Understanding the Chakras: THROAT Chakra
The first of the upper chakras is the throat chakra, or vishuddha. Covering not just your throat but the whole area from your shoulders to your ears, this chakra is the center for honest, open communication.
It is the fifth of the seven major chakras. I’ve covered the first four already in this blog series – here are the links, so you can catch up if there are any you’ve missed:
The throat chakra is all about communication and self-expression. Its color is a light blue and its element is ether. In spiritual terms, the ether represents the sacred stillness of space. The ancient Greeks saw it as the fifth element, spirit, which fills the spaces in the universe, containing everything within it.
Our ability to speak our truth, listen empathetically to others, express our ideas, and communicate openly all require an open and balanced throat chakra.
This chakra is also strongly linked with the sacral chakra, which is the center of creativity. Expressing our creative ideas and bringing them forth into the physical world requires the ability to communicate, so it makes sense that these two chakras work so closely together.
Where Is the Throat Chakra?
The center of our throats is the focal point for the throat chakra, as you might expect. But it also covers our necks, upper shoulders, mouth, and jaws. The ears are associated with this chakra too, as is the thyroid.
The Throat Chakra in Balance
When energy flows freely through your throat chakra, open and honest communication comes naturally to you. Expressing your ideas and creativity feels effortless. And you find it easy to speak up and share your truth.
Of course, good communication is as much about listening as it is about speaking. When your throat chakra is in balance, you find conversations flow. You can hear and understand what others are trying to communicate.
Your internal dialogue is also open and healthy. You know how to be honest with yourself. You don’t hide from the truth but seek it out instead.
Indeed truth-seeking, integrity, and authenticity are all values associated with this chakra. When it is open and balanced, you feel no need to hide, lie, or dissemble. You speak with honesty and listen with empathy.
Deficiencies in the Throat Chakra
When you are experiencing a blockage in the throat chakra, it can feel like a very real and physical barrier. You may find your words get stuck in your throat and you struggle to speak up or to share your ideas.
Even when you can speak, you find it hard to articulate your meaning clearly. You may find you meander, stutter, hesitate, or trail off before finishing your point.
You may experience anxiety or fear, especially in situations where you are expected to communicate. You might avoid speaking at all. When you do find yourself in conversations, you may find it hard to be honest and open. You are more concerned with projecting an acceptable image of yourself than whether what you are saying is true.
Difficulty in communicating clearly may lead you to become frustrated or emotional. You might also find it difficult to hear the truth about yourself from others.
Physically, blockages in the throat chakra can cause issues such as sore throats, laryngitis, and hoarseness. You might also experience mouth ulcers or gum disease.
You may find you carry a lot of tension in your neck and upper shoulders, perhaps associated with the stress and anxiety of not being able to communicate clearly. You may have thyroid issues. Or you might have problems with your jaw or ears.
Excesses in the Throat Chakra
If your throat chakra has gone the other way and is too open, you might find that you talk too much instead of too little. You’ll end up dominating conversations and might have difficulty listening to other people.
You might notice that you always feel the need to be right and to have the last word in every conversation. You’ll likely interrupt others when they speak.
You might also spend a lot of time gossiping and criticizing others. But you won’t be able to turn that same critical eye on yourself.
What Triggers Imbalances in the Throat Chakra?
Often, our throat chakras become blocked when we’ve experienced criticism and ridicule for sharing our ideas, especially if that negativity has come from someone close to us, such as a parent or partner.
You might also have had your trust betrayed by someone after sharing your honest thoughts with them. Or you might have been made to keep secrets that weren’t yours to carry, making you feel like you couldn’t speak openly.
How Can You Bring Your Throat Chakra Back into Balance?
Scary though it may be at first, practicing open and honest communication helps to unblock your throat chakra and bring it back into balance. There are also ways you can encourage the energy to flow freely through this chakra once again.
1. Breathwork
Your throat includes your airways, carrying your breath from your nose and mouth down to your lungs and back again. So, breathing exercises can be a powerful way to unblock the throat chakra and release stagnant energy.
One option to try is Lion’s Breath. Inhale through your nose. Stick your tongue out and down, then forcefully exhale through your mouth, making a ‘ha’ sound with your breath. Breathe normally for a few breaths, then repeat.
As well as stimulating the throat, roaring like a lion is a form of self-expression that can help to empower you to communicate more openly.
2. Yoga Poses: Thyroid
Several yoga poses stimulate your thyroid and help to bring your throat chakra back into balance. Options include plow pose (halasana), fish pose (matsyasana), bridge pose (setu bandhasana), and camel pose (ustrasana).
3. Embrace the Color Blue
Blue is the color associated with the throat chakra. But there aren’t many naturally blue foods, except blueberries and some types of algae. Instead, incorporate blue into your life in other ways, such as using blue accents in your home or keeping blue gems and crystals close by. Aquamarine, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and amazonite are good options.
4. Chanting and Singing
A blocked throat chakra can make you feel like your throat is physically closing up, keeping your words locked inside. To shift that blockage, chanting or singing both help move energy through the throat.
You can sing whatever you like, ideally as loudly as possible. But the seed syllable ‘ham’ is a good starting point, as it is associated with the throat chakra.
5. Journal
Communication isn’t only about spoken words. When you are getting into the habit of speaking your truth, writing your uncensored thoughts down on paper can help you get used to communicating authentically. It is also a way to work on your internal dialogue.
Speaking your personal truth and expressing yourself freely are the signs of an open and balanced throat chakra. I hope this guide has given you an introduction to how you can recognize issues in this chakra and begin to unblock it.