The Ultimate Throat Chakra Guide – Everything You Need to Know about Your Fifth Chakra

The Vishuddha or throat chakra is the seat of the projective power of the word. It relates to the Ether element as sound reverberates into the Ether to be heard. You give voice, or music, or sound to your inner heart and in turn, hear what the world has to reply. The throat chakra governs your ability to speak your truth not only through your physical but through your spiritual voice. Many sources also consider it the center of dreams. At the throat chakra, if you can determine what truths you really want to represent, you can reach your inner dreams and achieve a meaningful life.

The main themes of the Vishuddha are sound, communication, connection, creative expression, arts, and interactions. Just like any other chakra, your throat chakra can become imbalanced or blocked. If you’re feeling like your voice doesn’t matter, you’re afraid to speak your truth, you’re not being heard, you have no filter, and you’re unable to listen, or you’re experiencing throat imbalances such as strep throat, laryngitis, and speech impediments, chances are that your Vishuddha is imbalanced.

Continue reading to learn all about the throat chakra, how to determine whether it is imbalanced, and how to support yourself to bring the Vishuddha back into balance – and make sure it stays that way.

The throat chakra within the chakra system

The chakra system consists of seven chakras ascending along the spine from the coccyx area to the top of the head. There is also an eighth chakra better known as the aura that expands all around your body. A chakra is an energy center that directs life energy for the purpose of physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. The chakras influence the relationship between the conscious and the subconscious in all your behavior and tie together all aspects of being human – physical, mental, and spiritual. The fifth of these chakras is the throat chakra.

Throat chakra – Speak the truth, hear the truth

The Sanskrit name of the fifth chakra, Vishuddha, combines the words shuddhi (=pure) and the root vi, which intensifies the word. Therefore, Vishudda can be translated as especially pure. When the throat chakra is open and balanced, you are able to express your truth with purity and honesty.

However, the main purpose of the throat chakra, purification, doesn’t only relate to the purity of your speech. According to yogic teachings, the body is also required to have reached a purified state in order for the Vishuddha to be balanced and open. Unexpressed emotions like guilt tend to constrict this energy center. Falsehoods and half-truths energetically pollute the throat chakra. Repressing anger or displeasure by ignoring your feelings through people-pleasing and evasive sweet talk silence yourself. These behaviors violate both your body and spirit and have to be shed so you can express your authentic and true self to the world.

You can find your fifth chakra in the center of your throat near your cervical spine. Physically it relates to the vocal cords, trachea, mouth, throat, ears, thyroid and parathyroid, cervical spine, and shoulders. Psychologically, the throat chakra opens you to higher wisdom, your guides, and your own soul. As the last chakra that processes the physical elements, the Vishuddha prepares you to ascend the ladder of consciousness and shift into the chakras devoted to spirituality.

In the spectrum of chakra colors, the throat chakra is represented by a light blue symbolic of the endless sky. The Vishudda is all about communication and truth, about sound reverberating into a space that welcomes expansiveness and endless possibilities. The effectiveness of your communication depends on the openness of the throat chakra. If it is open and unclouded, you communicate clearly, have no fear in speaking your truth, and listen well to the opinions of others.

The symbol of the throat chakra is composed of a sixteen-petaled lotus flower with a downward-pointing triangle within a circle. The triangle in turn encompasses a smaller circle that represents quintessence, the purest, most concentrated essence of a thing. The petals of the lotus flower are inscribed with the 16 vowels of the Sanskrit language associated with various musical tones and sounds of different mantras.

How to recognize an imbalanced throat chakra

When the fifth chakra is balanced you communicate your truth clearly and compassionately. You can both speak effectively and listen actively. A balanced throat chakra allows for a good sense of timing, and your speech comes with natural ease. You are aware that your words have meaning and impact and you know that your voice and what you have to say matters. Furthermore, you are able to project your creative ideas into reality and realize your purpose.

However, the throat chakra can become imbalanced and disturb the delicate balance of the chakra system. When the fifth chakra is out of balance, your communication is basically ineffective. This may manifest as a lack of expression and excessive timidity, or as bitterness over feelings of not being heard. You may have something you want to say but you have difficulty speaking up or communicating your truth in a way others can hear. This may tempt you to overcompensate by talking nonstop, raising your voice, or being verbally aggressive and judgmental. Or you might slowly withdraw from voicing your needs and desires, becoming disconnected from your purpose in life, and closing yourself off to opportunities.

Other characteristics of an imbalanced throat chakra may be:

shyness, small voice volume, fear of judgment, cunningness, lethargy, weakness in expressive and creative abilities, insecurity, bluntness, tactlessness, having no filter, not feeling heard, judgmental speech, gossiping, speaking before you think, speaking without thoughts of consequences, making up stories, lying, afraid to speak your truth, verbally aggressive, unable to keep secrets, lack of connection to your purpose in life, not being able to listen, hearing conflicting thoughts, ear, nose, throat, neck and voice problems, issues with the cervical spine and shoulders, dental problems, tonsillitis, Hashimoto, hypo-/hyperthyroidism, hoarseness, speech disorders, chronic sore throat, frequent headaches

Fortunately, an imbalance of the Vishuddha doesn’t need to be permanent. There are many ways in which you can support your chakra to come back into balance. However, for sustainable change to occur, you also have to look at and process the emotions at the root of your imbalance. By learning about the chakras and how to bring them back into alignment, you can heal physical ailments, dissolve negative emotions and live a more fulfilling life.

Bringing the throat chakra back into balance

There are many ways to balance your throat chakra. Opening the Vishuddha is about finding the courage and trust within yourself to speak your truth and stand up for what you believe in. Exercising the voice box and throat muscles through singing, chanting, and speaking affirmations can help to strengthen your center of communication. Below you can find different ideas that can help restore balance in your fifth chakra. Incorporate as many of them as you like into your daily routines and see your life change.

Or you can join me for a beautiful all-levels-welcome throat chakra healing yoga class this Saturday, December 3rd at 9:30 AM CET. This is part of my limited 8-week online series “A Journey through the Chakras with Kundalini Yoga“. So if you’re feeling called to bring more ease and balance into your life by aligning body, mind, and spirit through the chakras, sign up here for the individual classes or bundle up and save 💸💸💸.

See you on the inside!

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