Poses for the
Throat Chakra
As you move into the upper chakras, you will be learning more and more about how to relax into a pose and allow yourself to tune into subtle energy in that relaxed state. You’ll find that the poses that activate the upper chakras are more relaxing because we must still the mind in order to perceive these higher vibration frequencies. The throat chakra is linked to the shoulders, neck, teeth, mouth, tongue, lymphatic system, and jaw. Typical health issues that reveal an imbalance in this chakra include toothache, mouth sore, tonsillitis, sore throats, TMJ, thyroid imbalances, menstrual issues and PMS.
Your throat chakra is also your communication center. If this chakra is overactive, you probably speak over people and bulldoze in conversations without the ability to listen. If it’s underactive, you likely lie, have trouble sharing creative ideas, and can’t speak clearly or confidently. All communication issues relate to this chakra.
This chakra is how spirit communicates with you and through you. It also allows you to share from your heart. The throat chakra is vital for someone practicing professionally in the healing arts. If their own throat chakra is blocked, they will not be able to share advice and spiritual insights to help heal others. This is a great way to understand how necessary our own healing truly is to be able to heal others using our psychic abilities. Because speaking creates energy, it’s also vital for our ability to manifest. If we are speaking kindly and positively, then we are creating that energy, but if we are speaking negatively and harshly, we are poisoning our own energy field and attracting similar-vibration life experiences. If you offer psychic healing sessions, you’ll quickly find that your clients will reflect the very healing you are working on. This reveals the holographic universe, which is constantly our own mirror. In many ways, using psychic abilities to heal others is all about healing ourselves and seeing the other person as us.
Stretching the neck and shoulders will greatly benefit the flow of energy through your throat chakra. This chakra must be functioning if you’re to open the third eye and crown chakras as well. Work with these stretches for a few weeks in addition to meditation and see how much easier meditation becomes. Your throat chakra is likely out of balance if you frequently get coughs, colds, the flu, sore throats, or feel a tightness in your throat. If you find your emotions fluctuate greatly or frequently, your throat chakra is also out of balance.
Affirmation for the Throat Chakra
My words harness the creative force of the universe. They are sacred and I use them to generate healing energy. I share the truth in my heart with assuredness and good intentions. I am careful to speak kindly of myself and others. I use words to direct my subconscious mind to support me on my soul’s path. I set clear boundaries, listen to understand, and say what I feel. I breathe to figure out how to respond and react with love.
Chakra Activated: throat
Enter the Pose:
1 Begin on your back and lift your feet up like you’re going to stand on the ceiling.
2 Lift your hips and hold your lower back with your hands.
3 Bring your toes over your head to the floor with straight legs.
4 Keep lifting your hips to bring your spine straight instead of curved.
5 Aim to connect the chin to the chest.
6 Bring the palms to the floor with straight arms. If you’re comfortable, you can scoot the shoulder blades together and interlace your hands with your fists on the ground.
7 Take deep breaths in and out of your nose, breathing slowly and deeply.
Exit the Pose:
1 Unlace the hands and bring your palms to the ground.
2 Bring your spine down slowly.
3 Relax on your back.
Duration: Plow pose has such a healing effect on the body that it’s recommended to practice it for 3–5 minutes daily. You can work toward staying in the pose longer over time.
Modifications: It is very important to keep yourself from looking side to side because there is weight on your cervical spine, which are the small vertebrae at the top of the neck. If you find it helpful, you can fold a blanket and place it under your upper back and shoulders so your head rests on the floor. Some people also like to scoot their backside against a wall and walk their feet up the wall to help lift their hips. The blanket allows for increased safety for the neck as well as comfort for this restorative pose. If nothing else is possible, just lift your feet up toward the sky, lying on your back, and pull your feet toward you with straight legs by wrapping a towel or yoga strap around them.
Chakras Activated: heart, throat, crown, third eye
Enter the Pose:
1 Start on hands and knees. Lift the right arm up toward the sky so the arms come into one line.
2 Bring the right hand under the left armpit and rest your right shoulder on the ground. Allow the right side of your head to rest on the ground so the neck muscles are completely relaxed.
3 Move the right shoulder down away from the right ear. Keep the hips stacked over the knees and stay here for at least a minute, breathing slowly and deeply.
