former Heal My Voice Board Member
As a woman, cutting a new path for myself and (I hope) my clients, I have always loved the quote from Black, womanist, civil rights activist, mother, warrior, poet Audre Lorde: Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.
That, dear friends, is the highest work of the throat chakra: to communicate our truth, self-knowledge, choice, and authenticity. When your throat chakra is open and balanced, you are able to express your needs, desires, emotions, thoughts and feelings…able to speak your truth at all levels.
The throat chakra is the bridge between the lower and higher chakras, and, as our center of communication, it indicates just how well our other chakras are functioning. All of our spoken interactions with the world, all our expressions of our physical, emotional, and spiritual experience, are filtered through this chakra.
On the physical level, it’s associated with breathing, with the senses of hearing, smelling and taste, and with the regulatory functions of the thyroid gland. Thanks to the hormonal dance between the thyroid, the adrenal glands, and the hormones of estrogen, testosterone and progesterone, the throat chakra is also intimately connected to our sensual/sexual presence (sacral chakra) and our ability to deal with stress (solar plexus chakra).
Isn’t it interesting that here in the US there is such a high incidence of thyroid problems?. Could it be that as a society we fear speaking our personal truth, showing up in our wholeness?
So at the deepest level, balancing the throat chakra is really a process of balancing all the chakras…and this is most evident when we look at helpful foods…
Foods: In Chakra Foods for Optimum Health, Dr. Deanna Minich discusses how food for the throat chakra brings together the elements of lower chakras within the food.
- Sea plants (bond between the root and sacral chakra) – nori, dulse,kelp, arame, agar
- Soups (bond between the root and sacral chakras)
- Juices and high water fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and grapes (bond between throat, solar plexus and sacral chakras; green juices also adds in the heart chakra)
To activate the throat chakra on the energetic levels, use any of these tools…
Blue Gemstones and Semiprecious Stones: lapis lazuli, blue topaz, sapphire, aquamarine, turquoise, blue quartz, chrysocolla and sodalite.
Aromatherapy Scents: lavender, geranium, spearmint, and blue chamomile
Yoga poses:
- Camel pose http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/688)
- Fish Pose http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/786)
- Plow Pose (Link to http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/479)
Activities
Anytime that you do these, you will have a subtle effect on your throat chakra…and to increase that effect, you can choose to do them purposefully.
- Do breathing exercises
- Chew your food consciously, taste your food consciously
- Express gratitude before you eat
- Wear clothing that is blue in color
- Do visualizations: place your hands at the hollow of your throat and communicate with your body, visualizing your chakra glowing warmly and beautifully, opening like a lotus into full bloom.
- Sit in meditation, simply listening to the sounds around you (your heartbeat and breathing as you’re alone in your room…the noises of the natural world in a park or at the beach…the noises of the office or the city as you eat your lunch at work)
- Explore your mind/body/spirit experience in your journal, or start a blog to share your thoughts with the world
- Speak up at work, at school, on your parish or community council or civic organization. Consider joining Toastmasters!
- Sing in the shower or in the car – or join a local choir or chorus
Affirmations
You can say these mentally if you choose, but it is so much more effective for this chakra of speech when you voice them aloud!
- I express myself truthfully and clearly
- I know when it is time to listen
- I listen to my body and my feelings to know what my truth is.
- I have a right to speak my truth
And remember – in this world, your voice is needed! You bring a unique perspective that – if silenced – cannot be replaced. You are more than worthy, you are necessary!
Cassandra Herbert — holistic nurse psychotherapist, wellness educator, healthy eating coach, speaker and author — who supports you in integrating your body, mind and spirit in a rapturous three part harmony to embrace all life has to offer. Cassandra believes you are a full and complete person and assists in uprooting the core issues that cause mental blocks and/or illness and dis- ease. She is passionate about assisting you with tapping into your inner wisdom and strength so you can heal. Her two businesses are Zest and Harmony Counseling/Coaching and Just BEE Wellness. Zest and Harmony provides individual and group coaching and counseling around nutritional wellness – things that nourish your body, mind and spirit. Just BEE Wellness is an online community which inspires and supports you on your wellness journey so you can have a balanced, empowered and energized life.
http://www.zestandharmonycounseling.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ZestandHarmonyCounseling
https://www.facebook.com/Justbeewellness
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