Vishuddha

Your Vishuddha chakra, also known as your throat chakra, is the place from which you speak your authentic truth.  When it is out of balance, or when other chakras are out of balance, what you communicate outward may lack strength, truth, love and/or clarity.  I invite you to focus this month on ensuring that what you transmit into the world is necessary, truthful and loving.  Working on this energy center will also enhance your listening abilities.

Vishuddha means “pure”.  Picture your throat as a channel for the energy that you are sharing with the world, the channel being clear, uncluttered and radiant.  When you allow unspoken words to become stuck in this channel, it becomes cluttered and murky.  When you speak words unnecessarily or unkindly, it loses its radiance, becoming dingy and rough.  Each word you share is energy that you send out into the world.  Some believe that, like all sound waves, each word you speak continues on for infinity.  Its critical that your words matter!

When you speak, you should ensure your words fit the following criteria:

• They are necessary.  You are sharing information that is useful and helpful for the recipient.
• They are true and authentic.  You are speaking words that are both true and in alignment with your authentic self.
• They are loving.  You are choosing words that convey your authentic meaning in a helpful and kind way for the recipient.

There are times when you are venting and seeking feedback from a loved one, perhaps using more words than you would otherwise, but try to ensure that you are clear when this is the case.  If you clutter everyday communications with others seeking validation or working through your own issues, you muddy the channel.  Think of your words as small, carefully selected crystals, not a bucket of odds and ends from your junk drawer that you are dumping out for the recipient to sort through.

In our Yoga Nidra meditations, we’ll be working with the intention “I choose my words wisely. I speak truthfully and lovingly.”  You can enhance your meditation work by doing the following:

Take 3-5 minutes each morning to sit, breathe and move before you start the day.  

• Sit on the floor or your mat with your eyes closed.
• First, simply notice your breath.  Let yourself settle into your breath, becoming absorbed in its sound and movement.
• Visualize your throat as a clear, blue passageway.  Allow your throat to become spacious front to back and side to side.  Explore and consider the energy you are feeling.
• With each inhale, allow your breath to revitalize and clear your throat.  Feel each breath as radiant light.
• With each exhale, let go of unspoken words and any regret about past words or decisions.

Listen to one of your yoga nidra recordings as often as you can

You will likely be doing other wonderful yoga related work  – going to studio classes, doing the home asana practices, reading the blog posts – but let the list above be your minimum baseline.

This is your daily Visuddha yoga nidra meditation (22:42 minutes).  It helps you plant the intention “I choose my words wisely. I speak truthfully and lovingly.”

Start Meditation

This is your weekly Vishuddha yoga nidra meditation (33 minutes).   This meditation plants the intention “I choose my words wisely. I speak truthfully and lovingly.”  You will be cued to hold your breath during this meditation.  If, for any reason, you should not hold your breath, breathe normally during these sections.  Get comfy and enjoy!!

Start Meditation

Use this bedtime yoga nidra to help you gently fall asleep.  It reinforces this month’s intention: “I choose my words wisely. I speak truthfully and lovingly.”  This meditation is the same as the weekly yoga nidra, but stops once you arrive at the deepest level within the meditation.

The second recording includes soft ambient music.

Start Meditation

Start Meditation with Music

Your Vishuddha, or throat chakra, is associated with things like truth, communication, decisions, words, clarity and expression.  Tied to the elements of sound and ether, this area is the portal through which we share and receive spoken energy within the world.

Activating your Vishuddha chakra can help you communicate more effectively and help you become a better listener.  You can bring this chakra into balance through your meditations, but also via other energy techniques:

1. Mantras.  Each chakra has a sound, or mantra.  For the throat chakra, it is HAM.  Chanting, or even making this sound mentally, helps clear your Vishuddha chakra.
2. Crystals.  This chakra is associated with blue, so many of the crystals used to cleanse this area are blue in color.  Try carrying or wearing aquamarine, blue lace agate, angelite, sodalite, turquoise or lapis lazuli.

Here are a couple of nice articles on the Visuddha chakra:

https://chopra.com/articles/speak-your-inner-truth-with-the-fifth-chakra

https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/chakratuneup2015-intro-visuddha