The Tenth Gate, or “Crown Chakra,” is located at the top of the head, where babies have their “soft spot.” This is the 7th Chakra in Kundalini Yoga.
The Crown Chakra is the union between the human body and Divinity. Kundalini Yoga allows the kundalini energy to rise, balancing and coordinating all of the chakras. The focus of attention, circulation and prana becomes focused at the Crown Chakra and this can lead to an experience of self-realization, heaven, enlightenment, nirvana, or a “Kundalini awakening.” One can experience Wahe Guru—the ecstasy of knowing that we are Divine, that we are all one, that we are boundless and Infinite. The physical space is the crown of the head and is associated with the pineal gland, brain, and nervous system.
The Crown Chakra has the key characteristic of surrender—the humility that can fill us when we bow, bringing the top of the head to the earth.
The Tenth Gate and the Turban
“Guru Nanak ji” by Narayan Jot
In Sikh Dharma, there is a direct relationship between the practice of wearing a turban and the Tenth Gate.
From the time of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, wearing a turban was part of the unique spiritual path that would become Sikh Dharma. Guru Nanak, himself, wore a turban and asked his students to do so as well. For thousands of years, in many different spiritual traditions, the turban has served a unique and universal purpose. It assists a person in experiencing, integrating and maintaining their highest consciousness throughout the day.
Thousands of years ago, yogis and spiritual seekers discovered that the hair on the top of the head protects the Tenth Gate from sun and exposure. In addition, the hair acts as antennae, channeling the energy and life-force of the sun into the body and brain.
To amplify the effect, spiritual seekers would coil or knot their hair at the Tenth Gate – also called the solar center of the head. In men, the solar center is on top of the head at the front (anterior fontanel). Women have two solar centers: one is at the center of the crown chakra, the other is on top of the head towards the back (posterior fontanel). For men and women, coiling or knotting the hair at the solar centers focuses the energy and helps retain a spiritual vibration throughout the day.
This hair knot (known as the joora) is traditionally called the “rishi knot.” In ancient times, a rishi was someone who had the capacity to control the flow of energy and prana in the body. A “maharishi” was someone who could regulate the flow of energy in the body, meditatively and at will. Sikh Dharma practitioners believe that the “rishi knot” assists in the channeling of energy in meditation (Naam Simran). If one cuts off the hair, there can be no rishi knot. By giving us the “rishi knot” and the turban, the Sikh Gurus shared a very ancient technology for how an ordinary person can develop the capacity of a rishi.
The next step after tying a “rishi knot” is to put on a turban. The turban covers the coiled, uncut hair. The pressure of the multiple wraps keeps the 26 bones of the head in place and activates pressure points on the forehead that keep a person calm and relaxed. Turbans cover the temples, which is said to help protect a person from the mental or psychic negativity of other people. The pressure of the turban also changes the pattern of blood flow to the brain. One can feel clarity and readiness for the day, and for what may come from the Unknown.
Wearing the turban helps experience Divine Energy and can serve as a reminder that there is something greater than what we know. Those who wear the turban take the highest, most visible part of themselves and show that it belongs to the Creator. It can help cultivate a sense of surrender to the Divine.
For Sikhs, the turban is the Guru’s gift. It is how Sikhs crown themselves as people of Universal Consciousness who sit on the throne of commitment to the higher Self. For men and women alike, this projective identity conveys royalty, grace, and uniqueness. It is a signal to others that Sikhs live in the image of Infinity and are dedicated to serving all. The turban represents complete commitment.
~Resources: “The Chakra System,” (3HO) and “The Spiritual Technology of the Turban” (Sikh Dharma International).
