Throat Chakra

This Chakra is located centrally at the base of the neck and is represented by the colour sky blue and the seed sound is HAM (pronounced hum). This is our communication and expression centre that governs listening, hearing, and speaking. The throat chakra allows us to synthesis the communication from source and the world so that we may live a life of speaking our inner truth and sharing it with the people around us. It is about expressing our desires, needs, wants, ideas and love. This chakra is the connection between our heart and our mind.

Our creative ideas manifest through this chakra when we speak the idea using its energy. This chakra is about being flexible working with others and being accepting of who they are. But it is also about taking responsibility for your needs and having the power to change things in your life. Do you see yourself as a person who has self-control and self-discipline? This is important in achieving our hopes, dreams and desires. This chakra is also about how we use our will power. Do we use it to move ahead in our life but not use it “over” others? 

Speaking our Truth

What is this? How do we know if we are speaking our truth? Our truth is the part of us that knows who we really are. It knows our true desires, our true needs and our true intentions. To speak our truth we are voicing our desires, needs and wants from this sacred place and in turn we are honouring who we really are. When we do not create a silent space to listen to our truth, we then rely on the mind to be our voice and this can interfere greatly with what it is that we truly want. For example, we do something we do not want for a fear of rejection, or offending someone. When in fact this something we agree to do can greatly go against what resonates with us. Of Course your truth varies from person to person as we have all walked different paths and had different experiences.

A Balanced Throat Chakra

When balanced, communication and self-expression come easily as is the ability to meditate easily. Tactfulness and calmness in your communication is observed, as is your loyalty, trustworthiness and honesty. You will find that you can easily convey your creativity and intention and display the strong attribute of self-expression.

A Unbalanced Throat Chakra

When it is weak or blocked, this may see you holding back from expressing yourself. You may exhibit tendencies to be shy, lie, gossip and be judgmental of others. Unfaithfulness, lack of faith and trustworthiness may also be signs that this chakra needs to be balanced.

An Excessive Throat Chakra may see one as over talkative, self-righteous and arrogant.

Physical Manifestations of a Blocked Throat Chakra

The Throat chakra governs the throat, thyroid, trachea, neck, vertebrae, mouth, teeth and gums. When the energy is blocked for a while in this chakra, it can lead to the following physical ailments: Thyroid issues, neck pain, tension headaches, grinding teeth, jaw pain, dental issues, ear infections, deafness, laryngitis, and mouth addictions: e.g. smoking, over eating, alcohol abuse.

Ether is the element of the Throat Chakra.

The Throat chakra is associated with the element of Ether. It is the last chakra associated with an element. Ether can be described as space. The throat chakra holds the space for our expression so that it can flow freely. At times we can feel choked up, feel like we’re suffocating, or we may just needing space. These are signs that the ether energy needs to be cleared to create more space to ‘just be’. Our breath is the life force for our physical bodies. We can use this breath by breathing in deeply and slowly to help clear the space that is needed to move forward. For example, public speaking or performing can be very daunting to many people, but to gain the courage and the power to move into this space, often you will see these people take a deep long breath before they perform. This is clearing the energy to let the expression flow.

Hearing and the Throat Chakra

Hearing is the sense that is linked to this chakra.  Are you listening to your higher self? It is understandable that many people cannot hear their higher self as many people today have such busy lives and do not sit in silence to hear what needs to be listened too. It is so important to find the time to sit in stillness to hear messages, listen to the truth, so that your life can be communicated to the world in an honest way.  Also listen to your body…what is it telling you?

The Thyroid Glands

The Throat Chakra is connected to the Thyroid gland. It is used to help regulate the metabolism. The throat chakra is seen as the chakra that metabolizes the information from the other chakras in our body. Thyroid problems are often directly attributed to issues in the throat chakra. Some questions you may ask yourself are… Am I speaking up for myself? Am I speaking my truth? Am I listening to what I need to hear? Am I fully expressing my needs and wants?

Clearing the Throat chakra

Meditate – create the space that is needed for the energy to flow through this chakra. It will allow you to hear your inner voice and your guidance from the higher realms.

Sky Blue – Is the colour that vibrates in harmony with this chakra, so wear blue.

Notice if you start wearing blue without thinking…Listen to what your subconscious is telling you.

Visualise - Bring in a healing blue radiant light directly into the throat chakra and visualize it healing and clearing this energy centre.

Sing/Chant/Laugh/Yawn – Using your voice to clear this area is very beneficial. Sing out loud in the car or at home, anywhere you feel comfortable. Not only will it help your throat chakra but it will lift your vibration and put you in a wonderful mood.