4 You may want to reach the left palm above your head with your arm straight and the left palm on the ground.
Exit the Pose:
1 To come out of the pose, plant the left palm on the ground next to your face and gently press into the left palm.
2 Lift the chest and bring the right hand back to the sky, as you started, to neutralize the spine.
3 Repeat the same process with the left arm to stretch both sides equally. If you find one shoulder or side of the back tighter, stretch that side longer to start bringing balance into the muscles.
Duration: Hold each side 1–3 minutes.
Modifications: You may want to reach the top arm up and back to tuck your fingers on the upper thigh of the opposite leg. This is a bit more advanced but can help with spinal flexibility.
Twisting poses are great for the digestion and spinal flexibility. It will allow your blood to flow to your head and calm your nerves because of the slow, deep breathing. It can help reduce gas and improve cognitive function and mental clarity. Because blood and prana are flowing to the brain, your crown and third eye chakras also benefit from this pose. Additionally, you are helping your heart chakra by stretching the intercostal muscles between the ribs as well as opening the back of the heart.
Chakra Activated: throat
Enter the Pose:
1 Begin seated in a cross-legged position and then stack your right knee over your left knee so your left leg is bent and your left foot is near your right hip. Your right foot will come toward the left hip. You’ll feel a stretch in the right glute.
2 Raise the right arm and reach down your back, trying to grab the left hand. The left arm is bent behind you with your elbow pointing toward the ground.
3 Lean forward and take a minute to breathe deeply.
Exit the Pose:
1 Sit back up and release your grip.
2 Now do the same thing but this time with the left knee stacked over the right knee and the left arm reaching up, grasping for the right hand.
Duration: Hold each side for 3–5 breaths. Work up to holding each side for 1–3 minutes.
Modifications: If your hands can’t grasp each other, just grab a strap with both hands and walk your hands as close together as you can.
Fun Fact: In an interview with talk show host and author Chelsea Handler, Big Bang Theory actor Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon, said he was always interested in intuition and psychic abilities. If he hadn’t pursued acting, he said he would have learned how to use his psychic abilities instead.
Chakras Activated: root, heart, throat
Enter the Pose:
1 Begin standing with your feet together and bend your right knee.
2 Hold your right hand out to the side like you’re a waiter holding a tray.
3 Then grab the inside of your right foot with your right hand.
4 Keeping your chest lifted, kick into your hand.
5 Keeping your chest lifted, begin to tilt the torso forward, creating a bow shape.
6 Reach the left arm straight forward and either take a soft gaze or one single point of focus to help yourself balance.
7 Continue to kick into the back hand and spin the right shoulder open.
8 Keep the right hip spinning down so it stays parallel with the left hip and doesn’t pop up.
Exit the Pose:
1 Release your foot and come back to a neutral standing position with the feet together.
2 Do the same thing on the opposite side.
3 Tuck the pelvis slightly, engaging the core to neutralize the spine.
Duration: Hold the pose for 3–5 breaths on each side. Repeat the pose three times on each side.
Modifications: The pose is done on one leg at a time, so you may want to begin by standing near a wall or using the back of a chair to help you balance. Eventually you’ll find you won’t need them.
This pose can help improve focus and provide you with the ability to focus on just one thing at a time. You must be present to do this pose without falling over, which will help your psychic development because you are more able to tune into energy in the present moment. This pose can help unlock the heart chakra, which needs to be unblocked to activate the upper chakras. If you sit in a hunched position frequently, this will help restore the straightness of the spine so the kundalini energy can flow to the upper chakras. It stretches the hip flexors and quads, which must be open for deeper backbends in yoga. It also stretches the upper back and strengthens the back.
Chakras Activated: throat, third eye, crown
Enter the Pose:
1 Begin on your back and prop yourself up on your elbows.
2 Bring your pinky fingers to touch with your hands palms down under your lower back.
3 Lean your head back and allow the top of your head to come to the ground. Feel the stretch on the front of the neck as you breathe slowly and deeply. The gentle bend in the spine will give you a nice boost of energy and can help you feel clearheaded.
Exit the Pose:
1 Stay in the pose for about a minute, then lift your head and scoot your elbows out from underneath you. Rest flat on your back to feel the shift in your energy.
