Our body functions through a combination of several chakras that exist in specific regions within our bodies. It is the balance in and between these chakras that promote healthy living and a sound mind and body. The throat chakra is a vital chakra that influences our will, thoughts, and ability to express ourselves.
So, what is the throat chakra, and how can we enhance and maintain its balance?
What is Throat Chakra?
The fifth chakra of the human body, the throat chakra, is located at the throat level, near the center of the neck. It is a passageway for the energy to flow between the head and the lower part of the body. The main functions of the throat chakra are the principles of communication and expression. The throat chakra represents how you express life with its utmost authenticity. It enhances your capability to communicate your feelings, intentions, and thoughts more accurately and clearly. Also known as Vishuddha, it is the point where we lay stress on expanding our willpower and inner voice. The throat chakra relates to the element of natural sound. The sound gets propagated through the throat into the air, and you feel its vibrations across your entire body, not just your ears. It is a vital instrument of expression and communication.
Is my Throat Chakra in balance?
An imbalance in the throat chakra might result in you talking excessively to fill a void, or may lead to you losing your own voice. You might suddenly find it difficult to express yourself authentically or struggle with feelings of loneliness, disconnection, and insecurity. Moreover, a throat chakra imbalance can cause a discomforting sense of not expressing oneself with purity. When your throat chakra is in balance, you act and speak from a place of truth and integrity. The honesty of your actions and speech makes you appealing to others and connects you to yourself, surpassing feelings of complete isolation.
Yoga and the Throat Chakra
The beauty of the fifth chakra lies in its ability to teach us about our own uniqueness. We are all meant to share and portray ourselves just as we are: with all our beauty and strengths, our blemishes, and our vulnerabilities. At any point in time, if you feel you cannot do so, it is time for you to start investing in some throat chakra healing.
Yoga tends to be a great way to balance out your throat chakra. During your yoga sessions, this area gets activated through certain poses that primarily focus on your throat and neck, along with breathing practices that create certain sounds within your throat. If the noise tends to be one that you dislike, chanting can be an effective means to start with healing your throat chakra. Yoga practices that enhance the throat chakra include a breathing technique or pranayama, yoga postures or asanas, and a healing sound or mantra. In daily life, the throat chakra gets stimulated every time you express yourself authentically and honestly.
Yoga Poses that Enhance the Throat Chakra
Yoga works wonders on the human mind and body. Practicing yoga regularly helps maintain a balance among all the chakras in your body.
Here are some yoga poses that help you enhance the throat chakra.
Fish Pose ( Matsyasana)
The supported fish pose stretches the front of the body, especially the chest, hip flexors, throat, intercostals, and abdomen. It strengthens and mobilizes the neck and upper back, along with the quadriceps. Your shoulders also open up in the process. As your back muscles get stronger, your spinal flexibility improves, along with your posture. The pose works best in providing strength and agility to the muscles of your body.
Plow Pose (Halasana)
Practicing plow pose calms down your brain and reduces fatigue and stress. It dramatically stimulates the thyroid gland as well as your abdominal organs. It stretches your spine and shoulders with time, providing therapy for headaches, infertility, insomnia, sinusitis, and backaches. For many women, it is known to reduce symptoms of menopause drastically.
Lion Pose (Singhasana)
Lion pose provides the body with several health benefits like relieving tension from the chest and face and improving circulation. It strengthens and stimulates the platysma and caters to your eye health by stimulating the optical nerves. Apart from eradicating several diseases, it can treat bad breath too. Some other common benefits of practicing lion pose include the prevention of asthma, respiratory ailments, and even a sore throat.
Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana)
Shoulder stands have long been used to relieve individuals of mild depression and stress through a calming process on the human mind. It stimulates the abdominal organs, along with the prostate and thyroid glands. The pose stretches your neck and shoulders while toning your buttocks and legs. Some other day-to-day body benefits include providing relief from insomnia and fatigue as well as improved digestion. Moreover, it reduces the symptoms of menopause in women.
HAM (Vishuddha Bija Mantra)
HAM is one of the many vishuddha bija mantras that help you focus on your truthfulness, integrity, expression, will, creativity, and communication. It enables you to listen to your inner voice and express your opinion about how you feel. Your creative expression also enhances through regular chanting of this mantra.
Yoga is one of the most natural form of healing for human beings. It helps you manifest the energy within and concentrate on your inner voice. Introducing an hour of yoga in your everyday routine can be highly beneficial in the long run.