Speak Your Truth – Even if your voice shakes and you are fearful of consequences. How can you go wrong if you speak from the heart? This allows your feelings and emotions to be expressed rather than bottled up and held onto as anger and resentment.

Journal- This is a wonderful way to express and let go of the events of the day as well as an opportunity to explore and digest your feelings and emotions.

Crystals – Lapis lazuli, Blue Lace Agate, Aquamarine, Aqua Aura, Blue Calcite, Celeste, Kynaite, Turquoise and Labradorite.

The Heart Chakra

The Heart Charka is a very powerful energetic centre that is the connection between the upper chakras and the lower chakras. It is the chakra that connects our physical existence to our soul/spiritual existence. It is the centre of your emotional power, where love and compassion are both given and received.

Heart Chakra Basics

The Heart chakra is associated with the colour green or pink.  It is located in the middle of our chest – our body centre. This is the chakra that elevates the energies moving from the lower chakras (our basic needs) to the higher ones (our blessings), and vice versa, it slows the vibration of the energy moving from the upper chakras to the lower chakras to manifest in the physical reality. The truth of this energetic centre is “Love is Divine Power”. 

The heart is our true guide, our compass. It is the receiver of our soul’s true messages. Many people let their head guide their lives, but this doesn’t allow them to live their truth. The truth comes when we live from the heart.  The more that we can live in this heart space, the more we will be able to see, feel and experience the true unconditional love, joy and happiness in our lives.

How Can I Tell If My Heart Chakra is Balanced?

To feel, be and see love is the key to a balanced heart chakra. You will feel grounded in the lower chakras but at the same time you will feel light as feather. When balanced, you will be trusting, forgiving, friendly, filled with hope and emotionally strong. You will see the joy and beauty in everything around you. You will be abundant in the love for yourself and in turn have love in abundance for others. When full of love you can then have compassion and empathy for others, hope, and the amazing ability to heal yourself and others.

How Can I Tell If my Heart Chakra is not balanced?

Problems arise in this chakra when there is limited experience of love, either giving or receiving love. For example, doing something when your ‘heart is not in it”, a feeling that you are unworthy of being loved, a withholding of love or affection from others, or a lack of loving feeling toward certain people or life in general.

A heart chakra will close down to protect itself from intense pain, for instance, a death, divorce, abuse or betrayal. It may cut of the communication between the upper and lower chakras when the trauma is great. You may feel as through your heart has been broken or wounded. You may feel heavy, antisocial, lonely, lack joy or be possessive. Anger, grief, bitterness, self-centeredness, harshness and resentment are also signs of a block heart chakra.

Over-active Heart Chakra will see you suffocating people with your love but in a way that is selfish. You may also use your love as a weapon giving and taking to suit your needs.

But please know that this chakra is extremely strong and powerful. It can never be broken, damaged or destroyed like is described, when immense grief occurs in your life. It contains the healing powers of love. Trust in this healing ability and let the love heal you from the inside out. This is the chakra that can heal you.

Heart Chakra is Connected To Our Sense of Touch

When we talk about touch and the heart chakra we are looking at how we touch people with our love, joy and kindness. We allow life’s experiences to touch us to show our compassion and empathy.  We show our love to others through this sense. It can also alert us to the sensitivity of this chakra when we don’t like to be touched.

Heart Chakra Is Connected To Our Thymus Gland

The thymus gland is responsible for our body’s immunity. It processes white blood cells so that they can fight disease and bring balance to the body. When we have low immunity our body is slow to heal. A balanced heart is a balanced immune system. But a heart that is too open may invite bacteria into the body. So we aim to have a balance and centeredness in connection with the heart where love and life can flow with ease and harmony. The thymus gland in relation to the heart chakra reminds us to stand strong in our heart space in the face of a battle or invasion of negativity into our life.

The blockages or imbalances in this energy field can lead to diseases in our physical bodies such as heart disease, blood pressure, breast cancer, circulation problems, fatigue, immune disorders, lung diseases, and allergies.

The Heart Chakra is Associated with the Element of Air.

This is the first of the chakras to have an element that cannot be seen.  Breath is air and is part of the circulatory system in which feeds the cells oxygen. It is the vital life force for our

physical bodies. Without air we would die. The air can also be related to the wind, blowing away the negative emotions of the solar plexus, sacral and root chakra.

Air spreads and invigorates and energizes whatever it touches. Think of walking into a rainforest or beach and gulping in the air deep into your lungs. Lack of air can also make us feel suffocated, confined and unable to express ourselves.

