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Do you find it hard to be your authentic self? Do you find it difficult to be honest with yourself and others? Do you struggle with miscommunication in your relationships? Do you feel anxious during conversations?
All of these indicate a need to balance the throat chakra. Healing exercises help activate the throat chakra to restore the ability to listen to and express yourself honestly.
What Is a Chakra?
Hindu and Buddhist traditions believe that the physical and spiritual meet at the seven chakras. These swirling wheels of energy align along the spine. The fifth chakra, the throat or Vishuddha chakra, sits in the area of the throat, jaw, neck, mouth, and thyroid.
Read more in the Complete Beginner’s Guide to the Seven Chakras.
In Sanskrit, Vishuddha means “especially pure”. As the throat chakra governs the mouth, tongue, and neck, it relates to communication and your ability to understand and speak your inner truth “purely”. When out of balance, one has difficulty staying true to themselves and expressing needs, desires, and opinions with themselves and others.
The Throat Chakra at a Glance
Name in Sanskrit: Vishuddha meaning “especially pure”
Location: The region of the throat, jaw, neck, mouth, and thyroid
Color: Blue
Element: Ether (Space)
Signs of balance: Authentic expression comes easily and naturally
Signs of imbalance: Difficulty tuning into the true self, the urge to hide opinions and desires from yourself and others, gossiping, dominating conversations, difficulty listening to others, neck pain, hormone fluctuation (relating to the thyroid)
The throat chakra corresponds to the element of ether: space that forms the essence of emptiness. Our true selves exist in the space between the clutter of constant thoughts and emotions through meditation. In the calmness, we find the subtle element of ether and reconnect to the throat chakra.
When the throat chakra is in balance, we speak, listen, and express ourselves openly and authentically. When out of balance, we ignore our inner voice, feel afraid of expressing ourselves, or have trouble listening to others. A blocked throat chakra can also store tension physically and cause a sore throat or neck and shoulder pain.
Opening the Throat Chakra
Burn Vishuddha incense and essential oils.
Aromatherapy has powerful healing properties that tap into the sense of self. To open the throat chakra, burn ether incense, essential oils, and candles like frankincense, geranium, jasmine, sage, cypress, peppermint, eucalyptus, clove, tree tea, and lavender.
Repeat positive affirmations about authenticity.
The repetition of affirmations sets the intention to break old patterns and create new ones. To open the throat chakra, repeat affirmations that relate to authenticity and open communication. Here are some examples:
“I communicate confidently and with ease.”
“I feel comfortable speaking my mind.”
“I am balanced in speaking and listening.”
“I am an active listener.”
“I speak my true thoughts with ease.”
“I set clear boundaries.”
By repeating these statements, we create new thought patterns, behaviors, and actions that align with feelings of authenticity and open self-expression.
Practice postures that activate the throat chakra
Yoga helps connect the spiritual and physical of the body through postures, called asanas. Connecting to the breath while holding asanas helps to release tension and bring energy to the area of the throat and thyroid. Throat chakra poses include camel, plow, cat-cow with lion’s breath, shoulder stand, and fish pose.
Mindfulness Meditation
Connecting with our inner truth begins with quieting the mind. Mindful breathing presents a way to calm thoughts by focusing attention on the breath. With each inhale, think to yourself: breathing in. Then, with each exhale, think to yourself: breathing out. When thoughts or distractions arise, observe them and let them calmly pass.
As simple as it sounds, our minds are constantly flooded with thoughts, and even a short 5 minutes of mindful breathing is more difficult than it sounds. Mindfulness meditation gets easier over time and brings stillness and space to our minds. Through that quiet, we learn to connect more closely with our inner selves and open the throat chakra.
Read more about chakra healing: Learn how you can open your root chakra, sacral chakra, solar plexus chakra, heart chakra, anja chakra, and crown chakra.
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