach.

Generally, the nose is understood as the organ for breathing, and is therefore related to the lungs and the body's energy. In particular, in yoga, it is said that prana, the vital energy, is taken in through breathing and permeates the entire body. And while this is explained in yoga, it seems that in most cases, it is explained and understood from the perspective of breathing.

When practicing pranayama, a breathing technique in yoga, prana, the vital energy, is taken into the body. The basic explanation and understanding is that prana is taken in through breathing.

Indeed, there is such an aspect, and breathing is important because of the deep breathing involved. Therefore, the explanation is not entirely wrong.

In yoga's pranayama, especially in techniques like alternate nostril breathing, the aim is to balance the energy on the left and right sides. This is done by breathing or stopping the breath. However, in reality, the energetic movement is much more important than the physical act of breathing or stopping the breath.

However, the teachings and what is emphasized vary depending on the school of yoga. Some schools emphasize the physical act of breathing and stopping the breath. On the other hand, there are schools that practice pranayama while breathing, but do not focus so much on the breathing itself. For example, in Kriya Yoga, while it is described as breathing (breath), it refers to the energetic movement rather than the physical breathing.

In many schools of yoga, pranayama breathing techniques emphasize breathing, while also valuing the energetic movement. On the other hand, there are schools that, while describing it as breathing (breath), do not pay much attention to the breathing itself, but emphasize the energetic movement. This is because, when it comes to pranayama, some schools focus on the physical movement, while others focus on both the physical movement and the energetic movement, or almost entirely on the energetic movement.

In reality, in the beginning, one does not understand the energetic movement, so one focuses on the physical movement. However, even if the movement is physical, energy is always moving, so even if one is not conscious of it, energetic changes are always occurring. Therefore, even without thinking about it, there is energetic movement when practicing pranayama. However, as one's understanding of yoga deepens, one begins to see the energetic movement, and one tends to focus more on that energy.

Therefore, you can think of it as a breathing technique, but in reality, it is a change in energy.

Now, returning to the initial point, the connection between the nose and the lungs, as well as the dantian, is fundamentally a physical matter. However, there is an energetic connection between the dantian (abdomen) and the nose. This is not a metaphor; there is actually a connection between the nose and the abdomen (solar plexus chakra, manipura chakra).

Therefore, when the nose is energetically open, energy flows into the abdomen (dantian, manipura), leading to vitality. The dantian can be either manipura or swadhisthana depending on the context, but in this case, it refers to the third chakra, manipura.

Therefore, even when yoga or other exercises and spiritual practices sometimes say, "Take a deep breath and absorb energy," if the nose is not open, not much energy actually enters.

Although some textbooks on yoga state that simply taking deep breaths is sufficient, or that breathing brings in energy, in order to actually absorb energy, the nose must be open.

In some spiritual traditions, this is simply called "universal energy," and the terminology may vary, but the key is that life energy is absorbed through the nose, which creates vitality.

Some people may have this area naturally open, so they can absorb energy simply by breathing without any effort. However, for those whose area is not open, even if they take deep breaths, not much energy will enter. Since it is a matter of one's own body, if you feel that energy is overflowing in your abdomen (dantian) when you take a deep breath, you can consider that your area is open. On the other hand, if you take a deep breath and energy does not flow in that much, then that is the degree of openness of your nose.

A single line that runs from left to right, it initially started on the right side, but that line now almost completely runs from left to right. This seems to need to extend not only left to right, but also front to back and up and down, but for now, I feel like the left to right path has opened up to some extent. Starting with that, it seems like the energy is gradually expanding from left to right and becoming easier to flow across the surface of the face.

I have been trying to open the up and down paths, and of course, the front and back paths as well, but in addition to that, the left to right paths seem to have opened up. This path seems to extend not only near the eyes and eyebrows, but also continues all the way to both ears, and I feel some sensation in both ears. It's a left to right energy line that connects the nasal bone, eyes, and both ears.

This horizontal line has a width in the up and down direction, with the top reaching around the eyebrows and the bottom reaching below the eyes or above the cheeks, forming a thick horizontal line.

This can be interpreted as a horizontal line, but there are also parts that are part of the up and down lines, and especially around the nasal bone, part of the up and down paths seems to be spreading horizontally. However, the area around the nasal bone can be seen as horizontal, front to back, or up and down, depending on how you look at it. And as it flows in multiple directions like that, the energy passing through the nasal bone increases, and at the same time, more energy is flowing into the manipura (solar plexus chakra).

If it continues like this, it feels like the ajna (third eye) might open, but the front and back paths still have some resistance, and it feels like it needs a little more. I want to continue like this and see how it goes.

Previously, the nasal root area lacked sufficient energy flow, requiring a gradual approach. This involved repeatedly working to detach the facial skin from the skull, creating space and allowing for some energy flow, while simultaneously encouraging movement in the facial skin. This process often activated the solar plexus in the abdomen.

However, the effects were often temporary, although there was some degree of continuity.

Initially, the area was very rigid and stagnant. Over time, cracks would appear, followed by slight movement and the formation of gaps. Then, lines resembling muscles would develop vertically, and several lines would emerge, creating a connection between the throat (Vishuddha) and the space between the eyebrows. This was significant as a vertical connection, representing a major energetic change. However, it was still like a narrow stream. Energetic streams were being created, connecting the facial skin vertically, from top to bottom.

In yoga, these energetic flows are called "nadis," and they are created through repeated meditation. However, the flow was still limited vertically, as the facial skin seemed to pull horizontally, hindering the expansion of the energy flow.

The breakthrough came with the introduction of horizontal movement. By connecting the sides of the nasal root to both eyes and both ears, horizontal energy pathways were created, and connecting these with the previously established vertical routes accelerated the relaxation in the nasal root area.

This was literally a connection between the vertical and horizontal directions. As this happened, a natural expansion in the front and back also emerged. This intersection of the vertical and horizontal axes, which is the nasal root and the space between the eyebrows, allowed for expansion not only up and down, but also front and back of the facial skin.

With this, the nasal root and the space between the eyebrows became the central axis in all eight directions. This further accelerated the relaxation of the nasal root.

Previously, I felt that the nasal root was somewhat relaxed, but still had room for further relaxation. This was because it is a place where energy from all directions converges, connecting not only vertically but also horizontally, and front and back. Furthermore, I suspect that it is originally a sphere. Perhaps the energy extending in all directions from this sphere is what is called the "ajna."

Previously, while this place was relatively conducive to meditation and expanding consciousness, there were challenges in maintaining consistency in daily life. Now, that has started to become established, and not only has it become established, but I feel that the energetic activation continues even in daily life outside of meditation, leading to a gradual easing. Of course, in terms of progress, meditating is faster, but the stability in daily life and the gradual easing, even if it's just a little, is a significant difference compared to before.

As the energy spreads from the root of the nose, the center of the head and the lower half of the back of the head also seem to gradually become more relaxed. I feel that there is a connection from the root of the nose, through that area, to the body, especially the manipura (solar plexus). This change is having a significant impact on the energetic activation of the body, as well as on the relaxation of various parts of the head, especially the center of the head and the lower half of the back of the head.