When the Throat Chakra is Blocked
The throat Chakra has everything to do with expression and communications. When this Chakra is blocked, there could be problems in the throat, inflammation of the gums, pain in the teeth, a voice that is not natural (too high-pitched is a perfect example). My Story shares a healing of a student's experience with this. Her entire life changed instantly. It is not uncommon to find thyroid problems with this Chakra when it is stuck. Other symptoms include: TMJ, scoliosis, swollen glands, laryngitis, cough, sore throat, addiction, criticism, a persistent cold or flu that take a long time to leave, tonsillitis, acute infections, vocal and communication difficulties, and underactive thyroid. It also affects the sternum, throat, and endocrines. Another prime example is the salivary glands, which include the parotid, sublingual, and submaxillary. These glands are responsible for producing enzymes that initiate the digestion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This is very important because it takes 45 minutes to an hour for adequate hydrochloric acid and pepsin to be produced in the stomach to continue protein digestion. The salivary glands are also thought by many to be vital in differentiating between food and other foreign proteins in some sort of a tagging process by the immune system. It is for this reason that they are also useful in ridding the body of toxic substances. The importance of the salivary glands underscores the need to chew one's food until it is liquefied in order to achieve the most complete mixing of enzymes and other substances.When the Throat Chakra is Open and Spirals are Free
A person with an open Throat Chakra has no problem with communications, listening, expression, or creative identity. They probably eat slowly and chew their food, too! Great singers and speakers usually have a very strong 5th Chakra. It denotes the ability to enchant others with the voice. When you can hear a pin drop in an audience, you can be sure that you are in the presence of a powerful 5th Chakra.
Healing Visualizations and Meditations
- When one thinks of the voice and then healing, chanting comes to mind immediately. There are many Web sites where you can find chanting and follow along. If you don't know anything about it, study it online. You might be surprised to discover that it does open this area of your body. If you want to try chanting on your own, try this one. Just keep repeating it as you get into a rhythmic chant with your eyes closed:
“OM SRI RAM JAI RAM JAI JAI RAM”
According to Sri Maharshi, in a more theo-philosophical sense the mantram is a combination of Sanskrit syllables which, in effect, is a magical sentence in its ability to generate etheric vibrations. A friend, Sue, gave me this one, which is chanted for protection. She told me, “It surrounds the magnetic field with protective light, and means, 'I bow to the primal Guru (guiding consciousness who takes us to God-Realization), I bow to wisdom through the ages, I bow to True Wisdom, I bow to the great, unseen wisdom.' ” AD GURAY NAMEH, JUGAD GURAY NAMEH,SAT GURAY NAMEH, SIRI GURU DEVAY NAMEH Pronunciation: odd guray namay, jew god guray namay, saht guray namay, ceeri guru dev ay namay. The breathing technique for the larynx as part of the Complete Yoga Breath (the Breath series is on every page of this site in the above left menu), is all about breathing consciously through the larynx. This is the spot for this Chakra, so it's a great breathing technique to help open this center, too. Of course, there is singing, if chanting isn't for you. Put on a record of your favorite music. Learn the words to the songs. Sing with your favorite singer. Let your voice come out, loud and clear. Even if you are not a singer, it will feel good for you to sing your heart out and concentrate on this area of your throat. The link to learning how to sing is given in #5 of this 5th Chakra series (link below).
Nadabrahma
There is this wonderful old Tibetan technique called Nadabrahma—HUMMING, which was originally done in the early hours of the morning. This is a powerful healing technique for the throat Chakra. If you take the time to do it, you will experience incredible changes in your body and mind. Here is the way Bhagwan Shree Razneesh taught it:
It is suggested that it should be done either at night before going to sleep or during the morning, when it should be followed by at least 15 minutes rest. It can be done alone, with others. It is good done on an empty stomach, otherwise the inner sound cannot go very deep. FIRST STAGE: 30 minutes at least. Sit in a relaxed position with eyes closed, lips together. Begin to hum, loudly enough to create a vibration throughout the entire body. It should be loud enough to be heard by others. You can alter pitch and inhale as you please and if the body moves, allow it, providing that the movements are smooth and slow. Visualize your body as a hollow tube, an empty vessel, filled only with the vibrations of the humming. A point will come where the humming occurs by itself and you become the listener. The brain is activated and every fiber cleansed. It is particularly useful in healing. SECOND STAGE: Move the hands, palms up, in a circular outward motion. The right hand moves to its right, the left to its left. Make these circles large, moving slowly as possible. At times the hands will appear not to be moving at all. If needed, the rest of the body can move but also slowly and silently. After 7 1/2 minutes, move the hands in the opposite direction; that is, with the palms down, moving in circular directions inwards towards the body. Move the hands for another 7 1/2 minutes. As the hands move outward, feel energy is moving away from the body and as they circle inwards, imagine taking energy in. THIRD STAGE: Sit absolutely still and quiet.
- Visualize your taste buds, imagine something you love to taste. Perhaps a fresh fruit from a tree in an orchard surrounded by the clear, blue sky. Visualize it entering your mouth and that you are going to bite down on it and taste it. Visualize total happiness within you from the power of your sense of taste.