2 Repeat the pose two more times.
Duration: Hold the pose for a minute each time.
Modifications: There is a more advanced version of the pose done with the feet tucked under you and toes tucked. The arms reach above the head and the palms come together. This is not recommended for beginners. It’s a deep stretch on the feet, quads, and hips.
Notice how open the throat feels after being stretched and breathing with such intention. Try doing the pose with the intention to release any blocks to speaking your truth. As you breathe, visualize yourself releasing any perspective that you cannot use your voice to heal the world. Release any habitual thought patterns that you may have learned or developed wherein you feel it’s not okay to speak up.
Chakra Activated: throat
Enter the Pose:
1 Begin on your stomach.
2 Bend your knees and grab the ankles or tops of the feet.
3 Lift your head and kick into your hands.
4 The tension will lift up the chest, knees, and thighs.
5 Think of stretching the chest and upper back instead of the lower back.
Exit the Pose:
1 Hold the pose for 3–5 deep breaths, breathing through your nose, and then rest.
2 Repeat the pose up to 6 times to really get your energy flowing. Always stop if you feel any pain.
Modifications: This pose should be avoided if you’re pregnant. You can modify the pose by either grabbing one leg at a time or wrapping a towel or yoga strap under the feet to help you lift both feet at the same time.
Try doing the pose with the intention to open the throat chakra. On each exhale imagine old conditioned ways of thinking about sharing your truth are leaving you. All fear about speaking up leaves on the exhale. You are able to speak more clearly with each breath.
Throat Chakra Check-In
The throat chakra is like the postal service of our spiritual gifts: it delivers the messages from spirit to the world that we perceive in our more meditative state. When we get an idea for a book, a class, or a project, we share that idea through the throat chakra. When we want to create something, we use the energy of our words. Grab a journal to check in with the throat chakra by answering these questions. If you feel you need to work on this chakra more, spend a few weeks doing the poses and the throat chakra meditation and come back to this journal exercise each day to see how your energy shifts. First, write down if you communicate how you feel without fear. If not, write down when do you hold back and who you do that with. Next, reflect on your boundaries. Write down the healthy boundaries you have set and what boundaries you need to create more clearly in any part of your life. Now reflect on how well you are able to listen to others and to spirit. Write down how you communicate intuitively in a kind and intentional way or if you just let yourself be drained by speaking nervously. Reflect on how your words are valuable and the extent to which people take you seriously. Write down something you feel spirit is trying to bring to the world through you—spend a little extra time on this part.
Intuition Check-In
It’s good to take a moment to see how your intuition is developing. Write in your journal as you reflect on the shifts taking place in your consciousness. Notice if your dreams are more clear; perhaps you’re remembering more of them. Write down how you find yourself checking in with how you feel before saying yes to doing things. Write down how you are becoming more sensitive to negative energy around you and how you are noticing that you can more clearly pick up on the intentions of others. Reflect on how you find yourself drawn to different people, places and subjects. Write down how your intuition is helping you and if you are seeing synchronicities or getting an impression of something before it occurs. Write down any guide who comes to you in meditation and if you are finding it easier to focus in meditation. You may be receiving information that can help others heal emotionally. Write down what you’ve received and how people are starting to come to you for advice.
Meditation for the Throat Chakra
This meditation will help you release learned behaviors of being quiet, shy, or trying to please others. It will help with self-expression and sharing ideas. It is also essential to helping you communicate intuitively from your soul. It can reduce problems with talking over people, beating around the bush, being a bad listener, or speaking harsh words that hurt and create negative energy. The throat chakra is where spirit communicates through you to help others. Often when giving a reading, you’ll hear yourself using words you don’t usually use or grouping words in ways you don’t usually speak because spirit is moving you to share something healing with someone. This chakra needs to be active in order to be able to share what spirit shows you. If you feel a lump in your throat, that is because something needs to be cleared, and it’s a good sign showing you it’s ready to be released.
