Creativity, Expression, and Communication: Opening the Throat Chakra

Express and Be Heard

Our throat chakra is our center for speaking, creativity, and sound. Our voice is our personalized, completely unique instrument that allows for us to express ourselves and our truth. When our throat chakra is balanced and cleared, our truth can be heard clearly and without strain. This creates vibrations and frequencies that are harmonious and understood. Conversely, if our throat chakra is blocked or if we are disconnected from the center of communication, we can be misunderstood by others or even from ourselves; a blocked throat chakra often leads to confusion and hurt.

We can all probably recognize some damage caused to the throat chakra. As children, perhaps you were often told to be quiet, or worst, heard that children "are to be seen and not heard." Perhaps you have experienced rejection after expressing yourself or were told not to say certain things. Over time, this type of restriction can continue to manifest and create a weak throat chakra; individuals who struggle with this tend to have soft or weak voices, stiffness in the shoulders and neck, and tend to be very shy. Acknowledges these traits and experiences within yourself is the first step to begin to remove the restraints from the throat chakra and begin to express your truth.

Other individuals may find that they are constantly activating their throat chakra; they may have a loud voice and seem to always make themselves the center of attention. Just as we saw with those who are deficient in the fifth chakra, individuals who have an excess throat chakra often feel misunderstood and conflicted. Similarly from what we saw in the heart chakra, an excess throat chakra may actually be from a deficiency in the lower chakras; for instance, an individual who seems to dominate conversation may be compensating from low self-esteem (chakra three).

​Vishuddha: Speaking Your Truth

A beautiful blue gem resides in each of us; this is the collection of our stories, expressions, and our truths.
If you feel that you are often misunderstood, unable to think or act creatively/cannot create, or do not have a story to tell, here are some ways to clear and clean your throat chakra:

• Embrace the sticky pad; write down your creative thought and/or ideas that sparks your creativity without ego or judgement. I personally keep a note in my phone called "Triggering Events" (inspired by the book by Richard Hugo) where I write down anything that inspires me. Don't think, just write!

• Sing! It doesn't matter how it sounds! It can be your favorite song or you can hum a new rhythm. Activate your vocal cords fearlessly! I am a pretty passionate car singer myself.(; 
• Practice a mantra; mantras are just sounds/words/sentences repeated in order to quiet and steady the mind to bring you into a meditative state. The particular sounds that mantras sooth the nervous systems and quiet the thoughts. When first beginning to practice mantras, you may want to begin repeating the mantras in your head. As you begin to get more comfortable, you can start to incorporate speaking your mantras out loud.

• Get creative; on of the best ways to reconnect with your fifth chakra is to engage with some creativity! This can be drawing, painting, coloring, dancing, writing- the list goes on and on! Create without fear and without expectations. Invite back in your childlike wonder!

What practices do you have to connect with your throat chakra? Express yourself in the comments below!(;