Throat Chakra: free your self-expression

The 5th, or “throat” chakra represents our ability to effortlessly be ourselves and to communicate clearly.

Instances throughout our lives when we were told to sit still, behave, or keep quiet will show up as blockages in this area. So will any times we felt we had to swallow our thoughts and feelings to be safe or avoid upsetting others.

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On the physical level, a blocked throat chakra may cause tension in the shoulders, jaw, neck and throat, tooth and gum issues, ear aches, chronic sore throats, and problems with the thyroid gland.

It’s my personal belief that the high incidence of thyroid imbalance among women may have to do with the many ways throughout time in which women have been taught to stifle their voices to be acceptable. (Women are 5-8 times more likely than men to develop thyroid disease)

On the emotional level, fifth chakra imbalances can feel like frustration, anxiety, creative block, isolation, and anger.

Is this something you’ve worked with before? Take a few deep breaths into the throat and see if you feel any tension there. This may be uncomfortable, but don’t worry, I’ll give you some tools to begin clearing it out right away: )

Here are three ways to balance the throat chakra. Get ready to step more deeply into who you are, express yourself clearly and freely, and get rid of that tension in your neck!

1. Affirmations

These affirmations will help you turn around the negative subconscious stories we tend to tell ourselves about our own worth and the safety of speaking up.  

I recommend reading through them all, and then selecting one or two to repeat at least 10 times in a row for the next few days.

They may feel uncomfortable or untrue the first few times you say them, but if you stick with it, I promise things will start to change : )

I highly recommend saying them out loud!

It is safe to speak my truth

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It is safe to be myself

I speak from the heart

I am heard and understood

I express myself creatively

I speak with confidence

I communicate clearly

I support my voice

Everything I do is an expression of love

 2. Visualization

This type of meditation is a powerful tool for self-healing. It provides a visually metaphorical way to understand and work with issues that are otherwise below our conscious awareness. I hope you enjoy giving this a try.

Whether you’re sitting or standing, begin by feeling your feet resting  on the ground. Take a few deep breaths, enjoying your connection to the earth, and feeling how safe and supported you are. 

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Continue to breathe deeply, and begin to settle into your body. Let your awareness flow down your back and allow a grounding cord to drop from the base of the spine, effortlessly, down into the earth. Anything that no longer serves your highest good will drop down this cord, into the center of the earth.  

Bring your awareness to the throat and neck. Take some deep breaths into the shoulders and throat, releasing any tension you find there down the grounding cord.

Begin to see a bright blue light emanating from your throat and neck, in all directions. Allow this light to form a sphere that gently rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. 

Take a few deep breaths as the chakra begins to move, and allow the sphere to grow until it encompasses your shoulders, upper chest, neck, throat, mouth, nose and ears.

As the sphere reaches full size, begin to imagine an even brighter blue light beaming through the sphere, clearing it and brightening it.

Breathing deeply, begin to look with your inner eye for any discoloration, discomfort, or tightness.

If you find any, breathe into these disturbances, and allow them to be seen more clearly. As you do this, begin to imagine a vacuum hose, lowering from the sky. Bring the end of this hose to the throat, and allow it to gently, but powerfully, suck out any darkness, stagnation, gross feelings, or tension.  Stay with this visualization, breathing deeply and releasing blocks and tension for as long as you’d like.

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When you feel like your blue sphere is clean and clear, end by saying your favorite affirmation from above, three times, out loud. I AM HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD, I SPEAK WITH CONFIDENCE, I EXPRESS MYSELF CREATIVELY!

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3. Sing!   notes-145817_150 (sing sing sing!)

Sing! Sing in the shower, sing in the car, sing along to your favorite song, sing out the items on your grocery list , sing whatever crazy words, thoughts, or sounds come to your head!

photo credit: jmtimages via photopin cc

photo credit: jmtimages via photopin cc

Singing will help clear out a habit of staying silent. Don’t over-think it, just give it a go! Start singing anytime, all the time, until your dog closes his ears and the neighbors shut the door : )

If this is difficult for you, you can start by gently humming.  Any sound moving through your throat freely will help clear out the 5th chakra, starting you on the path to speaking up for yourself and communicating your lovely self to the world.

If you want to get old school (Vedic) with it, you can add in some chanting.

The sound traditionally associated with clearing the throat chakra is “HAM.”  (Yes, really. I’ve tried chanting other things to see if there’s a difference, and there totally is. Ham is actually best. Who’d have known?)

To do this, you’d want to play around with the tone and volume of the word until you physically feel the sound vibrating in your throat. Once you find it, chant the word slowly for a few minutes.

Have fun!

BONUS IDEAS:

  • Eat blue foods, wear blue cloths, and allow the blue of the sky to sink into your being when you’re outside.
  • Free writing. (with a blue pen!). Even though this isn’t spoken expression, it will help you get in touch with how you really feel, and clear out pathways to expressing yourself. Get a pen and paper and just write your heart out. No need to read it, just get it all out there. I’ve been doing this every morning for a few weeks now (following the “Artist’s Way” book), and its been transformative.

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There’s so much more to say (and sing) about the throat chakra! But I think that’s a good start. I hope you have fun playing with these ideas, and enjoy stepping into a more freely expressive you!

 

If you enjoyed this post, you can also explore this guided throat chakra meditation, or check out all the other chakras here. 

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Comments

  1. Great suggestions for the “throat chakra”.

    I especially like the HAM tone for chanting.
    Playing around with the different tones and volumes until the perfect resonation becomes harmonious.

    I also love to eat lots of blueberries.
    This makes me feel connected to my “muse” fro writing poetry.
    Plus, It is one of my favorite fruits.

    Thanks Amber for some wonderful suggestions on opening up the communication center. It is very important to feel free to express ourselves and not be hindered by what our little minds thinks. Just let it OUT…

    Peace to ALL…

    • I’m so glad you enjoyed the chanting Mahina, and working with the sound HAM. Surprisingly powerful, no? And blueberries are delicious!

      Thank you for the reminder to not let the little mind get in the way of free self-expression : ) “Just let it OUT!” <3

  2. lori-kay coleman says

    I’m enjoying these. I’m looking forward to see what you do for the thyroid gland. I’m guessing that I am on your email list because I received something from you there before.

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