Aligning Your Chakras: Healing an Imbalanced Throat Chakra

Heal an imbalanced throat chakra with intentional journal prompts, somatic breathwork, and yoga poses that relieve tension.

About the Throat Chakra

Throat chakra in Sanskrit, or Vishuddha, means “pure” or “purification”. When imagining the throat chakra, visualize this energy center as a bright blue triangle or pyramid, spinning clockwise and glowing brightly in the middle of your throat.

The energy of the throat chakra is associated with the ether earth element, which includes literal space, with all the stars and planets and such, but also represents the empty space that is all around and within us. Did you know that atoms making up the human body contain 99% empty space? Seriously, look it up!

This elemental association makes it easy to remember the main job of the throat chakra, which is purification of our essence. Have you ever experienced a moment during meditation where “you” ceased to exist? Where “you” went somewhere, but that place can’t be explained?

“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”

― Ram Dass

When we strip away everything that is false or constructed, what are we left with? Nothing.

That’s why, for many of us, it’s difficult to explain to others “who” or “what” we are. When the throat can only come up with words like, “account manager”, “mother”, “teacher” our expansive, multidimensional existence seems so trivial.

The throat chakra acts as a bridge between our internal and external worlds. Have you ever said something to a person, then immediately covered up with “Sorry, that didn’t come out right”? You can thank an imbalanced throat chakra for moments like this.

If you're unsure whether you've ever experienced a throat chakra imbalance, here's an embarrassing story from my college days that depicts what it can look like:

I was walking up to my apartment and noticed the super-hot baseball guys from next door were hanging out on the balcony. “Be cool, be cool, be cool” I thought to myself as I clumsily stumbled for my apartment keys.

I immediately dropped the keys on the ground, along with all the books I was holding. Causing a scene. Of course, the guys looked over to see what all the fuss was about, where they viewed me in my awkward fumble, sweating and cussing and trying desperately to just disappear into my apartment.

Instead of collecting myself in cool confidence, I frantically glanced over to the baseball guys, saw them watching me, and flashed them the “Live Long and Prosper” hand signal before sprinting through the door and collapsing in an embarrassed heap on my apartment floor. Yup. I couldn’t make this shit up.

Needless to say, my internal world did NOT match my external communication in this scenario. Or maybe it was, and my nervous system was so stressed out that my throat chakra couldn’t possibly muster up the strength to act cool? Either way, I left the situation kicking myself and wondering why I didn’t have more control over my actions in these types of awkward moments.

Oh, if I had only known then what I know now… Actually, I would probably still have embarrassed myself. My life seems to be full of those. ANYWAY, let’s dive into some more symptoms of an imbalanced throat chakra.

Graphic Courtesy of mosaicday.com

Throat Chakra Location in the Physical Body

Our throat chakra is a big deal in our physical body, as it is situated near our thyroid gland, which serves as a hormonal hub, of sorts, sending important chemicals throughout the body. These hormones help us regulate body weight, temperature, energy levels, and so much more.

Our throat chakra is also connected with the mouth, the shoulders, and our neck. I know, for me personally, I tend to get neck and shoulder pain when I am feeling unheard or unexpressed. Last summer, I had a crick in my neck that magically disappeared after having a tough conversation with my boss.

Other common ailments connected with throat chakra imbalance include sore throat, mouth ulcers, gum disease, laryngitis, TMJ (jaw bone irregularity), and even hearing problems. The mind-body connection is REAL, y’all.

Imbalanced Throat Chakra

From an energetic perspective, signs of an imbalanced throat chakra could come through as a fear of speaking up, communicating your needs in relationship, or even talking too much, by way of petty gossip. Throat chakra imbalance could also show itself as an inability to truly listen and connect with others.

Here are three specific things that happen to me when my throat chakra is out of whack:

1. I feel resentment towards my partner. You ever go into a fit of rage-cleaning the house instead of sitting down and telling your partner why you’re upset? Yeah, it’s those kind of vibes.

