Although you may not be able to see them, the spinning vortexes of energy that comprise your Chakra System are crucial to your physical and emotional wellbeing, ongoing development, and spiritual fulfillment.
If you’re looking for the best Throat Chakra yoga poses to unlock your ability to express yourself clearly and truthfully, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll explore:
- What is a Chakra?
- What is the Throat Chakra?
- Signs of an imbalanced Throat Chakra
- 10 best Throat Chakra yoga poses
Ready?
Let’s flow…
What is a Chakra?
Your Chakras are spinning vortexes of energy that ultimately create your body’s natural energy system and life force. These spinning wheels of prana (energy) are connected by the Chakra System – a complex network of energy channels. Think of this as a spiritual nervous system.
When the Chakras are aligned, you will experience harmony in all aspects of your life. However, when the Chakras become unbalanced, life can get pretty tough.
The first known mention of the Chakras was in ancient Vedic and Tantric texts dating from 1500 to 500 B.C. Chakras remain important concepts in Buddhism and Hinduism and have been used across the centuries in many different meditation and exercise techniques, including yoga.
There are seven interconnected Chakras in your body that run along the length of your spine. Each Chakra corresponds to a particular part of the body and exerts influence over particular characteristics.
The Chakras work as conductors of energy and each one has a unique frequency, sound, color, and symbol to which it is tuned.
The seven Chakras are:
1. Muladhara Chakra (Root Chakra)
- Located at the bottom of the spine
- Red
- 432 Hz
2. Svadhisthana Chakra (Sacral Chakra)
- Located below the naval
- Orange
- 480 Hz
3. Manipura Chakra (Navel Chakra)
- Located in the upper stomach, below the breastbone
- Yellow
- 528 Hz
4. Anahata Chakra (Heart Chakra)
- Located in the chest, in line with the heart
- Green
- 594 Hz
5. Vishuddha Chakra (Throat Chakra)
- Located at the voice box
- Light blue
- 672 Hz
6. Ajna Chakra (Third-Eye Chakra)
- Located between the eyes
- Indigo
- 720 Hz
7. Sahasrara Chakra (Crown Chakra)
- Located at the crown of the head
- Purple
- 768 Hz
What is the Throat Chakra?
The Throat Chakra is also known as the Vishudda Chakra. Vishudda is a Sanskrit words meaning ‘pure’ or ‘purification’.
Vishudda is represented in Hindu symbolism as an azure lotus featuring 16 petals. The center of the lotus contains a circle containing a downward-pointing triangle, in which is inscribed another circle.The Throat Chakra is the fifth Chakra and is located at the center of the neck at the level of the throat.
This Chakra is associated with the pharyngeal and brachial plexi and is connected to the mouth, jaw, tongue, pharynx, vocal cords, ears, and palate. As a result, the Chakra is closely related to the element of sound, both in terms of speaking and listening.
The Vishudda Chakra is the conductor of energy between the lower body and the head, and is responsible for honest communication, self-expression, sincerity, and conscious creativity.
Signs of an imbalanced throat chakra
When balanced and spinning correctly, each Chakra allows energy to flow freely through the body.
However, should one of the Chakra wheels become blocked or unbalanced, energy flows too fast, too slowly, or even stops flowing completely.
A balanced Throat Chakra fosters self-expression, communication, and connection. When this Chakra is balanced, we feel creative, sincere, and confident.
The signs of a blocked or overactive Throat Chakra can manifest both physically and mentally.
Physical symptoms:
- laryngitis
Emotional symptoms:
- depression
- lying
- unreliability
- insecurity
- anxiety
- aggression
- shyness
- gossiping
- stubbornness
10 best Throat Chakra yoga poses
Adopting a yoga routine can not only improve your physical health, but also your emotional, spiritual, and psychological health.
Throat Chakra yoga poses can greatly help align your vision with reality, reconnect your spiritual body with your physical one and release pressure that may affect the Heart Chakra, located just below.
Before you begin your practice, we recommend taking some gentle neck rolls. Not only will this reduce tension in the upper back, neck, and jaw, but it will also help engage your Throat Chakra center in your practice.
1. Tabletop Pose (Bharmanasana)
Begin on all fours in the center of your mat. Your wrists should be stacked directly under your shoulders, knees stacked directly under your hips.
This gentle pose is a great opportunity to focus on inhaling slowly through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth.
