Deep in the center of your brain, tucked between the two hemispheres, sits a gland about the size of a grain of rice, shaped like a tiny pine cone. It's called the pineal gland, and few parts of the body have inspired more curiosity.
In the 1600s, the philosopher René Descartes described it as the place where the soul meets the body. Many contemplative traditions associate the center of the head with inner vision, the “third eye.” And modern science has discovered it plays a starring role in one of the most important rhythms of your life: sleep.
The hormone of darkness
The pineal gland makes melatonin, often called the hormone of darkness. It's built from serotonin, and its release is controlled by light. When light hits your eyes, a signal travels to the brain's master clock, which tells the pineal gland to hold back. As evening falls and light fades, the brake comes off and melatonin rises, telling every cell in the body that night has come.
Blue light, the kind that pours out of phones and laptops, is especially good at suppressing melatonin. That's why an evening of screens can leave you wired at midnight, and why dimming the lights is one of the simplest ways to help your body get ready for sleep.
The pineal gland in Dispenza's teaching
In Becoming Supernatural, Dr. Joe Dispenza gives the pineal gland a central place in his work. He teaches that those calcite crystals act like an antenna, and that when the pineal gland is activated, it can tune in to frequencies and information beyond the usual senses.
He also teaches that an activated pineal gland transforms melatonin into powerful related compounds that produce profoundly vivid inner experiences: rich imagery, deep insight and a sense of connection to something far larger than yourself. Many of his students describe these as the most meaningful moments of their practice.
To activate it, Dispenza teaches a special breath that draws energy up the spine to the brain. You sit tall and, as you inhale, contract the muscles of the pelvic floor, then the lower abdomen, then the upper abdomen, following the energy upward along the spine to the top of the head. You hold the breath there for a moment with the muscles engaged, then release and exhale. Repeated a few times, it's designed to move energy from the lower centers up into the brain.
The body keeps time with the sun. Your practice can keep time with the body.
Working with the pineal gland in the evening
- Dim the lights an hour before bed, and put screens away. Let your melatonin rise on time.
- Meditate by candlelight or in darkness. Evening sits in low light sit right in the pineal gland's natural window.
- Get morning sunlight. Bright light early in the day sets the clock, so melatonin arrives on schedule at night.
- Keep it consistent. The same bedtime and the same wake time give the whole rhythm something to lock on to.
An evening sit for the center of the head
- Dim the room or light a single candle. Sit comfortably with your spine tall.
- Let your breath slow down. Feel the weight of the day leaving your shoulders.
- Bring your attention to the center of your head, behind your eyes. Sense the space there.
- If you'd like, try Dispenza's breath a few times: contract from the pelvic floor upward as you inhale, drawing energy to the top of your head, hold briefly, release and exhale. Go gently.
- Rest your awareness in the darkness behind your eyes. Welcome whatever images or feelings arise.
- When you're done, head straight to bed, with no screens in between.