‘I SPEAK MY TRUTH’
Have you noticed the quality of your conversations lately? What do you talk about with others? Is your speech limited to superficial matters or is there a depth to them? Do your words and the words of your social circle bring a contraction to your energy or an expansion?
This matters to throat chakra healing. ‘Vishuddha’, the fifth chakra, translates from the Sanskrit as ‘purification’ or ‘cleansing’ and relates to the health of our self-expression, personal truth and integrity. The lower chakras have prepared us for survival, safety, stability and connection and when we meet the solar plexus and heart centres, we’ve learnt to align with our inner faith and power and cultivate love and compassion for self and others. As we move to Vishuddhi, as it is also known, situated at the base of the throat, the energy allows us to express our self-knowledge, beliefs, values — our deepest truths — especially through our creative ability.
The fifth chakra is governed by ‘Akasha’, the ether element, which is to do with space and is associated with a sky-blue colour — the hue often depicted by the Hindu God Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, and also the one who upholds ‘dharma’ or righteousness. The energy here is to do with being in alignment with our life path, speaking the words that stem from our heart and taking right action based upon our feelings.
The fifth element and chakra oversee the functioning of the organs in and around the throat, regulating function of the thyroid gland, health of the mouth including gums and teeth, oesophagus, the vocal cord, the upper spine, ears, shoulder and arms. It provides a channel for the flow of our Shakti — creative life force energy, enabling us to express ourselves through writing, singing, painting, sewing, dancing, any kind of art that provides a channel for our connection to the divine source within.
Purity is the theme here — the purity of our mental body; our thoughts and visions — the dream state is influenced by Vishuddhi. The more we are in integrity with ourselves (words and thoughts align) the more clarity we gain towards our subconscious desires.
The throat chakra is the first of the spiritual centres and so this is the point of energy where we aspire for higher knowledge and wisdom in order to communicate and share it authentically. Fifth chakra people make great teachers for this reason. From the Vedic point of view, astrologically, Mercury and Jupiter rule here bringing themes of communication, creativity and expansion.
Jupiter is the ‘guru’ the teacher, a ‘sattvic’ or pure planet, whereas Mercury is a mischief-maker, he is the archetype of the trickster; neither pure or impure he travels as a diplomat between the gods (devas) and the demons (asuras) and therefore we can have just as much trouble speaking our truth and aligning with our inner purity in this region. Our ability to communicate our needs can deteriorate. We may even be dishonest and resort to gossiping to avoid confrontation or getting to the truth of our matters.
A person with a strong throat chakra is confident expressing herself through speech and is assertive. She can express clear boundaries and uphold them since she stays true to her needs and personal wellbeing. She is surrounded by thriving connections — people that honour her creative self-expression and authenticity, and in turn she is a good listener (the other side of communication) and therefore shows patience and empathy for the other. She bears an open and honest personality and stands firm in what she believes. There is clarity in her speech, because her mind is not clogged by toxicity.
A person with a weak throat chakra often complains due to constant negative thinking and therefore does not take responsibility for her thoughts, emotions or actions. Creativity may be stifled and she finds it hard to remain in her integrity. She is afraid to express her thoughts and feelings out of fear of how her communication might be received. There is a distrust towards her inner voice and she doesn’t listen to or take its advice; she’s likely unaware of how to listen to or express her inner voice and holds in her emotions as a result. Her social group may consist of ‘energy vampires’ because of her inability to establish clear boundaries. (Health issues around this unbalanced energy include chronic sore throats, tonsillitis, ear aches and infections, thyroid issues and neck and shoulder pain.)
As highly sensitive and empathic souls, one of our major challenges is dealing with confrontation. We hate it. This aversion (because we’re so sensitive to negativity) can lead us to avoid expressing our truth and deepest needs, we often end up saying Yes, when really we want to say No leading us to run out of energy to actually offer our gifts as sensitive beings!
We must practice handling and resolving conflict in order to walk our path as creators, teachers and healers. Our voice, truth and wisdom is very much needed in this world and so the sooner we practice strengthening this chakra through honouring our thoughts and feelings and matching our words with our actions, the sooner we teach others who we are and where we stand, and the quicker we align with our purpose.
Below are five practical steps to remove throat chakra blockages and bring this energy into greater harmony ~
1) Sound therapy! Sing or hum. Chant ‘Aum’ the sound of creation! Or practice bhramari or bumble bee breath which is very therapeutic! Begin by closing your eyes and press your thumbs to your ears to shut off the sound. Take a deep breath and on the exhale through the nose, make a humming or buzzing sound from the back of your throat! Laughter is also great for the fifth chakra! Alternatively, practicing silence can be powerful to purify toxicity if you’ve consumed too much mental and physical noise!
2) Visualise the colour blue through meditation — sit comfortably, lengthen your spine to encourage chakra alignment and start to imagine a sky-blue hue around your throat. Expand this energy into a protective ball of light. Hold it there as you imagine a feeling of cleansing and healing. Eat foods that are pigmented blue or purple and go through a mini detox, eating fresh vegetables (aubergine, purple cabbage and potato, asparagus) and fruits (blueberries, blackberries grapes and plums etc.)
3) Do these breath control techniques: Ujjayi pranayama(or breath of victory) is a heating breath, which soothes the throat. Exhale through the nose as you seal your lips and constrict the back of the throat, making the sound of the ocean. In Simhasana (lion’s pose) practice lion’s breath, which cultivates your inner warrior and the confidence to express your energy! The facial expression (tongue extended) here works to release tension around jaw and neck and stretches the surrounding muscles.
4) Practice these hatha yoga postures to open up vishuddhi and allow energy to flow: basic neck and shoulder rolls,Upavistha Bitilasana Marjaryasana (seated cat cow), matsyasana (fish pose), halasana (plow pose) and sarvangasana (shoulder stand).
5) Writing Exercise. Grab your journal and answer these questions for clarity and cleansing at your throat chakra.
What are my top ten values?
Have I been speaking and acting in a way that is in alignment with these personal truths?
Where and how am I expressing them?
In which situations have I been oppressing my speech? What is the underlying reason?
What do I consider to be my highest truth and the mission that drives me?
Share your thoughts about your Fifth Chakra — how clear and true is your speech lately? What changes need to be made to find more alignment with your life path?
Join the conversation with other highly sensitive people in my Facebook tribe, Warrior Training for the Sensitive Soul.
Catch up with the series:
How to Heal the First Chakra (Muladhara)
How to Heal the Second Chakra (Svadhistana)
How to Heal the Third Chakra (Manipura)
How to Heal the Fourth Chakra (Anahata)
