The Chakra System- Throat: Vishuddha
“Be truthful, gentle and fearless.” – Ghandi
I’ve always known that I’m a couple of steps away from “normal”.
Cut from a different kind of cloth.
I always felt like the odd man out.
Like a duckling in a bevy of swans.
It’s a sensation that can make one feel quite isolated.
During my formative years, I always tried desperately to fit in.
I never wanted to be different. I wanted to be just exactly like everyone else.
So I made sure that I dressed like everyone else. That I wore my hair in a certain way. That I liked things that everyone else liked.
And it worked.
From outside appearances, I did fit in. But it never felt the way that I thought it should.
And I continued to feel quite isolated.
I thought that there was some secret, some sort of trick that would dissolve the hovering solitude that I had always felt.
Surely, I just hadn’t figured it out yet.
So in my early adulthood, I stepped away from the “norm” and I tried all sorts of different lifestyles.
I tried being all kinds of different people; a club kid, a punk, a skater, a hippie… you name it, I tried it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking… probably something along the lines of, “Why didn’t you just be yourself?”
Well, I’ll tell you why.
Because the thought of being myself was terrifying.
I imagined all kinds of horrid scenarios… but mostly, I thought that I would become even more isolated than I felt I already was.
That if I shed all of the layers of those personas, the essence that would be uncovered would be too raw.
Like an exposed nerve.
What I didn’t realize, was that my throat chakra never fully activated when I was a child.
The blockage was manifesting as this fear of self-expression.
The stories and falsehoods that we tell ourselves can pollute the flow of energy through this chakra and lead to a repression of emotion and action.
The throat chakra is our center for communication and expression.
It’s located at the base of the throat and is associated with both the laryngeal and carotid nerve plexuses.
Activated at between 6.5 to 8.5 years of age, this chakra gives us the power to become self-expressive.
From this center, we learn to take the negative experiences that life has handed to us, and we are able to transform them into wisdom.
When we activate our higher levels of awareness at the throat chakra, we neutralize the toxic elements of life.
Slowly, over time I began to embrace my individuality.
All of the weird things that made me feel different started to make me feel unique instead.
I started expressing myself without apology.
I began to truly feel who I am at my core….and it felt a lot better than any of those other people I had tried to become.
During this transformation, I did feel exposed and often times quite vulnerable.
Some friends distanced themselves and eventually faded away.
I was told by many that I wasn’t the person that they thought I was.
Some with an air of excitement and encouragement at my growth.
Others with more of a resistant reaction.
I realized that those that resisted my authenticity, did so because they were uncomfortable with that element in themselves.
In those scenarios, I was acting as a mirror for that person.
They were seeing things in me that they were uncomfortable with in themselves.
This realization allowed me to react to their discomfort with compassion and not aggression or defensiveness.
I know that I still have a long way to go on my journey in opening my throat chakra, but like most things…it’s a practice.
Like all other chakras the throat governs parts of our physical body as well.
For me, this blockage manifested as thyroid dysfunction.
Physically, the throat chakra is associated with the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
It manages the neck, ears, jaws, teeth, mouth, trachea, vocal cords, cervical vertebrae, esophagus, and upper shoulders.
Some of the main physical symptoms of an imbalanced throat are:
Asthma
Bronchitis
Mouth Ulcers
Thyroid Dysfunction
Sore Throat
Laryngitis
Ear Infections
Hearing Issues
Mouth Problems
Teeth and Gum Issues
Tinnitus
Tonsillitis
Neck Issues
Upper Arm Pain
Laryngitis
Hay Fever
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ)
Psychologically, the throat is the center of how we choose to express our true selves and also our creativity.
It also manages how we make decisions and how we work through issues of faith and trust.
It’s the knowledge of when to speak up and when to keep quiet.
And when we do speak up, it’s the manner in how we choose to express those thoughts and ideas.
The primary role of this chakra is to help us learn how to state our truth with honesty, yet kindness.
You may see an imbalance to the throat manifesting in the following psychological ways:
With a blocked and deficient throat:
Underactive Thyroid
Grinding Teeth
Fear of Speaking
The Inability To Speak One’s Truth
Becoming Too Precise
Becoming Overregulated
With an over-active and excessive throat:
Talking too much
Gossiping
Stuttering
Loudness
Overactive Thyroid
Lack of Consideration
Fragmentation
Compulsive Behaviors, including over eating.
When the throat chakra is in balance, you will feel expression flowing through you with ease, and you’ll feel confident.
You will not only be able to communicate clearly and positively, but you’ll also be able to listen consciously to others.
Contentment will settle into your heart.
Here are some tools that you can use in your daily life to help bring balance back to your throat chakra.
Vocalize: The element of the throat chakra is ether (manifesting as vibration or sound), and is related to communication, so incorporating this element into your daily life will help balance this chakra. Listen to music that you love. Express yourself vocally, singing and laughing is a great way to boost this chakra.
Aromatherapy: Essential oils beneficial for the throat include: rosemary, Lime, Sage, Indian Champa and Cedarwood.
Color Therapy: The color of the throat is blue, so bringing more of this color into your daily life is an easy way to nourish this chakra.
Sound Therapy: The frequency of the throat is 384 Hz and Keynote G. Find music that plays mainly at this frequency and close to this keynote. Also sounds of birds singing and crickets chirping will be soothing for this chakra.
Reflexology: Massage these areas to stimulate energy flow to the throat: On the hand, at the very base of each finger, just above where they attach to the palm. On the feet, just below the base of each big toe, on the pad of the foot.
Nutrition for the Throat Chakra: Eat blue foods such as currants, blackberries, blue grapes, blueberries and dragon fruit. Also kelp, wheatgrass, mushrooms and barley.
Affirmations: Create a positive affirmation for this chakra. Write an affirmation that feels right to you and state it several times throughout your day.
I speak up for myself.
I express myself with clarity and confidence.
I express my gratitude towards life.
I am open, clear, and honest in my communication.
When we lack self-knowledge or ignore who we truly are, we are allowing others to influence us in a way that can lead to self-doubt and insecurity.
You can easily see this in those who like to gossip or are critical of themselves and others.
One of the key challenges here, is facing our karma (our past behavior) and forgiving ourselves for our shortcomings.
We are only human, after all.
When we forgive ourselves, we release guilt and we are able to move forward in a better way that is more in line with our higher self.
And isn’t that the ultimate goal?