Balancing the Heart Chakra

• Crystals – Rose Quartz, Green Jade, Aventurine, Green Calcite and Watermelon Tourmaline.
• Eat Vegetables
• Let go of anger and resentment from past experiences and make room for loving experiences to come into your life.
• Wear green to activate the heart chakra
• Surround yourself with green, bring it into your home, such as plants, fruit e.t.c.
• Walk through a green scenery such as a park
• Open your heart to the love, joy and beauty in the world.
• Take time to see the beauty in everything around you.
• Spread love through an act of kindness or a simple smile at a stranger.

The Solar Plexus

The solar plexus chakra (also known as the personal power chakra) is located between the belly button and the diaphragm, in the upper abdominal area. The colour that represents this chakra is yellow. The sound that it resonates to is E, the mantra RAM (pronounced rum).

The Solar Plexus represents:

·       Our power, confidence, self -worth (sense of self), willpower and freedom.

This is the centre where change and personal growth initiate. Here is where we use our power to change the situations in our lives that need transformation. It is also where we evaluate and understand the experiences in the world. We digest events, people, emotions and feelings that arise in our lives through this energy point.

A Balanced Solar Plexus 

When balanced you will feel confident and will be experiencing your power by making peaceful improvements for the earth and humanity. You will be able to say “no” to people when you need to. Life will be supporting you and people will be respecting your integrity and be responding to your charisma. You will feel at ease with being able to be yourself, and be at ease with ‘just being”.

Excessive Solar Plexus

When this centre is excessive you may be over aggressive, arrogant, workaholic, a perfectionist and/or domineering. You may also find that you want to take control of situations. To be highly competitive or even feel the need to be right all the time is also a sign that this chakra is excessive.

 Weak or Blocked Solar Plexus

The chakra is blocked or weak when you allow others to have power over you. You find it difficult to say ‘no’ and your self-esteem and self-confidence is low. You may also be ‘needy and attention seeking. This is where you will not find the energy to put your ideas into practice because of the fear of criticism, self-doubt and poor self-image. You may also lack will power and not be able to follow through with things. A victim mentality and blaming those around you is also a trait of a blocked Solar Plexus.

Fire is the element of this chakra.

The ‘Fire” in your belly is what we associate with your drive and power. Fire is also transformative by changing everything it touches. It is easy to understand the traits of this chakra using the element of fire. A controlled fire burning with the optimal amount of air and fuel burns with passion and beauty. It is magical to watch, intriguing and difficult to take your eyes off, all traits of a person with a balanced solar plexus. When the fire burns out of control, it is strong, forceful, domineering, dangerous and threatening, (much like an excessive chakra). When the fire burns weak it is hard to keep ignited, its small, and even shows little potential to be the beauty that it could be, (like a weak or blocked chakra).

Endocrine Gland - Pancreas

The solar plexus is connected to the pancreas, which is the gland of the endocrine system. It is the gland that assists with the digestion of your food. It releases enzymes to breakdown the carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in the food. It also secretes a hormone to create insulin to control the blood sugar levels in the body. It is a crucial gland for the function of a healthy body.

When the chakra is not balanced and is left over time the following physical ailments can begin to appear in the physical body such as: arthritis, pancreatitis, indigestion, eating disorders, intestinal tumors, diabetes, liver disease, gall stones and colon disease to name a few.

Balancing the Solar Plexus 

· What a better way to balance the solar plexus than to us the great big ball of fire in our sky, the sun. If you can, spend 15 minutes sunbathing and soaking up the energy and power of the sun into the solar plexus area.

· Wear the colour yellow. It can be under your clothes if you don’t normally wear yellow. Choose a yellow scarf or pair of socks to wear for the day.

· Place your hands in the solar plexus area and affirm to yourself powerful affirmations, such as…”I am a powerful creator of peace and harmony in this world”…”I express my power with peacefulness”…” I am using my power to make a difference”…”I am grateful for the power of me”…”I am full of self-confidence.”

· Visualise the solar plexus being filled with the colour yellow, then filling and surrounding your aura.

· Eat grains, corn, cereals and drink chamomile tea.

  Use the following crystals: Yellow Citrine, Topaz, Aventurine Quartz and Sunstone.

Sacral Chakra

This Chakra is located below the naval, in the region of the kidneys and the reproductive organs.  The colour orange, and a six-petal lotus flower represent this chakra. This is our feminine and masculine energy centre, our yin/yang. The note this chakra resonates to is D and the sound is VAM.

What does it Represent?

This chakra primarily represents –

·      Our emotions and our experience with intimate relationships with others and our selves.

