Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:11] Welcome to Deepen youn Yoga Practice. I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we're going to be deepening our yoga practices by talking about the throat chakra. So this is about expression, integrity and clear communication. My intention is to talk about this chakra not as a mystical abstraction, but as the center of expression and resonance, the bridge between the heart and the mind, the filter between inner truth and outer speech, as well as a site of both empowerment and sometimes depression. And I'll also give you practical ways to strengthen this chakra on and off the mat. And just for some context, this is part of a longer series. I have an initial episode that talks about what the chakras are, and then I have a dedicated episode to each one so far. The root, the sacral, the solar plexus, and the heart. So this is the sixth episode in the series, fifth chakra. So I'll ask, have you ever swallowed your words or spoken too quickly? Maybe put your foot in your mouth and wish you hadn't said something? Maybe there are times you wish you had sensed something. When we align our throat chakra, it's not about using our voice more, although it can be. It's more about speaking in alignment. So the throat chakra is also known as vishuda, which means especially pure, or to purify in Sanskrit. Its location is in the physical throat and mouth and the ears as well. Because it's responsible for listening. Its element is ether and space, in particularly the sound waves that travel through ether. Its color is blue and its seed mantra or its sacred sound is ham H a m. Through a traditional lens, it is the fifth chakra in the system. In the major chakra system that runs along the center axis of the body. It's associated with purification and refinement, and it governs communication, self expression and authenticity. It's also known as the bridge between the heart and and the mind. So it helps refine our experience into meaning. When we look at this through a modern lens, we can also tie it into nervous system expression. So this is the tone of voice we use, maybe connection to the vagus nerve as well. It can tie into communication patterns, boundaries, self trust, creativity and leadership. The throat chakra is where your inner world meets the outer world. So it is this zone of expression, of letting be known what is inside of us to the outside world. Different imbalances can occur within this space. If it is underactive, we might feel a difficulty speaking up. We might be people pleasers. We might fear conflict and avoid it. We might suppress our creativity for fear of judgment. And we might have things like chronic sore throats or neck tension. If this space is overactive, we might be in the habit of oversharing or interrupting. We might talk to actually avoid our feelings. We might form really rigid opinions, and we might even feel a sense of spiritual superiority. So when this space is more in balance, we'll feel clear, grounded, measured and authentic in our expression. We can relate this space to our physical anatomy and nervous system as well. This space is related to the cervical spine, so the vertebrae in the neck. This is the most flexible part of our spine. And it allows our head to move from side to side and up and down and all around. And it can be also connected to our vigilance, our survival as well, because we need that mobility to be able to see our surroundings. We can also relate this to different muscles in the neck, like our sternocleidomastoid, which are thick, ropey muscles in the neck that can become really sore and stressed and tired in so many of us due to our modern lifestyles. Also our scalenes, which are nice, deep neck muscles that can do the same. This can affect our tongue posture as well. And our larynx and vocal cords and our vagus nerve influence on voice tone. So our nervous system and the state that it's in is going to affect the way our voices sound. So when we're anxious, our voice tightens. When we're regulated, our voice deepens, and when we're dissociated, our voice flattens. Also, we typically associate breath with the heart chakra because of the location of the lungs. But the mouth and the larynx are all an important part of the throat as well. And remember that speaking is breathing, so breath and sound are really inseparable and we can use this information to tap into this space. So we might do that through chanting mantra, through humming, and we can strategically use those things to connect more deeply with ourselves and to down regulate our nervous systems. So a lot of us have neck pain, throat tension due to our modern lifestyles, due to the overload of stress we tend to receive due to our forward head posture that we develop through use of technology.
