A Blissful Life 1/2/24: Speak Your Truth

Happy 2024! I hope everyone is enjoying a loving and intentional transition into the new year. This month at Ocean Bliss Yoga Studio we have two themes, along with a variety of workshops and new weekly classes to guide us with focus and grace into 2024. The first studio theme is ‘Satya’, or ‘truthfulness’. You can find more on ‘Satya’ in my column from two weeks ago. Today’s column will be centered around OBY’s second focus for January, which is ‘Vishuddha’, or the ‘Throat Chakra’.

‘Vishuddha’, or the ‘Throat Chakra’, is the body’s center of communication. It is from here that you find your voice and speak your truth with kindness and grace. ‘Vishuddha’ has to do with self-expression, being heard, and listening to others. Intertwined with ‘Satya’, this chakra is also associated with truth, clarity, and responsibility.

The ‘Throat Chakra’ is said to be located in the middle of the throat, however it also involves the tongue, lips, cheeks, jaw, ears, back of the neck, and shoulders. Some say that the ‘Throat Chakra’ acts as the bridge between the heart and the head. Others explain that ‘Vishuddha’ works closely with ‘Svadhisthana (the ‘Sacral Chakra’), your seat of creativity, by bringing to life your creative ideas. For this reason, having a clear and balanced ‘Throat Chakra’ is important for manifestation.

According to the Vedas (the most ancient Hindu scriptures), ‘Vishuddha’ is associated with the color sky blue and connected to the elements of sound and space. Its seed sound is ‘HAM’ and its note is ‘G’. Crystals used to support the ‘Throat Chakra’ are Aquamarine, Celestite, Larimar, and other blue stones.

Imbalances in the ‘Throat Chakra’ can manifest physically as issues involving the ears, mouth, jaw, neck, throat, or shoulders. Imbalances can also show up emotionally as depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem, for example. If you have a blocked ‘Throat Chakra’, you may feel the inability to speak up in different situations. On the other hand, if your ‘Throat Chakra’ is spinning too fast, you may talk too much and without arriving to a clear point. You may find it difficult to listen to others, and find yourself speaking over people in conversation. Whatever the case, balancing your ‘Throat Chakra’ is an integral part of bringing your entire system into balance and good health.

Some practices that can bring healing and balance to your ‘Throat Chakra’ are: (1) wearing a scarf or turtle neck to keep your neck and throat protected and warm; (2) drinking warm beverages and eating warm, cooked foods; (3) using honey, along with certain herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow, and elderberry to soothe the throat; (4) activating your voice box and being your own sound healer through humming, chanting, or singing; (5) practicing different types of pranayama (breath work) that support the throat, such as Ujjayi (Ocean) Breath and Lion’s Breath; (6) using certain yoga poses, such as shoulderstand, fish pose, plow pose, cobra pose, upward-facing dog, cat/cow, broken wing pose, and more.

I invite you to join us in our beautiful oasis of a studio all month long to explore the full meanings of ‘Satya’ and ‘Vishuddha’ in yourself, your life, and your yoga practice. Find our schedule at oceanblissyoga.net, or call (917)-318-1168 with any questions. Curious about yoga, but not sure if you’re ready to jump into a class? Call the number above to learn about one-on-one private sessions with a certified yoga instructor that will help ease you into a class setting.