Welcome to the chakra series – if you want to know more about your inner workings, how Eastern and Western philosophies unite, and how your physical self relates to your emotional, mental, and spiritual self….

Then you’re 100% in the right place!

Today, we’re exploring the fifth chakra – Vishuddha – our throat chakra, the communication center, the place where we connect with others and express ourselves through sound, vibration, creativity, and mantras.

The word that immediately sticks out to me is – communication. I’m huge on self-expression, obviously, because I spill my heart out here on the blog…. BUT also in my personal and professional life. If anything, I express too damn much or so my yearly review tells me at work (LOL).

Anyway, let’s get into it friends – below is a DEEP breakdown of the your throat chakra/the fifth chakra/the Vishuddha chakra.

Pin now, explore your sixth chakra later!

Fifth Chakra Basics:

The fifth chakra is the first of the spiritual chakras and it focuses on speaking our highest truth, practicing vulnerability, and conscious vocal expression.

• English term – the throat chakra
• Location – the throat area which encompasses the neck, thyroid, parathyroids glands, jaw, mouth, and tongue
• Element – Space/Ether
• Color – Blue
• Mantra – HAM
• Descriptive words – ether, sound, vibration, communication, mantras, creativity
• Function – communication, creativity
• Malfunction – sore throat, stiff neck, colds, thyroid problems, hearing complications
• Inner State – integration of ideas into symbols
• Foods – fruits

The Location:

The fifth chakra centers around the throat region and deeply focuses on communication. It’s also the first of the three upper chakras that showcase a more spiritual, free-flowing aspect.

Because communication and the throat are key focal points, it’s a wheel of energy that draws from self-expression, honesty, authenticity, and anything else related to your communicative actions (both verbal and non-verbal).

I won’t go too deep into this…. as we will explore further in the section below.

Deeper Defintion:

Vibration

When working with the fifth chakra, we become aware of things on a vibrational level, meaning we understand the feeling behind the spoken word, or react to the non-verbal language before the verbal language, or sense a person’s aura/presence before they emit a sound.

To experience this, you must be present and aware.

Period.

When this component is studied even further, you’ll begin to notice that our vibrations create rhythmic patterns. These patterns show up in our day-to-day interactions, relationships, and overall demeanor.

For example – a person who works a high-pressure, stressed out to the max position will have a different vibration then the person who teaches yoga or creates art for a living. Because of the different lifestyles, these two people will continue to carry and create different vibrations after work ends. The vibrations will work into their relationships (kids, spouse, partner), eating habits, personal well-being, etc.

I’m sure we can all resonate with this example….

By working to open, align, and balance our fifth chakra – we can then work into our vibrational qualities and fine tune what’s being transmitted, both onto others and ourselves.

Resonance

We all know – communication is a two-way street, right?

The message has to be transmitted and received on both ends in order for the meaning to sink in, to have a connection, to produce a result.

Our ability to resonate with other’s is imperative for both parties, physically and spiritually. The book, Wheels of Life, goes into great depths about this… below are a few snippets to help paint a clearer picture:

“If we are unable to entrain with the vibratory frequencies around us, we cannot experience our connection with the world. Without communication we are isolated, separate, and cut off from the nourishing energy so vital to our health.” – Anodea Judith

“Our bodies are the plate that vibrates and awakens the chakras. The general vibrational pattern of our life – our actions, thoughts, emotions, eating patterns, and environment – sets off the vibrations of our chakras.” – Anodea Judith

Mantras

This portion of the fifth chakra is definitely my favorite & where I find the most validity.

I’ve dabbled in mantra meditation, somewhat unsuccessfully, but truly do believe in the power of a repeated statement.

The word mantra, when broken down, equals –

• Man – meaning mind
• Tra – meaning protection or instrument

When you put the two together, a mantra is a tool to help protect our minds from limiting beliefs, negative self-talk, and non-productive thoughts.

Isn’t that epic?

In each chakra series, I’ve noted the corresponding seed sound (both under the basics & meditation sections). The purpose of this sound or mantra is to help cultivate that chakra’s essence, to give access to qualities of the corresponding element, and to help the body/mind/soul feel a greater sense of connection (to that specific chakra).

If you’re still like WTF is a seed sound and what do I do with it, here’s a few recommendations:

• Identify what chakra(s) you need to work on and write down the corresponding seed sound.
• Take 5 minutes a day, for at least a week, and marry both meditation and your mantra. You can do this by repeating the mantra out loud, in your head, or a mixture of the two.
• Write down your seed sound & why you want to grow/align in this area of your life.

Creativity

We touched on creativity in the second chakra, but this chakra also encompasses our ability to create.

Communication, at its core, is a form of creation.

We craft our conversations and written words to express our current state of being, the message that needs to be heard, and so on. As we continue to grow older & move further away from fostering a world of creativity, it’s critical that we stay close and comfortable with our creative abilities.

Never forget – you are a creative soul, regardless of what’s being created!

Tips to Stay Balanced:

• Play charades for an entire hour – seems crazy, but by communicating with the spoken word, we fine tune our ability to resonate and access each other’s vibrations
• Vow of silence – learn to listen more and be aware of the subtler qualities of life
• Voice Recording – record a regular conversation and recognize how much you listen  vs. speak. Evaluate yourself as a bystander, completely unbiased, then adjust accordingly.
• Dedicate yourself to a mantra meditation challenge
• Join a group or single coaching session to voice your thoughts in a non-judgmental environment
• Write down your strengths and weaknesses

Yoga Poses:

• Seated Cat + Cow
• Shoulderstand
• Plow Pose
• Fish Pose
• Wheel Pose

Mantra Meditation:

For each chakra, there’s a corresponding seed sound or what can be thought of as a mantra meditation tool.

• Vishuddha Mantra – HAM

If your work lies here – strengthening your voice and communication with others  – then use this mantra to help inspire and support your journey. I’ve included a link above about mantra meditation and all that it encompasses to help start the meditation process.

Also, in the book Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith, she provides various exercises to strengthen your fifth chakra + a beautiful opening meditation. I highly recommend reading/doing both of these!

The fifth chakra is our first opportunity to move into the upper, more spiritual aspect of our being. Like I’ve said in the previous posts, it’s necessary to work on ALL your chakras, in order to experience the benefits of these upper chakra points.

As we continue to climb up the chakra ladder, things will start to get a bit weirder & more woo-woo, but please – stick with me friends! There’s a lot more to learn & reflect upon and I appreciate your willingness to be here & support both my journey and yours. Now let’s keep climbing, next up – the third eye chakra center!

Related: Speak your truth with the Chakra Yoga Challenge Throat Chakra Yoga Practice