2. I hold tension in my neck and shoulders. Like I said before, this is a big one for me and often points me towards some deep truth I can feel in my bones, but am afraid to say out loud. Do your body and mind a favor and just say the damn thing.’

3. I avoid writing. I’ve mentioned this in relation to the heart, as well, but the throat blockage feels totally different when it comes to writing. I can physically feel a blocked sensation in my throat, like there’s something in there that I’m trying to keep down.

So, if you think you may be experiencing symptoms of an imbalanced throat chakra, don't stress. There are many different ways to heal that aren't a pain in the neck (hah, get it??) to do. In fact, practices to heal the throat can actually be fun, playful, and super empowering.

Throat Chakra Cleansing

With the throat chakra being so multidimensional, there are tons and tons of different ways to heal it. I’ve listed some of my favorites below, but I’d like to offer another honorable mention, and that is just talking it out with a friend.

Entirely too often, we will choose to keep our thoughts, worries, concerns, all bottled up. When really, all we need is to speak it out loud, therefore bringing it into our physical reality, instead of letting it fester. Y’all know I’m right ;)

Breathwork

Breathwork is an awesome go-to when healing the throat chakra because it specifically activates this area each time the air passes through. Popular pranayama techniques that target the throat include lion’s breath, ujjayi (my personal fave), and jalandhara.

Journal

Basically, any form of writing can help to balance the throat chakra. Any chance to express your inner truth is great on your way to inner healing! However, with that being said, I think working with journal prompts is specifically helpful when working with the throat chakra.

Journal prompts give us a sense of direction when it comes to organizing our thoughts and putting pen to paper. I’ve found that the best prompts to reach for to heal the throat chakra are the ones I get the most visceral reaction from in my body. The topics you would specifically like to avoid? Yeah, that’s where the magic is.

So next time you’re looking to clear a blocked throat chakra, just search “Throat Chakra Journal Prompts”. You can find tons of lists in a quick Google images search. Pick a list that speaks to you, then find the one prompt that feels the most icky in your body. Chances are, you’ll feel much better once you’ve brought it into the light of day.

Yoga

I feel like yoga isn’t a practice we often connect to our throat chakra, but it’s a big one! By releasing tension in your neck and shoulders, you can help ease stiff muscles around your throat, giving this energy center a well-needed break.

Beginners to yoga can try simple neck rolls, moving the head forward, down and back around. More advances poses, like fish pose and plough pose are also great for the throat chakra. While you’re in each pose, remember to breathe deeply and make sure you aren’t cramming your body into uncomfortable positions that may leave you feeling imbalanced somewhere else in your body.

Nutrition

Herbal teas are really where it’s at when it comes to supporting your throat chakra with diet and nutrition. There’s a reason why singers swear by this remedy to nurture their instrument. Coconut water is also great on the throat, since it has soothing properties.

Like the other chakras, it is believed to respond well to healthy fruits and vegetables in the color it correlates with: blue. Blueberries, purple cabbage, and even sea plants like nori are thought to support the throat chakra (makes sense, since the ocean is blue, I guess?).

Crystals

If you’re new to crystal healing and want to try them out, the throat chakra is an excellent place to start! I’m not sure why the throat resonates so deeply with stones, but it does. Maybe due to the chakra itself being located so closely to the surface of the skin? I dunno, but here are some throat chakra stones to try:

• Turquoise

• Amanzonite

• Lapis Lazuli

• Aquamarine

• Apatite

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, the throat chakra is probably the most common imbalance. However, that doesn’t make it easy to heal! In working to align this energy center, you may find a lot of unresolved issues bubbling up to the surface (hello previously mentioned baseball guy memory). I invite you to welcome the cringe and embrace past things you’ve said or done with love and acceptance (if you can).

In the Throat Chakra 101 Workbook, I’ve provided a journal prompt, and guided meditations to cleanse the throat chakra. As always, please let me know what you thought of this little lesson!

So much love,

Haley