How to Balance the Throat Chakra

The throat chakra resides in the area at the centre of the neck, encompassing the throat, but also extending up to the mouth and down as far as the shoulders. It is associated with truth, voice, communication, and expression.

Reading time: 3 minutes

In the hundreds of in-person chakra meditations I have led, the throat chakra is one that, to my eye, evokes a major response in attendees. I see their facial expressions change, I see them swallow, cough softly, or clear their throat as they bring their awareness to this space. This is because so many of us have had issues with speaking our truth, particularly women. Whether it's decades of patriarchal societies, family circumstances, glass ceilings in our careers, or the challenges of motherhood, there is something universal about the need to be fully heard.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

For me, this lack of balance in the throat chakra and the silencing of my voice manifested itself quite literally in multiple and frequent throat infections. After seven years of doing the work – the yoga, the meditation, the healing, and the expressing – my throat chakra has opened, but still not fully. In the last year, my throat chakra issues, triggered by COVID and long COVID, caused me to lose my voice completely on multiple occasions. Our body tries to communicate with us when something is energetically blocked. Can you relate?

So, I want to start with the actual care and maintenance of this part of the body. In Ayurveda, the science of life, oral care is part of your Dinacharya – daily Ayurvedic hygiene and routines. The removal of Ama (toxins) is paramount. After your first teeth brushing of the morning, scrape the tongue with a copper tongue scraper. I promise you will never feel clean again without scraping your tongue. Consider your diet too. Integrate herbal teas that support throat health, like chamomile or ginger.

Mantra

Even if you can’t quite express yourself freely to the people in your life just yet, or you still carry the resonances of being silenced when you were younger, you can ease yourself into this work. Chanting is powerful for the throat chakra. If you are new to this, start with "Om." Start by yourself at home. Find some tracks online that you resonate with. Chanting mantras is empowering, stimulating to the throat chakra, and the vibration will help heal and balance it.

Speak your truth.

When teaching yoga, I notice that many students are embarrassed to hear their own voice and even to try chanting. So, do it for yourself, by yourself. Or jump straight in and attend a kirtan session! Kirtan is a call-and-response style of chanting and singing done in a group. Kirtan is part of a devotional practice – Bhakti yoga.

Find Your Voice

Speaking up – whether it’s with family or at work – look for opportunities to express yourself. The words can be written too. For me, writing is cathartic and a way for me to process my thoughts, ideas, and feelings, even if I don’t often have an opportunity to read my words aloud. For you, it could be journaling, brain dumping, or writing letters, which you might then destroy or burn. It doesn’t have to be words, though – you may communicate through art, music, or whatever medium resonates with you and allows you to express yourself.

The Other Side of the Coin

The flip side to this is being too much the other way – over-talking, over-sharing, or being overbearing. Do you get "word vomit" when talking to others? If you are making the other person uncomfortable with frequent TMI (too much information), it may be that you are seeking validation, acting impulsively, or not respecting others’ boundaries. This can be emotionally draining for both parties. To counteract and heal from this, chanting (as above) is recommended as a healthy way to express throat chakra energy and expel an excess of energy in a positive way. Learn to listen – to others, to yourself, to your body, to nature. Commit to listening more than speaking. Focus on intention and authentic self-expression. Seek balance.

Because of the society we live in, the high likelihood of adverse childhood experiences, and living in the 21st-century world, it’s probable that the throat chakra will require lifelong work for many of us. But it’s never too early, or too late, to address yours.