By Wes Annac, Culture of Awareness
The chakras are the subtle body’s energy centers, and they bring through the energy that’s responsible for our reality and the higher dimensions we have yet to experience. They connect us with our creator and our higher consciousness, and understanding them can allow us to tap into the energy that pours through them.
The throat chakra has to do with communication, self-expression and other qualities on which most creative people rely. It allows us to communicate our feelings about life, spirituality, society and anything we think is important, and it gives us the confidence to use our voice without worrying what other people think. Even if we’re misunderstood or rejected, we’ll know our desire to help the world evolve (and the work that results from it) is genuine.
Here, I’d like to look at the throat chakra’s role in creativity as well as the things we can do to heal and balance it. I don’t know much about any of the chakras, and the only things I’ve learned about them have come from the few reports I’ve done. One of the best ways to learn about something is to research and write about it, which is exactly what I try to do with things like this that interest me. I hope it interests all of you too, and more importantly, I hope it teaches you something new.
Inner-Truth.net tells us about the throat chakra’s association with self-expression, as well as its condition when it’s balanced and imbalanced (and the symptoms that result).
“The Throat Chakra is associated with your Self Expression and Communication.
“When it is in balance, you are able to listen and communicate well. When you are having trouble expressing yourself, or having trouble with communication (being unable to say what you want to say to others and/or not truly listening to what you are being told) the throat chakra becomes imbalanced.
“An imbalance will first resonate as a tingle, ache or sensitivity in the throat region. (Stemming from the base of the neck to the ears).” (1)
There are quite a few manifestations of an imbalanced throat chakra, and Inner Truth lists the most common.
“Even small tingles and aches can be a sign that something needs to be addressed. As soon as the emotional issue has been resolved, the ache WILL clear up or simply completely vanish.
“Can manifest quickly as an unexpected cough, or manifest as feeling like a lump is in your throat (feeling choked up) and/or trouble when swallowing.
“Aches, tingles and pain located around the Throat, Mouth and Neck. Including toothache, sore tongue, sensitive gums, tonsils, sore throats and tickly coughs.” (2)
They also explain what can happen if we don’t resolve the imbalance.
“If the issue is left unattended to, may lead on to more serious issues such as.
Thyroid problems – over active/ under-active;
Anorexia nervosa
asthma
bronchitis
hearing problems, tinnitus
problems of the upper digestive tract,
mouth ulcers, sore throats, tonsillitis.” (3)
All of these health problems can result from a blocked or imbalanced throat chakra, and while it isn’t the only thing that can cause them, we might want to make sure if we ever suffer from them that we don’t have something related to our creativity or self-expression going on in our lives. You never know what kinds of emotional or spiritual problems could cause physical illness, and as science and spirituality continue to merge, I think we’ll discover a wealth of emotionally rooted cures for physical illness.
For all we know, an imbalanced throat chakra could be the main cause of the problems listed above. I’m not saying it is, but I think our spiritual and emotional health have a lot to do with our physical.
ChakraHealing.com explains how self-expression suffers when the throat chakra is blocked.
“Do you struggle to communicate your real thoughts and feelings? If you lack the confidence to express your thoughts, ideas and feelings because you fear that you may be judged or that your words may hurt someone, you are only holding yourself back from real happiness. You have a right to express [your] needs, wants and ideas. If you keep your thoughts to yourself, how will anyone ever know what they are – and how will your needs and wants ever be met or your ideas ever brought to life?” (4)
“If your throat chakra is closed, you may find yourself feeling frustrated when you want to express what you are feeling in your heart – you may find yourself unable to find the right words at the right time, especially when you fear losing someone or something. You might fear being ridiculed, or you might fear offending someone. The only person holding onto these fears is yourself – you imagine a certain reaction, even though that reaction is not certain.” (5)
Healing it requires us to become confident in ourselves, believe in our personal truth and try new things.
“Healing the throat chakra involves boosting self-confidence and believing in the validity and importance of your ideas and truths. You do not need to be an overly chatty and outgoing person in order to keep your Vishuddha [throat] chakra healthy and open. You simply need to develop a more comfortable relationship with your expressive side: the courage to speak your mind in a compassionate, understanding and proactive way.
