Name in Sanskrit: Vishuddha
Meaning: “Especially pure”
Location: Center of neck, level of the throat
Number of Petals: 16
Color: Turquoise
The fifth chakra is also known as the Throat Chakra. It’s located at the base of your neck, at throat level, equidistant from the right and left sides. Its color is strong opaque turquoise, and its symbol, in most representations, is a 16-petaled lotus. The throat chakra symbol also includes a crescent, representing cosmic sound, and a downward facing triangle, representing the impact this chakra has on the first four chakras.
The throat chakra crystals include aquamarine, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and amazonite. In Sanskrit this chakra is called Vishuddha, meaning “especially pure.” Not for no reason – the throat chakra meaning might seem self-explanatory but given how complex our societies and lives have become, purity and truth have unfortunately become multifaceted difficult-to-apply spiritual values.
Regardless of where and how you live, the universal purity principle deeply affects your soul, health, relationships, and life in general. But make no mistake – this principle has nothing to do with your society’s social or religious rules. It has nothing to do with your sexual behavior either. The throat chakra purity has to do with transparency in the relational and spiritual sense – whether you can really be yourself and be accepted for it by others, whether you can show your “true colors,” whether your honest voice matters in your community, and whether you come from your heart when you say words.
Only after having firmly established yourself in the first four chakras (strong survival skills, good relations, solid boundaries, and ability to love) can you have a healthy fifth chakra. Only then can you trust yourself in the soul level to be who you really are – including every aspect of your identity such as your profession, hobbies, social circle, choice of mate, political opinions, religious and/or spiritual practices etc.
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When the throat chakra is imbalanced
A disfigured, undercharged, overcharged, or torn throat chakra affects your ability to express yourself and be seen, heard and accepted for who you are. If you have consistently been not heard or seen, especially during childhood or early adolescence, you might have inevitably developed the subconscious belief that you aren’t a worthy individual – when people around you don’t care enough to listen to your words or don’t give weight to what you have to say, you might internalize their negative behavior as your own shortcoming.
If you were raised in an austere communal environment where individualism was a no-no and where being different was looked down on or even punished, you might have a damaged fifth chakra (along with other chakras). This type of environment might have given you a throat chakra blockage – one that would cause extreme fear of retaliation if you were to bring yourself to reveal your true feelings, opinions, style, or orientation.
This fear might be grounded in reality, but things might have also transformed in your outer life since your childhood. You might now be living in a more open, accepting community; times might have changed all over the world. Your parents and society might have changed as well. So, the fear might be coming from the past, yet you might still be letting it affect your life today.
To know when we have said enough is also a throat chakra skill. If you have an overactive throat chakra, you might be prone to talking too much or constant nagging. Or, if your throat feels blocked, you might be saying too little when the situation warrants more words, or you might be murmuring words when they need to be uttered assertively.
Health issues associated with this chakra include thyroid disease (underlying belief: “others come first; I’m not as important”), stiffness in the neck (“I need to be a certain way; I can’t be open to different perspectives”), teeth problems (“it’s difficult to ponder or imagine new situations”) and jaw problems (“I have to control my anger, even when others are mean to me”).
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Healing techniques
A super simple throat chakra healing technique is to sit down in a meditative position, in a quiet room, legs crossed and back straight, making sure you won’t be disturbed for a while. Close your eyes and place your hands on your throat. Let go of any thoughts or fears you may have and visualize this area filling up and illuminating with a bright blue glow. This is a throat chakra meditation; so, try to spare at least twenty minutes for it to increase its effects on you.
Breathe deeply and continue to imagine a great warmth spreading over you and a deep calm entering your life. Throat chakra opening symptoms include relaxation of the jaw, ceasing of self-judgment and a newer, deeper feeling of self-acceptance.
The above technique is great for those with an undercharged, closed, or disfigured throat chakra. But some of us have excessive energy in our throat chakra. Those of us who use nagging to get what we want, who verbally abuse others to make them do what we desire, and who use excessive speech to prevent intimacy actually have too much life force in the throat chakra.
To release the accumulated excess energy in your throat chakra, work with a therapist or counselor to explore how your childhood, adolescence or your recent/current environment has affected your soul. You’ll need to learn to defend yourself less and to accept yourself more, in order to be able to let others into your heart and show them your vulnerabilities. You can also work with a psychic to get intuitive insights into your chakra.
Throat chakra healing foods include blueberries, blackberries, healthy smoothies, fresh coconut water, calming herbal teas, and high-quality honey.
Throat chakra yoga poses include shoulder stand (sarvangasana) and plow pose (halasana). Work with a certified teacher to learn these poses, and if you’re new to yoga, try supported versions – use props to help your body ease into these poses. We recommend avoiding these poses altogether if you have neck or spine injuries, or high blood pressure – make sure to let your teacher know about your health history before you begin practicing.
Throat chakra affirmations
“I have the right to come first.”
“I have the right to be who I am.”
“I speak my truth.”
Fun everyday practices
To heal the throat chakra, you can also wear a bright blue or turquoise shirt, pants or a scarf, get blue pillows or throws for the living room and add a new pop of color to your life that way. You can paint a water bottle bright turquoise, and drink water from that bottle for a few weeks. Paint your nails blue, or paint a canvas in shades of blue.
If you like wearing stones or having them around your house, obtain aquamarine, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and amazonite. You can wear them as jewelry or put them in different rooms. Make sure to regularly wash your crystals with mild soap and water, and give them some time in the sun – this will charge them and keep their energy properties intact.
Find out more about the other six chakras:
