Ope!

Have you ever told a lie?

Ever exaggerate, over-explain, or say things to control the narrative?

What about playing the victim, like David/Alexa (Schitt’s Creek), Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development), or the iconic Veruca Salt (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)?

Yes, I have, OK?

Saying stuff that makes us look better, making pretty excuses, and lying our faces off is part of what makes us human, but in reality, this behavior hurts us. I’m not talking about the person on the receiving end of our shenanigans (though it may hurt them, too), but this manipulation damages ME, the fibber, on so many levels.

The throat chakra is our next stop up the chakra ladder, and it is about knowing the truth, telling the truth, and living our truth.

My Very Favorite Truth-Seeker

Indigo is my (amazing) step-daughter and she embodies the open, fully operational throat chakra. Not only is she named for the deep blue color of this chakra, but she is passionately devoted to truth. Nor does she merely want to TELL the truth, she also wants to GET TO the truth. Indigo strives to pinpoint the heart of the matter; to get to the crux of it.

My girl expresses the throat chakra in all it’s glory. Indigo is a poet, a singer, a songwriter, and a thespian (rocking the Shakespearean stage since age seven). She speaks with an urgency – a desire to share her truth, to communicate her experience and to convey the meaning she has gleaned from it. Indigo is not one for inane chatter and pleasantries. She has no time for that, but wishes to talk soul-to-soul. There is a beautiful intensity there. Indigo is deep blue water; she is a deep-sea diver.

She once set fire (in school) to a letter that a boy gave her because she found it to be utter crap – complete falsity (not condoning starting fires in school, girlfriend). Do NOT feed her bullshit, she will call you on it, and she will walk out.

A few years ago, Indigo had a throat surgery, and it seemed to signify the evolution of her voice, the finding of her truth, the discovery of her sovereignty over her life. SHE determines it’s direction. Indigo is always striving to find, to evolve, to evoke, her voice and her truth, never putting herself into a box.

In photos, Indigo’s head is up, her throat is exposed, because there is no holding back.

She is living.

Own it

Moving into the last three chakras, called the upper triangle, we are getting into higher states of Being. The throat chakra is known as the “gateway to the higher spiritual realms”.

The Visshuda chakra (meaning: “pure”) is a mediator from the emotions to the thoughts. Think of it like this: your emotions live in your body and in the lower chakras (which is why it’s helpful to notice how emotions feel in the body), and your thoughts are up in the higher realms/chakras. Our throat is the crossroads between our heart and our head.

The throat chakra is about being our authentic selves. Listening to our own voice. It’s also about being able to communicate effectively. The throat is where higher spiritual energy is channeled into the body. In order to honor this gift, we can consciously commit to expressing our truth, and sing our personal song clearly and with integrity. Words are powerful.

Why does the throat chakra shut down?

The throat chakra can be harmed deeply by emotional and physical abuse or trauma. Our throat chakra can shut down from grief, unexpressed anger and fear. It also gets out of whack when we lie, gossip, or rip on other people. An imbalance of the throat chakra can manifest as excessive talking, arrogance, dishonesty, poor listening, timidity, fear, and manipulative behavior.

This chakra also gets damaged by abuse of any substance that gets in via the throat (alcohol, smoking, pills, and over-eating). Unfortunately, all this stuff that passes through really disrupts the delicate energy flow from the lower chakras up through the throat to the brow and crown chakras. What happens then is that our feelings get put on mute, and we become cut off from our own highest truth.

Speaking our truth makes us strong

True adulthood is learning to mean what we say (and say what we mean). It can feel so much easier to just say what people want to hear. There is also a fine line between being tactful and telling your truth. We can speak with an intention to do no harm.

When we can stand by our word, we influence the way people perceive us. They listen to what we say and can come to know us deeply. How wonderful to be known!

As we speak our truth, we become stronger and more resilient and we find the energy to accomplish what we want in this lifetime.

Archetypes: The Communicator or the Silent Child

The communicator is a person who lives their integrity. They tell the truth as best they can and are good at putting words to their feelings. Communicators stand up for what they believe. They can say “no” when they need to. Their word can be trusted.

The silent child has suppressed their ability to express themselves, probably because they were put into shame or fear when they were kids trying to share their truth. So they learned to hide their feelings and tend not to be connected to their higher truth. They say “yes” when they mean “no”.