“Any form of creative expression is a highly positive practice for opening the throat chakra. The enjoyment of the creative process is far more important than the results or end product so don’t worry if you’re not an artist – try your hand at cooking, gardening, inventing, writing, solving problems… take any opportunity you can to be creative. Become comfortable with your own voice in its many forms of expression (not just spoken).” (6)
The world would quickly change if everyone believed in their personal truth enough to use their voice, and we all have a unique piece of the puzzle that we’ve come here to give. It’d be a shame to deny ourselves the opportunity to offer our piece, and instead, let’s realize that it’s an important part of the whole and humanity can’t function without it.
Instead of just listening to what other people tell us about life or spirituality, we can pave our own way and make peace with any inadequacies that result. We’ll find the right way in time, and when we do, we can share what we learn with others in hopes that our experience helps them. It won’t help everyone since we’re all unique, but it’d be enough to help one person embrace the uniqueness of their path and get the most out of their evolution.
As Chakra Healing tells us, silence is also an important factor in maintaining a healthy, balanced, open throat chakra.
“If you are uncomfortable with silence, it is important for you to recognize the imbalance of your Vishuddha chakra. Silence can be a wonderful gift. It cannot harm you and it doesn’t need to be broken. Silence is a time for you to organize your thoughts and allow your needs and desires to come to the forefront of your mind. Practice meditation to become more comfortable with silence.” (7)
As you might guess, singing also helps.
“Singing is a great therapy for opening the throat chakra. Even if you only sing in the car, or in the shower, with no audience, get to know your voice OUT LOUD and fall in love with what your throat can produce!” (8)
Chakra Healing also gives us a handy meditation for opening it.
“Sit comfortably, close your eyes and become aware of your breath as it enters your nostrils and passes through the back of the throat through to the lungs. Exhale through the mouth, consciously listening to the elongated ‘hum’ sound coming as the air leaves you. As you inhale, the sound is different – ‘so’. Repeat this ancient Sanskrit chant, each time relishing in the clear, unbroken sound of your own voice as it enters and leaves you.” (9)
Jennifer White at Mind Body Green shares a few ways we can keep it in balance.
“Sing. Singing is an amazing throat chakra cleanser, so sing a song.
“Drink water. I love water. We’re lucky to have access to healthy drinking water, so take advantage of it. It’s also important to think about what you ingest—or don’t ingest—in general.
“Hips don’t lie. An unhealthy throat chakra directly affects the rise of kundalini … but other chakra blockages affect this chakra too. Another place we store emotional baggage is in our hips. Next time you practice deep hip-openers on your yoga mat, pay attention to how you also feel a release in your throat.” (10)
She shares a few other tips, one of which has to do with visualizing the color blue.
“Think blue. Imagine a beautiful blue light—blue is this chakra’s color—at the base of your throat, or in any other associated locations where you’re having trouble. Inhale as you visualize blue—and health and cleansing—filling up these areas, exhale and feel the release of stress and tension. You might even find that you feel a cooling or warming sensation during the process—this is normal.
“Speak the truth with love. One of my best friends always says this. I’m personally guilty of a sharp tongue. Remember and practice this mantra as best as you can. I think it says it all.” (11)
Visualizing or meditating on the colors associated with certain chakras is believed to be a great way to open them, and when we combine this with self-confidence and the willingness to talk about things that matter, we access the true creative potential we can use to change the world. We can inspire people to wake up and become independent from the reign of governments and corporations who thrive from the masses’ poverty, and as we speak up, we’ll strengthen the throat chakra and communicate on a deeper level about things that are even more important.
Before we know it, we’ll be communicating all kinds of things about life, spirituality and the ways we can engineer society to reflect the changes taking place in the hearts of humanity. We’ll be on such a roll that nobody will be able to stop us from speaking our truth, and the first step is to become confident in ourselves and stop holding back. If we keep at it, we’ll find our voice and we’ll know exactly what we want to say.
People who struggle with self-expression could have a closed or blocked throat chakra, and it could have something to do with their inability to be creative or communicate. It might be worth looking into, because the ability to communicate freely and clearly is invaluable. Our self-expressive freedom returns when the throat chakra is open, so let’s take the next step in our creative and spiritual evolution by opening it and the rest of our energy centers.
Footnotes:
- “The Throat Chakra” Inner-Truth.net – http://www.inner-truth.net/healing/chakras/throatchakra.html
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- “How To Heal Your Throat Chakra aka Vishuddha” ChakraHealing.com – http://www.chakrahealing.com/blog/throat-chakra-healing/
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- “7 Ways to Balance Your Throat Chakra” by Jennifer White, Mind Body Green, April 27, 2012 – http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4646/7-Ways-to-Balance-Your-Throat-Chakra.html
- Loc. cit.