Activate your voice box by accompanying your breath with some vocals. According to Ayurvedic medicine, mantras produce healing vibrations in our bodies and each one targets a different Chakra.
Try the Vishuddha Mantra by chanting the sound ‘ham’.
2. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
This restorative pose relieves neck tension and pain, which contribute to blockages in the Throat Chakra.
From Tabletop Pose, exhale and lower your hips so that they are resting on your heels, toes untucked so that the tops of the feet are flat against the floor.
Gently bend your torso forward, hinging at the hips and bringing your forehead to rest on the floor. Your sit bones should still be resting on your heels, and your arms relaxed alongside your torso.
Stay here for 5 minutes or more, breathing deeply and actively pressing your belly down towards the floor. Relax the muscles in your face, especially the jaw and forehead
3. Cat-Cow Pose (Marjariasana)
This fluid pose focuses your breathing and helps improve mobility and flexibility in your core, shoulders, and spine.
It also involves a gentle stretch of your neck as you move your head up and down, which helps release tension in your Throat Chakra center.
Make sure your wrists are directly below your shoulders and your knees are below your hips. Inhale as you push your core to the floor and raise your head, and exhale as you tuck your head in and round your spine toward the ceiling.
Start by practicing this pose for 1-3 minutes at a time. Move between your cat and cow slowly, gradually increasing the speed as you feel your spine become looser and more flexible.
4. Shoulder Stand Pose (Salamba Sarvangasana)
The supported shoulder stand is great for stimulating the thyroid gland and opening the Vishuddha Chakra.
Try to have as much support as possible in order to encourage the chest to open and prevent the weight of the body from falling on the neck and shoulders. Do this by placing blankets and yoga blocks under your back and glutes, and stretch your legs up a wall, resting on it as long as necessary.
Interlace your fingers and roll your shoulders under you, pressing your hands into the ground to support your shoulders. Lift your legs off the wall and balance here for a minute.
Gradually increase the time you hold this pose up to 5-10 minutes.
5. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Fish Pose is a great counterpose to Shoulder Stand Pose because the chin is raised, the neck is curved back, and the spine is in extension. This pose helps to open and stimulate the throat.
Begin by lying on your back. Prop yourself up on your elbows with your forearms flat on the mat. Externally rotate your arms so your palms face up.
Carefully create a backbend by opening up your chest, rolling your shoulders back, and tucking your shoulder blades in.
Lower the crown of your head to the floor, exposing your throat to the sky. Relax your face, throat, and jaw, and breathe deeply with your belly.
Stay in this pose for 5-10 minutes.
6. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Lie on your stomach and place your hands under your shoulders, palms down with elbows pressed into your ribs and pointing towards the ceiling. Gently press off the ground and lift your head, chest, and stomach off the ground.
When you extend your neck in Cobra Pose, you will stimulate the Visuddha Chakra.
7. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Lie on your stomach, legs slightly apart. Bend your knees and reach back with your arms to hold your ankles. Lift your chest and legs off the floor, pulling through your arms to deepen the stretch.
Extend upwards through the crown of your head. Feel your chest radiating forward and look straight ahead.
8. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
This reclining backbend and chest-opening pose helps stretch the spine, chest, and neck. It also stimulates the thyroid and lungs and helps open and activate the Throat Chakra.
Lie in the center of your mat, and bend your legs. Raise your hips and press your interlocked arms into the mat.
If this pose feels too intense, try a supported bridge by placing a yoga block under your lower back.
9. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Starting from your hands and knees, curl your toes under and lift your seat to the ceiling by straightening your legs. Peddle your feet gently here to deepen the stretch.
Here, you can freely exercise the vocal cords and let the Throat Chakra reverberate.
Try not to collapse your lower back and shoulders, and bend slightly at the knees to avoid hyperextension.
10. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
It’s time to consolidate your practice.
Lie on your back, close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose into your belly. Mentally scan your body, releasing tension as you focus on different areas.
Remember, whilst the purpose of this pose is to relax the nervous system and body, it is still an active pose. In other words, now is not the time to take a quick nap!
Try to stay in this pose for at least 5 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Yoga is an ancient, powerful form of Chakra healing. Keep an open mind, be consistent and find what works for you.
If you enjoyed this article, check out ‘10 Best Root Chakra Yoga Poses To Leave You Feeling Grounded’.
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