Vishuddha: The Throat Chakra

Do you care if your voice gets heard? Silly question really, of course you care. But ask yourself, are your listeners interested in what you’re saying or is your sole aim to splatter the walls with the information you’re desperate to get out of yourself regardless?

Overview of Vishuddha

The turquoise chakra is called Vishuddha which means ‘to purify’. It’s positioned in the lower part of the throat just above the collarbones and governs our self-expression, our ability to hear correctly and our general communication.The throat chakra is an important bridge between the body and the mind/spirit. This chakra is activated by the jalandhara bandha or ‘chin lock’ and using this lock helps prevent surges of prana overstimulating the mind.

See Also: How You Can Use The Bandhas To Become A Better Yogi

Throat Chakra Fast Facts

When Vishuddha is Imbalanced

We’ve listed some of the symptoms of a throat chakra imbalance. If you feel your throat chakra needs a tune-up, try the exercises below. When the throat chakra is strong we are able to freely communicate, not only by our speech but by being a good listener, using our body language and creativity to speak for us and by ‘reading people’ well.

If the throat chakra is overactive then domination over others through our communication can be a problem. We relish an argument, we take every soapboxing opportunity we can, we are louder than is necessary, and we never listen. Our body language may come across as too strong and we may even sneeze, cough or make other involuntary noises very loudly to gain the attention we think we deserve.

If the throat chakra is underactive our voice seems weak, and it’s hard to speak up in conversations and be heard. Sometimes we don’t bother to communicate at all, or we speak too much – mainly about our needs not being met.

Physical symptoms of an imbalanced throat chakra include ear, nose and throat problems, upper respiratory tract issues and thyroid problems. Chakra imbalances are part of the normal ebb and flow of life. It is a good idea to give yourself a chakra check-up now and then and make adjustments to your wellbeing routine accordingly.

Exercising the Throat Chakra

Understanding your relationship with your throat chakra works best when you actively engage in an activity that harmonises it. Below you will find some activities we’ve compiled that you can try to help you get in touch with your throat chakra. Refer back to the Fast Facts section and you’ll see that there are plenty of ways to work with your throat chakra. You could also try modifying the previous chakra exercises to this particular chakra.

1. Singing

Singing, be it along with our favourite tunes or in a formal choir, is one of the best ways to activate our throat chakra. However, if you’re a bit self-conscious or afraid of sounding off-key, go to a gig, nightclub or sing-along show where no one can hear your voice over the music. Take singing lessons if it appeals as this will also help project a timid voice and teach you how to breathe properly to be heard.

2. Affirmations

An affirmation is a statement confidently stated about a perceived truth.  Repeating an affirmation is a tried and tested way to reprogram the mind from unwanted thought patterns and negative beliefs, but they don’t always work for everyone.

One of the main reasons why affirmations don’t work is because there is a contradicting, strong belief or fact of reality that cancels out the affirmation. A classic example is of a person who wishes for more money and affirms over and over “I am a millionaire.”  That person’s negative thinking patterns which caused financial problems in the first place and the fact of reality as it currently is (i.e. not a millionaire) responds back with, “Oh no you’re not!”

Affirmations work best when we come from a viewpoint of understanding completely where we currently are and form a bridge to where we want to be. In relation to our throat chakra some of these affirmations might be:

• I communicate well in all areas of my life.
• I listen and I am listened to.
• I am open to communicate.
• I always express myself with integrity.
• My voice is clear and I am heard.
• I communicate my highest truth.
• I allow myself to speak up.

Adjust these affirmations as you see fit. If you don’t feel ready to use these as they are, build a bridge by modifying them to “I am willing to be open to communicate” or “I am open to expressing myself with integrity”.

3. Wear Turquoise Jewellery

Adorning ourselves with colours and shapes that are deeply symbolic can have a great lifting effect on us throughout the day. Wearing turquoise jewellery around your neck will boost your throat chakra energy and remind you of your intention to balance and harmonise it.