[00:05:51] So caring for this space in an intentional way, both physically and energetically, is interlinked and so vital for us to feel healthy and connected and in tune with our authenticity. Sound is a very important part of yoga, and it's such a beautiful way to be in touch with and find health in our throat chakra. We can Utilize mantra or this repetition of sacred sound as vibrational regulation. Maybe we are chanting the bija mantras for the throat chakra, or really for any of the throat chakras. Remembering that hum and is the sound associated with this particular chakra, we might chant Om and feel a real resonance there. If you've ever been in a classroom full of folks who are earnestly chanting Om, it is very powerful and moving and connective, and it's such a beautiful way to tune into that space. We might also connect with the throat through kirtan or bhakti traditions. These are ways to express yoga in a devotional way that involve chanting and singing and music and dance and celebration, and all of these different ways that we utilize sound. And yoga harnesses vibration, which helps change our physiology, which helps align our nervous system, which helps us feel more open and spacious and safe. We can also connect this area to yogic philosophy. One of the primary tenets of Patanjali's yoga sutras and its Eightfold path is the Yama of Satya. This is practicing truthfulness of word and deed. We can also practice non harm with the way we treat ourselves, with the way that we speak, with our intentional words. There's also a Buddhist parallel practice of right speech. So that's speaking at the right time, in the right way, with the right words. And this is a deep listening practice. So we're not just reacting to the world around us, but we are responding wisely and with discernment. So as we're integrating this philosophy, philosophy into our speech and into the throat chakra, you might ask yourself, is what I'm about to say true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Is it aligned? And the throat chakra purifies through this discernment. So here are some practices to strengthen the throat chakra both on and off your yoga mat. So on the mat, you might practice lion's breath. That's a deep inhale through the nose. And then you stick out your tongue on the exhale and it feels so very good. You might practice postures that stimulate this area, like shoulder shoulder stands or fish poses. Shoulder stand is going to compress this area more. Fish is going to open this area more. Maybe you express through gentle back bends, through neck mobility and stability work. So maybe through Jalandhara Bandha or aligning the neck through your yoga practice, and then also bringing the neck through its range of motion. And maybe it's through practices like Brahmari Pranayama, where we're breathing in through the nose and then humming on the exhale or the various chanting techniques that I shared earlier in the episode. Off the mat. Maybe we're strengthening this area by journaling without editing. We're just letting things flow and be truthful and kind of clearing out the gunk at times and creating a sense of purity there. Maybe we are creating voice memos to ourselves. Maybe we're reading poetry aloud and speaking to beautiful things. Maybe we're doing something like setting one boundary a week and doing that verbally. Maybe it's saying, I don't know when we truly don't know something and just being really truthful about that. And this might also be practicing silence. Silence is also a visuda practice that is vital. It allows this area to rest and it allows us to receive more. Because when we're listening, we are receiving. And we need to be a vessel for both giving and receiving, for balance and health. We might also tap into a bit of shadow work for throat chakra health. So you might ask yourself, where are you being too silent? Where am I withholding truth? When am I speaking to be light? Where am I afraid of being misunderstood? And where am I performing instead of simply expressing? And this is where the work becomes very transformational because we are taking an honest look at ourselves and creating a sense of awareness around it, hopefully compassion as well. And then when we have that compassionate awareness, we're free from shame. We are allowed to change. We can also tie in the throat chakra to our role in leadership and legacy. For my yoga teachers out there or aspiring teachers, this might be finding your voice as a teacher. Maybe it's speaking responsibly in uncertain times and being an advocate for those who do not have a voice. Maybe it's amplifying the voices of others, especially those who are marginalized. And perhaps it's speaking nuance to complicated situations. Maybe things like podcasting or throat chakra practice, maybe owning your perspective without domination.
[00:11:15] So, so many ways to harness this through leadership, especially humble, authentic leadership that listens deeply. So before we close today, I'll invite you to take a moment to place your hand gently to the throat, to inhale deeply, to exhale with sound, and ask silently to yourself, what truth is asking to move through me? And then I'll invite you to choose one small act of honest expression this week. Know that the throat chakra is not about speaking louder. It's about speaking clearly, authentically, and in a way that purifies. So thank you so much, so much for joining me today. In a few weeks, we'll talk about the Third Eye Chakra. I've had so much fun creating this series for you and if you'd like to learn more about the energetic body, you're welcome to join our classes at True Love yoga or our 200 or 300 hour teacher trainings. And you're always welcome to reach out and ask questions or spur some ideas in me for more episodes. So thank you so much for joining me today. Om Shanti, Om Peace.
