One of the biggest issues for humankind is communication. This is naturally subjective so it’s easy to imagine how misunderstanding and misperception can arise. This happens both on a personal and a collective level; although culture and personal upbringing may play a part in our communicative abilities, there is an energetic element at play too: the throat chakra.
The throat chakra is the fifth of the seven primary chakras, and it has the biggest impact on the way we communicate with one another. It provides us with the ability to transcend our culture and conditioning, ideally propelling us onto a path of knowledge, truth, creativity, and wisdom.
Where is the throat chakra?
As the heart chakra, Anahata, is the middle point between the upper and lower chakras, the throat chakra is the first of our ‘higher’ chakras. It is located in the physical area of the throat, at the base of the neck and in line with the top of the shoulders.
As its position may indicate, this chakra relates to communication and expression of your truth; speaking it clearly and with authenticity. It encourages you to accept your individuality. Your understanding is broadened by the acquisition of knowledge and subsequent expression of it. This leads to confident speech and an inner sense of wisdom.
The Sanskrit name for the throat chakra is Vishuddi or Vishudda, and this translates to ‘filter’, or ‘purification’.
Key characteristics of the throat chakra
The crescent shape in the throat chakra symbol is inspired by the moon. The central image is surrounded by a white or light blue circle, which in turn is surrounded by sixteen lotus petals. It represents purity, cosmic sound, and transcendence. The act of transcendence is a form of purification; we transcend human consciousness to reach a higher state of consciousness. This is achieved by meditation, but for it to happen, the throat chakra must be in balance.
The color of the throat chakra is blue, which represents trust, wisdom, loyalty, truth, and faith. The element for this chakra is the fifth element, Akasha. Akasha is the all-pervading field in the ether, said to contain a record of past events. This is known as the Akashic records.
Vishuddi inspires creativity, truth-seeking and sharing of knowledge. It inspires you to verbalize your wisest perceptions, to set and assert healthy boundaries and to be honest with your words. In other words, your level of integrity. This chakra also corresponds to judgment and the processing of your ideas; like Anahata, the heart chakra, it has a strong influence on personal creativity.
As you might expect, the throat chakra governs the throat and mouth. It also governs the thyroid and parathyroid, the vocal cords, and the esophagus. Also your neck, shoulders, and arms are as well as your cervical vertebrae, situated at the base of the neck can be influenced by the throat chakra.
What happens when the throat chakra is imbalanced?
People with balanced throat chakras are often strong communicators: their speech and writing are articulate, succinct and tactful. These people are also masters of manifestation and seem to have no trouble attracting the circumstances they desire. They embrace their individuality and tend to be very independent. They also make good friends due to their ability to listen to others; everybody loves to feel heard!
The chances are that those with a balanced throat chakra will be doing well at their chosen vocation, with a resilient sense of self. They will be known for speaking their truth unapologetically and are likely to feel aligned with life’s higher powers.
When your Vishuddi is blocked, you may feel unable to communicate effectively. Perhaps you have noticed that when not speaking your sincere thoughts, you struggle to find the right words. When we feel that we are not accepted our unique selves, we can struggle to confidently communicate our real thoughts and feelings. Similarly, we might find it difficult to understand what others are communicating.
An under-active throat chakra
When your throat chakra is under-active, you will find expressing yourself challenging, and others may misunderstand you frequently. You’ll have a hard time being completely honest, potentially leading to a reputation for dishonesty, or not speaking up for yourself. You may not even be honest with yourself.
There will be a tendency to give mixed messages to others, and you might feel unable to make decisions, so you’ll be perceived as unreliable or flaky. Your creativity will be stifled, and public speaking will feel like an absolute no-no. There will be little desire for self-work, self-discovery or universal knowledge. The truth just won’t be a priority, and manifesting your desires could seem like mission impossible.
An over-active throat chakra
When the throat chakra is over-active, you’ll have difficulty discerning when your opinions should be voiced. You may come across as socially overbearing, or overly opinionated and critical. Anger is more likely to rise up within you to be verbalized, with a detrimental impact on relationships. You’ll appear to be over-reacting, whether or not you feel justified.
You will also struggle to listen to the thoughts and feelings of others, instead asserting your own perspective as if it were the only valid one. Your speech will be excessively energetic, but the content might not be as compelling as it’s intended to be. You may keep repeating yourself and interrupting others. This is likely to present as garrulousness rather than enthusiasm.
Physical symptoms
On a physical level, a throat chakra blockage might result in ailments in the throat, neck, shoulders, or upper respiratory tract. Thyroid dysfunction is another possibility, along with more common ailments like sore throats and problems with teeth or oral health; you could experience ear infections, swollen glands, and you may lose your voice.
How to balance the throat chakra
In order to balance your throat chakra, there are many aspects you can work with. You will need to adopt behaviors that are in contrast with your negative symptoms. As practice makes perfect, you’ll be training yourself in healthier ways of dealing with situations, and your throat chakra will come back into balance.
Here are a few methods we recommend for rebalancing your throat chakra:
Go back to your roots
As with most issues, finding the root cause is the fastest route to restored balance. If you’re feeling unheard at home, it’s time to speak up – but mindfully. Be honest with yourself about which boundaries are crossed, and which boundaries you’re crossing with others.
Becoming more self-honest is in itself a healing strategy for the throat chakra. Simply admitting where you haven’t behaved as integrally as you’d have liked will put you on the path to a healthy chakra. If you find that your childhood experiences are still impacting your decision making or communication, it’s time to commit to working through this; either slowly by yourself, with diaries and books, or with the help of a trusted counselor.
Get your creative juices flowing
As the throat chakra is one of the chakras responsible for your creative flow, you can make inroads to recovery by inducing this flow. At the very least, pick up a pad and pencil and start doodling patterns. If you have any artistic inclinations when you are in balance, refamiliarize with them by getting the paints out and creating something new.
You might also try writing down your thoughts and feelings, in the form of creative writing, poetry or a diary. One of the quickest ways to unblock your throat chakra is by writing (and open-hearted speech)
Practice listening
If you are finding it tough to concentrate on what others are saying, pick a subject that interests you and find a TED or YouTube talk about it. Practice listening to the whole thing and taking in the content without letting your mind grab the ideas and wander off with them.
When you feel more able to do so, invite friends into a conversation and be aware of when you’re doing the lion’s share of the talking. Practice asking them about their thoughts and feelings, and responding to the content without reverting attention back to your own life. This will create trust and mutual respect in relationships; you’ll also find that others will be more inclined to listen and respond in kind.
Try crystal healing and essential oils
Crystals are not only beautiful and fascinating pieces of the earth; they give off energy for your personal healing. Balance the energies in the throat chakra using blue stones like lapis lazuli, labradorite, and turquoise. You can also use kyanite, blue topaz, and azurite.
Placing them on and around the throat chakra may be beneficial; just carrying them around or sleeping with them under your pillow can be helpful too. Essential oils that can help to heal the throat chakra are frankincense and eucalyptus. Smell them or mix them with a carrier oil and massage into your skin. Otherwise, heat them in an oil burner to spread the scent around your room.
It won’t be long before your throat chakra is in balance and you’ll be spreading your personal wisdom with confidence, listening to the thoughts and feelings of others and connecting to your higher powers for creative inspiration. Having a balanced throat chakra is very rewarding… we wish you luck in getting to that comfortable place!
Learn more about the chakra system here!
