When I first heard about the chakras they felt a little esoteric. But once I began to learn about them, as well as the concept of energy and energetic pathways running through the human body, the chakra system began to make a lot of sense.
Today, I’d like to touch upon the inner workings of the fifth chakra, the throat chakra. This is the chakra that’s found in the subtle body near the throat. In Sanskrit, it’s known as visuddha.
It’s an important chakra to learn how to balance—especially for those of us who have a hard time speaking our innermost truth. If you have a difficult time expressing yourself, pay attention.
In this article, we’re going to explore how to develop and balance our throat chakra, in order to find and express truth.
The Seven Chakras
Each chakra corresponds to various parts of the body. Your throat chakra is said to govern the vocal cords, upper lungs, ears, mouth, and throat, as well as the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the neck, jaw, tongue, and larynx.
Every chakra is also related to an element. The throat chakra is ruled by the element of ether, or space.
There are also various seed, or bija, mantras related to each of the seven chakras. The one that enhances throat chakra healing is HUM.
Read: Understanding the 7 Chakras
How to Tell if Your Visuddha Chakra Is Imbalanced
When your throat chakra is working optimally, your ability to express yourself and communicate freely and clearly comes naturally. You find it important and easy to speak from your highest truth.
When the energy within this chakra is flowing freely, you also have a way of listening deeply in order to understand the truths of your loved ones.
When your throat chakra is blocked or unbalanced, communication problems arise. You may find it difficult to speak up or have problems listening to others. When we notice these issues, it is best to spend some time healing and balancing your throat chakra.
Read: How to Know Which Chakra Is Out of Balance
Humming to Help Balance Visuddha Chakra
One of the most effective ways to heal your throat chakra is to use humming during your meditation practice. Chanting and humming help open up the energetic pathways that run through visuddha chakra.
If you sense your throat chakra’s in need of attention, chant the bjia mantra HUM over and over again. Do it aloud for faster results.
If like to sing, sing in the shower or even in a choir. Singing is an excellent way to open this chakra. If singing’s not your thing, simply reading a book out loud to yourself or a loved one is yet another way to enhance your powers of authentic communication.
Read: Chanting: Align With Life
Pranayama for Visuddha Chakra
To help open visuddha chakra, you’ll want to commit to a regular pranayama practice, and preferably one that’s geared specifically to the throat chakra. Some of the best ways to open this chakra is to practice lion’s breath and ujjayi breath. Both of these techniques warm the throat area, and stimulate energy around the throat chakra.
Bumblebee breath is yet another technique to work on. Notice how your throat is stimulated when you practice bumblebee breath. Choose one or two of these techniques—whichever ones resonate with you. Then practice them daily, perhaps after your asana practice.
Read: Bumblebee Breath: The Power of Bhramari Pranayama
Yoga Asana to Open Visuddha Chakra
Every yoga posture helps open certain chakra centers within the body. As such, you can craft entire yoga sequences around a specific chakra. The best postures for vishuddha chakra focus on the throat and include:
Even simple neck rolls are great for the throat chakra. Use your own knowledge and intuitive powers to work this area of the subtle body.
Consider How You Might Find Your Truth Through Visuddha Chakra
Knowing what you know now, consider how you might better find, and then speak your truth through visuddha chakra healing.
You’d be surprised how listening to yourself brings forth answers you never thought were there. The practices of journaling and meditation help you get in touch with your own intuitive powers.
You may want to use a journal to brainstorm the following questions:
- Where am I holding back in terms of speaking authentically?
- Is there a particular relationship that needs healthier and more truthful communication?
- Do I always speak my truth? If not, in what areas of my life and with whom can I work on this?
You may also want to bring mindfulness to every word you speak. You can do this by pausing before you open your mouth to say something. During the pause, ask yourself, is what I’m about to say really true? If the answer is no, don’t say it. If the answer is yes, carry on.
You’d be amazed how bringing a sense of mindfulness to your speech really opens up your communicative skills, helping you better speak the truth in any and every situation.
Have fun finding your truth, and remember to be patient with yourself. Chakra balancing is a process, and should be treated as such.
During These Times of Stress and Uncertainty Your Doshas May Be Unbalanced.
To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
Try not to stress over every question, but simply answer based off your intuition. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else.