“Only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth, and that is not speaking.” ~Naomi Wolf

What does it mean to speak your truth? To me, it’s about finding ways to be true to yourself, your own wants and needs and being able to express them honestly and authentically – from a heart-centered place (i.e. speaking your truth doesn’t give you license to be mean in your honesty).

Doing this can take an enormous amount of courage, especially if you grew up in a home where you weren’t made to feel safe or encouraged to express your thoughts or feelings in a healthy way.

I’m pretty sure we’ve all gone through periods where we’ve struggled with expressing ourselves creatively or found ourselves withholding our feelings for fear of being judged or criticized. But when we do this for long periods of time, imbalances can occur in our bodies, especially in areas connected to our 5th or throat chakra, which is the energy center for communication.

The throat chakra, also known as Vishuddha (meaning purification) is the first of our higher or spiritual centers. And in order to correct any imbalances connected to this area, it’s important to balance our lower chakras first as they each build upon one another. When our lower chakras are in alignment, this will help to build a strong foundation allowing communication to flow more freely.

For example, when our first or “root” chakra is in alignment, it helps us to release fear so we can feel safe when speaking our truth. A balanced second chakra allows us to express our creativity with more ease and confidence, in whatever way feels meaningful to you. Our third chakra is about our personal power and transformation and helps to create healthy self-esteem giving us the confidence we need to use our voice. And the fourth or “heart chakra” is the gateway between the lower, more earthly chakras and our upper, more spiritual centers and allows us to speak and act from a place of kindness and compassion. When the lower chakras are in alignment, speaking our truth from a grounded, kind, authentic place can happen with ease.

“Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: At the first gate, ask yourself “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”  ~A Sufi saying

The throat chakra is located at the front, base of the neck right where the hollow of our collarbone sits. It physically governs our thyroid, parathyroid, mouth, larynx, tongue, jaw, neck, and shoulders so when energy is unable to flow through this area, it can manifest physically in our bodies as chronic sore throats, laryngitis, TMJ, ear infections or thyroid issues.

Symptoms can also manifest emotionally, so if you’re constantly feeling misunderstood or disrespected, you’re having difficulty articulating your thoughts or feelings, or you often find yourself having creative blocks, it may be an indication that your throat chakra is closed down. Conversely, if it’s too open, you may find yourself habitually lying, gossiping, or interrupting people and being highly critical of yourself or others.

With just a bit of effort and practice however, there are ways in which we can easily bring our throat chakra back into balance and reclaim our voice.

5 TIPS ON CLEARING AND BALANCING YOUR THROAT CHAKRA

• BALANCE THE LOWER CHAKRAS FIRST
  As I mentioned above, getting the root, sacral, solar plexus and heart chakras in balance first, will make it a lot easier to get energy flowing through your throat chakra with more ease. Yoga Journal shares specific poses + sequences to balance each of your chakras or try doing a quick Google search for, “yoga poses to balance chakras” and you’ll find plenty of other resources.
• JOURNAL
  Not ready to express yourself publicly but want some practice in speaking your truth? Try journaling. I find writing to be a beautiful and simple way to begin getting in touch with my true, authentic voice and expressing it in a way that feels safe.
• SING OR CHANT
  Want to use your voice but just in the privacy of your own home or car? Put some music on and sing with abandon. It’s a great way to open up your throat chakra. If you’re feeling a bit more courageous and want to sing in a group setting, find a choir to join or get yourself to your local yoga studio and attend kirtan, which is a form of devotional chanting done along music sung in Sanskrit. Don’t’ worry, you don’t have to have a talent in singing to join – just go and have fun! No one cares what anyone sounds like.
• AFFIRMATIONS
  If singing or chanting isn’t your thing, try some simple affirmations at home, concentrated on the areas where you’re feeling most challenged. It may feel awkward or not completely true at first, but the more you repeat them, the easier and truer they become.  If you need help getting started, Amber Lee Rose has in-depth information on each chakra with a corresponding list of suggested affirmations.
• WEAR BLUE and/or LAPIS LAZULI
  Each chakra has an associated color and for our throat chakra it’s blue. One of the stones used to balance our throat chakra is Lapis Lazuli, which is a deep, blue stone with gold flecks and was highly sought after throughout history. It’s also called, “the stone of truth” and is said to help restore your ability to communicate effectively. To learn more, check out the full history and description here on Crystal Vaults.

Which of these 5 tips resonate the most with you? Do you have other practices that you love, that help open your throat chakra? I’d love to hear your tips and ideas in the comments below!

xo,
Bri

Chakra Photo from Hyde The Wild Boar