As most of us know, there are various chakras located at different points in the body. These are the focal nodes of the non-physical or ‘subtle’ (spiritual) body which regulate the flow of energy within the body. Meditation, yoga, mudras, kriyas, breathing exercises are all oriented towards maintaining proper balance of the chakras and towards the normal and unrestricted flow of energy. Among the chakras, Vishuddhi or Throat Chakra is of vital importance because of the way it connects the head to the rest of the body.
Vishuddhi or Throat Chakra
This chakra of the subtle body governs verbal communication and creative expression. Vishuddhi literally means especially pure and this chakra corresponds to the throat area including the vocal cords, the neck, the thyroid gland, the tongue, mouth, jaw, the ears and so on. Consider the fact that this is the part of the body that produces sound vibrations that impact the entire body. It is also the place where the body’s energy passes through from the head down to the body and vice versa.
According to the sages, an imbalance of the throat chakra can manifest in various different ways: the unreasonable fear of speaking or a suppressed voice, or being painfully shy or secretive. Conversely an imbalance may also cause a person to speak too much, too loud and in an uncontrolled manner. Sometimes this imbalance can also cause a person to lie, to break promises or give away secrets. It can also cause problems with the creative process.
Keeping your Throat Chakra healthy
There are specific yoga aasans that will help keep the throat chakra healthy and balanced, and remove blockage in the throat chakra.
- Start by stretching and loosening up the neck area: sideways stretches, circular rotations, front and backward tilting.
- Perform breathing exercises to activate the throat chakra. Simhasana or Lion’s breath is known to help release negative energies within the body.
- You can then go on to aasans such as Bhujangasan or cobra pose where you lie on your front and lift up the head and curve the entire spine into a semicircle off the ground.
- Doing the Matsyasan with block under the shoulders for support also helps to stretch out the neck and keep it flexible.
- The legs up the wall pose or if you are up to it, the shoulder stand or Sarvangasan are other aasans that help the throat chakra. They help improve circulation and release blocked energies.
In addition, vocalization can help keep the throat chakra balanced. You should sing with joy and utter mantras to open up and strengthen the vocal cords. Sing while you’re driving or when you’re in the shower or cooking or maybe while you’re tending to your plants. Not only is this good for the throat chakra, this makes each of those activities more enjoyable and uplifting. In addition to this, we can all be mindful of what we say, when and where we speak and moderate our own utterances. Lack of self-control and intemperance in our speech is one of the causes for an imbalance in the throat chakra. So be joyful, be mindful and most importantly, do yoga for a healthy, balanced throat chakra!