·      It is about knowing that who you are and what you do is enough.

·      It is also about creating healthy boundaries to protect yourself and your life force.

·      It represents our sexuality, our creativity and our ambition. 

·      This is where our passion and joy arise and where self-love comes from.

·      It is the energy centre that we can express ourselves and where we can ‘let go’.

·      It is where we experience pleasure from all our experiences in the physical world.

A Balanced Sacral Chakra

When balanced, the sacral chakra allows you to trust the flow of life. Giving and receiving comes to you with ease. You attend life with enthusiasm happiness and joy. Your life is passionate, emotionally sound and sexually fulfilled. We can also know it is balanced when we are in touch with our feelings and when we can identify the feelings of others.

A Blocked Sacral Chakra

When there is a block or a weakness in this chakra you may experience:

·      Problems in your intimate relationships, such as seeing them as being a threat, painful or a struggle.

·      You struggle with giving and receiving

·      You may also have problems with connecting too and sharing your body sexually with someone else.

·      Expressing yourself creatively might also be an issue for you. 

·      Blockages in this area may lead to self destructive and abusive behaviors for your body.

·      You may become withdrawn, obsessive, over dependant or over sensitive. You may also be disengaged from your feelings and emotions.

·      Or quite simply have a block in your creative flow of ideas.

A chakra that is over excessive will exhibit the extreme opposite of the points above.

Physical Manifestations of a Blocked Sacral Chakra

When the energy is blocked for a while in this chakra, it can lead to the following physical aliments: Bladder problems, PMS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, irritable bowel syndrome, testicular disease and prostrate issues, infertility struggles, sciatica pain, chronic fatigue, and lower back pain.

Water and the Sacral Chakra

The sacral chakra is associated with the element of water. When we think of water, we see it moving with the flow, around obstacles, to and fro on the shoreline. It is free flowing and flexible and it adapts to its environment. Our emotions and feelings are the water moving and changing with the landscape in which we see ourselves. We often cannot control the environment but we can choose to flow and ride the waves or we can choose to swim against the tide. So a healthy sacral chakra will allow us to go with the flow and accept the changes in our life.

Taste and the Sacral Chakra

Taste is the sense that is linked to this chakra.  We can understand the link to this chakra when we see the correlation to the words we use to describe the experiences, and the feelings and emotions they evoke. For example, “That lady was very bitter”,  “his nature is so sweet”, or “that relationship went sour”. Can you see how we use taste to describe how we feel? Taste is also designed to help us experience pleasure. We smell, feel, see and delight in the taste of a good meal. Our senses are stimulated and the pleasure we feel is ignited. Pleasure is key to the health of the sacral chakra.

The Gonad Glands

The Sacral Chakra is connected to the Gonad gland. These glands represent creation and creativity, also accepting and embracing the flow and changes in your life. They are the main source for excretion of the sex hormone, Oestrogen in females and Testosterone in males. The potential for the development of a new life (creation) is reflected in the drive of the sacral chakra.

Clearing the sacral chakra

Orange – Is the colour that vibrates in harmony with this chakra, so wear orange, eat orange foods, cut up an orange and smell it feel it and taste it. Burn sweet orange oil.

Water – Water is the key element that is tied to the sacral chakra. Use water to balance it by, swimming, visiting a lake, stream, river, oceans and watch the water, see how it moves and flows. Fill a bottle with water, close your eyes whilst holding it, and repeat affirmations that will assist you. For example – I am Whole, I am a creative being, I am creating beautiful experiences into my life, I am enough, I am open to the truth, I am comfortable in receiving love. You can now drink the transformed positive affirmation water to revitalize your body.

Dancing/movement – Moving the area of your body around this chakra. Belly dancing is known to be good for this, but if you are not into belly dancing than try hoola hooping with or without a hoop. It’s a great exercise when you are standing in the kitchen washing up the dishes.

Let Go – Practice letting go of the emotions and feelings that are not serving you. Emotions are very powerful. Recognise them, acknowledge them, and then let go of the ones that bring you pain, heartache, unhappiness and self-pity.

Crystals

Citrine, Carnelian, Golden Topaz, Moonstone, orange calcite and sunstone.

To use these crystals you can either place them on your sacral chakra or sit with them whilst they heal. You may also want to make a gem elixir to drink and whilst adding the element of water I feel that a bath with these crystals will also be beneficial. You may want to place these crystals in your home or work place wherever it is where you do your creative work.

Mantra Affirmation

“I flow, I relate, I co-create”.

Recite this six times to yourself whilst focusing your attention on the sacral chakra.