Signs of a weakened throat chakra

When we don’t say how we feel, when we don’t overcome our fear of speaking up for what we know to be right, we shut down the throat chakra, and we suffer. These are some signs that this may be happening in your life:

• fatigue
• weakness
• neck stiffness
• jaw pain
• chronic sore throat
• ear infections
• sinus infections
• hoarseness
• mouth ulcers
• gum disease
• laryngitis
• temporomandibular joint disorders
• tight shoulders
• under-functioning thyroid gland
• depression, anxiety, low self-esteem
• fear that we are being judged
• shyness, insecurity, self-doubt
• trouble expressing creativity
• hard time setting boundaries
• loss of will-power
• inability to express needs

Excessive and deficient throat chakra

An unbalanced throat chakra will be either excessive or deficient. This is what that could look like:

• The excessive throat chakra wants to talk too much and dominate the conversation — perhaps too loud and boisterous with a tendency to interrupt others.
• The deficient throat chakra might be very quiet and not speak up for what they know is right. They are hiding.

Healing the Throat Chakra

We begin our empowerment when we tell the truth.

The throat chakra is our direct link to our higher self, a place to tune in and listen to the guidance of our spirit. But if we are too busy listening to all the baloney around us – the negativity, the tattlers, that low-vibration cacophony of junk – then we simply cannot hear our own inner wisdom. We can only access the power of the throat chakra when we have an internal connection to our truth. Get quiet in order to hear.

Opening the throat chakra

Here are some ways to work on opening your throat chakra:

• Therapy (find the right therapist)
• Sing, Hum, Chant
• Use mantras
• Practice active listening
• Make a clear intention to tell the truth
• Acknowledge your feelings
• Set boundaries – we are not willing to be the receivers of insults, stinging comments, or put-downs
• Cut the substances (get help if needed)
• Cut the gossip
• Read aloud – something inspiring/meaningful/fun/silly
• Massage – especially of the neck and shoulders
• Speak up, gather your courage and say it!
• Speak clearly, enunciate
• Allow your creativity to shine through in all you do – be YOU
• Affirmations (say them out loud, in front of a mirror if able)
• Protect your neck – wear a scarf, wear a turquoise necklace
• Drink warm (not scalding!) tea with honey
• Take deep breaths and practice speaking from the abdomen
• Practice silence

Throat Chakra Affirmations

• I live in my truth
• I claim and honor my true voice
• I express myself with clarity and confidence
• I am truth
• My integrity is my word; my word is my truth
• My spirit rests in silence
• I express my love when I speak
• I am a confident speaker
• Being honest frees me
• I speak my truth freely and openly
• My words matter
• My voice is my power
• I state my needs

Yoga Poses to open the throat chakra

1. Cat/Cow with Lion’s Breath (lion’s breath is where you stick your tongue out towards the chin and forcefully exhale through the mouth)
2. Plow Pose
3. Shoulder Stand
4. Fish Pose
5. Baby Cobra or Cobra Pose
6. Camel Pose
7. Neck Roles
8. Bridge Pose
9. Upward facing dog

Throat Chakra Meditation

A potent way to activate the fifth chakra is to use it’s particular seed syllable, called a “bija.” The syllable corresponding to the throat chakra is HAM (pronounced HUM). When chanted out loud, its vibration opens up this energy center and amplifies your ability to speak your truth.

How to meditate on your throat chakra:

• Sit in a comfortable position, placing your hands on your lap. 
• Take a few deep breaths.
• Chant HAM (HUM), and just use your natural tone of voice. As you breathe out, let the sound roll out for the entire exhale duration without forcing it.
• Feel into the vibration of this chakra mantra, visualizing that it’s opening up your throat chakra, clearing any blockages and impurities.
• You can also visualize the color blue in the area of your throat as you chant.

Shut the front door

I have been working to balance my throat chakra by NOT TALKING (well, talking less). Sometimes I have a BIG feeling and I want to verbal diarrhea that feeling all over everyone, but then I can end up saying things I don’t truly mean or that lead me to excess negativity. These thoughts and words are coming from my ego, not my spirit, and if I speak them, I can damage my relationships.

If I breathe and wait, I am nearly always glad that I did not say what I wanted to say in that hot minute. IF the issue lingers, then I can have a conversation in a more intentional manner once the raging feelings have passed. If the issue really does need to be brought up, I can be much more clear and kind when I am post-emotional storm.

Dr. David Simon (a neurologist and ayurvedic expert) says that there are three gateways you should cross before speaking.

1. Ask yourself: “Is what I am about to say true?”
2. If yes: “Is what I am about to say necessary?”
3. If yes: “Is what I am about to say kind?”

A balanced throat chakra will enable us to communicate with clarity, wisdom, and love. Give your throat some love today. Sing a little song.

Thank you, Indigo, for being such an inspiration and bright light in this world.

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