Is Failing to Speak Up at the Root of Your Ailments?
Do you experience any of the following physical symptoms:
a frequent sore throat?
tightness in your jaw or a tendency to grind your teeth?
thyroid problems?
frequent ear infections?
persistent stiffness in your neck and/or shoulders?
a stammer?
Or perhaps you’ve noticed that one or a few of the following apply to you:
You have a weak and quiet voice.
You struggle to speak up and express yourself.
You constantly fear and doubt the intentions of others.
You struggle with feelings of being isolated and misunderstood.
You have no willpower.
You feel you have little or no control over your life.
You habitually exaggerate the truth and maybe even lie occasionally.
If you recognise any of these symptoms or issues, chances are your throat chakra is blocked.
Incidentally, if you know you talk too much and struggle to listen, the information in this blog is relevant to you too.
The chakras are energy centres located at various points in the body through which energy flows. They are the interface between your physical body and the more subtle energy bodies – the mental, emotional and spiritual bodies - that are also part of you.
When the chakras are clear and balanced, you feel healthy, vibrant, calm and connected. You enjoy a heightened sense of well-being.
When the chakras are blocked or out of balance you feel ‘out of sorts’. This imbalance can manifest in any part of your being: your physical body, your mental health, your emotional well-being or your spiritual health.
Each chakra correlates with a specific life issue. Unsurprisingly, the throat chakra is concerned with issues around self-expression and communication.
Whenever problems arise with the throat chakra, the lesson is to speak up and let your voice be heard.
An inability to express one’s truth is one of the most common issues I observe in my work with clients. This tendency inevitably leads to a build-up of energetic pressure in the upper torso, which eventually manifests in the body as a physical ailment. I have probably seen more people with a thyroid problem than any other medical condition!
Many of us have not been brought up to speak our truth. Our social and cultural conditioning has taught us to be quiet and compliant.
Work with me for a moment. Cast your mind back to a time when someone irritated you. Can you recall how your body responded?
Did your abdomen contract when you experienced the offending behaviour?
Did you feel a surge of energy rising rapidly into your chest, seeking expression and release?
Now notice what you did with that energy. Did you voice your irritation in a calm, controlled manner?
Or did you express it loudly, with anger?
My guess is that, if you identified with any of the symptoms at the beginning of this blog, you felt the surge of energy rising up in you, but the minute it got to your throat you cut it off – you blocked it. You tightened your lips. You took a deep breath to push the energy back down and told yourself to be quiet.
Perhaps some of your self-talk went like this:
“I can’t say anything … It‘s disrespectful … I don’t want to upset anyone … S/he will take offence … I don’t want to start an argument … I don’t want to cause a scene …”
So you kept your mouth firmly shut.
Now think about the energy that arose within you. Where did it go? Nowhere. It simply became stuck in your jaw, your throat, your neck and your shoulders.
Now if this pattern is repeated often, it creates a huge build-up of negative energy in these areas. Eventually this warps your energy field and begins to cause physical pain.
If you recognise this pattern in yourself, you may be wondering what you can do about it. It is possible to remedy the toxic accumulation of energy and to guard against stagnant energy remaining stuck in your body.
Here are some of the ways you can start to do this.
Begin to gently move your neck and shoulders to release the trapped energy and relieve tension. Regular stretching exercises or yoga postures focusing on the upper body can really help, as can massage.
Sing and/or chant out loud. Your voice will move energy through your throat chakra, clearing away stagnant energy.
Express yourself through writing. Regular journaling can be really effective in helping your mind – and your body - to locate, process, and move energy through the different levels of your consciousness. Keeping a diary in which you allow yourself to fully express your innermost thoughts and feelings works incredibly well in relieving tension from the past and present. If you’re concerned about creating a permanent record of your thoughts and feelings, write down whatever you need to and then simply shred, burn, or rip up the paper when you’ve finished.
Simply make an effort to talk more! Consciously reclaim your place and power in the world by giving yourself permission to speak. You have just as much right to the airtime you share with others as they do.
Learn how to be more assertive. I’m writing an entire book on how to work through your fears and assert yourself, so watch this space.
Explore childhood issues (and perhaps engage in some inner child communication work) with a trained therapist. The ages of 7-12 are of particular significance because this is when the throat chakra is formed. Trauma or emotional difficulties experienced during this period can damage the chakra as it is developing.
Wear or surround yourself with the colour blue. Because the throat chakra is blue, it responds positively to the energetic frequency of this colour.
Wear, carry, or keep the following crystals by your bedside: lapis lazuli, aquamarine, sodalite, turquoise, sapphire, blue lace agate, blue tourmaline, and/or blue quartz. As with the colour blue, these crystals will gently and naturally harmonise the health of your throat chakra. If it’s blocked, they’ll energise it. If it’s over-energised, they’ll remove the excess energy.
Burn or use lavender and/or patchouli essential oils. As with colour and crystals, scent also carries an energetic vibration that you can use for healing.
Healing the throat chakra offers the gift of accepting your originality, expressing your authentic voice, and speaking your truth. Imbalances in this chakra invite you to seek self-knowledge, break down cultural and family conditioning, and reconnect with and express your creativity.
You will know that your throat chakra is balanced when you become a good listener; have a strong, resonant voice; have a good sense of timing and rhythm; are clear in all your communications, and live life creatively; a life in which you seek and share the truth. You will stand up for what you believe, say ‘no’ when you need to, and be open and honest in all that you say.