Meditation Prep
It is recommended that you record this meditation in your own calm voice, speaking slowly, and then get yourself ready by creating a sacred space for your meditation. Make it cozy and neat and surround yourself with anything that helps you meditate, such as crystals, incense, or a shawl. Sometimes a photo of a saint or yogi can inspire you to meditate in a humble and open-minded way. Having spiritual art in front of you can help raise your vibration to allow your intention to heal be that much more effective. The senses respond to your intention to meditate by picking up on the qualities you think of when you see these images. Have your journal and a pen ready to jot down some reflections after the meditation, and you’re all set. Start slow, deep breathing for just a few minutes and relax any areas in your body that feel like they are holding tension.
Guided Meditation
Close your eyes softly and get ready to count yourself down from five to one. When you reach one, you will be in a deeply meditative state wherein you will be able to heal and activate your communication center, the throat chakra. Breathe in through your nose slowly and exhale slowly out of your mouth to get to five. Now breathe in the mouth and out of the mouth slowly, which brings you to four. Next, breathe in the mouth and slowly out of the nose, which brings you to three. Now breathe in the nose and slowly out of the nose, bringing you to two. Finally, take one more deep breath in your nose and out of your nose to bring yourself to one. You are now in a deep meditative state and ready to heal. You find yourself in a beautiful cone vortex of vibrant royal blue light that is vast and full of pure potential, as if it were water ready to flow. This pure energy moves around you as you stand in the center of it in your mind’s eye. This energy almost sings as it spirals around you.
Now you notice there are rocks and boulders slowing down the flow in this vortex. Some are very old and some more recently formed. Take time to find the largest rock and go see what energy this stagnant form holds from your past. Perhaps you observed someone who didn’t communicate in healthy ways and began to repeat the negative use of words that now poisons your own energy field. Perhaps you have been mean to yourself secretly, only in your thoughts, but it shows up now, loud and clear. What communication boulder is holding you back from communicating in a loving way? See what memory or habit you are revealed, and then ask the universe to lift it from this vortex now. The universe answers by melting the rock into a pure white-gold energy that is absorbed into the vortex so it can flow once again. The energy is now healthy and pure so you can better sense and share the truth.
Next you see a cluster of big rocks, almost as big as the first, grouped together. This represents a pattern in how you communicate that is not serving you. Perhaps you are speaking without thinking, and it drains your energy; perhaps you are saying you aren’t worthy of love; perhaps you are speaking negatively about someone else. What energetic pattern is revealed as you pull these rocks together in your mind’s eye? Don’t feel bad; just observe. It’s time to be free of the weight of these rocks once and for all. Allow the universe to lift all of them from the vortex as you take one big breath in and slowly let it out. From now on, it will be easier to speak positively and with love and intention behind each word.
You will now receive a gift to help you continue to heal your throat chakra in your waking life. It rises up from below to show you an action, item, or habit you can incorporate into your life to help you speak words of love and share your ideas without fear. You may see an object, a person, an idea, or something else. There’s no wrong gift. This gift can help you use the power of your words and thoughts to heal yourself.
Now that you have your gift, there is just one more thing to do: we must charge up the chakra with pure love and soul-streaming energy. We will fuse the idea of loving communication and fearless, soulful living into every speck of blue light in the vortex by pushing that very feeling into one word: “purity.” The vortex fills with the feeling of purity that you have created and helps you feel it is ready to help you in the waking world. This energy will be accessible to you anytime you think of this word.
Meditation Wrap-Up
Now take three deep breaths as you slowly bring yourself back into the room you’re sitting in. Allow yourself to open your eyes and write down the gift you received to help your throat chakra, as well as the word you charged it with. Date the entry and write down which chakra you worked on healing today. Write down anything you would like to go back and heal in the next meditation that comes to mind and any notable surprises or feelings from the meditation. Write down if you feel you’d like to work more on this chakra or if it feels clear. There’s no right or wrong, it just helps you observe your energy.
Psychically, you will sense when someone has something to say to you easier as you heal your own ability to communicate clearly and directly. The more you practice saying how you feel, the more the deeper patterns in society about not speaking with total honesty will reveal themselves. Our society’s patterns of communication are mostly to boast or impress, defend or make excuses. As we heal our own abilities to share what the soul wants to say and listen intuitively, we are able to hear the energy behind someone’s words to intuitively find the way to help them out of painful patterns they may be catching themselves in unintentionally. You can also open to channel and communicate with guides by healing this chakra. There are many layers to this chakra’s healing, and it can take years, but it’s worth it.