Throat Chakra Meditation: Communication & Self-Expression

A meditation for the throat chakra. For many of us it is almost impossible to fathom how many words we speak every day, to recognise those that are wasted, those that are less than kind, or those that aren't true to ourselves. In this practice we will contemplate the power of words, the importance of communicating our truth, using words kindly, and balancing speaking with deep listening.

Transcript

Hello,

And thank you for choosing to practice with me today.

My name is Pen,

And this meditation on communicating our truth,

Using words kindly and lovingly,

And balancing speaking with deep listening reflects the wisdom of Don Miguel Ruiz's simple yet profound Four Agreements.

The agreements are always do your best,

Don't take things personally,

Don't make assumptions,

And the first agreement,

And in his words the most important,

Be impeccable with your word.

What exactly does being impeccable with your word mean?

For him,

Speech,

Whether said out loud or in your head,

Is pure magic.

It's the most powerful gift we have as humans.

And let's remember that this applies as much to our self-talk as it does to our communication with others.

Thich Nhat Hanh,

The beloved Buddhist monk,

Author,

And poet,

Wrote that when we speak,

Our thoughts are no longer our private possessions.

He said,

Open your mouth and speak only when you can speak calmly and lovingly.

For many of us,

It's almost impossible to fathom how many words we speak every day,

To honestly call out those that are wasted,

Those that are less than kind,

Or those that are not true to ourselves.

In this meditation,

We'll focus our attention on the throat chakra,

One of the seven main centres of energy in the body according to Vedic,

That's ancient yoga philosophy.

Each centre affects a particular area of our emotional and physical well-being,

And it's probably not a surprise to know that the throat chakra is associated with communication,

Self-expression,

And the expression of truth.

Interestingly,

The Sanskrit word for the throat chakra,

Vishuddha,

Means pure or purify.

And if you think about it,

This does make sense.

Before we speak,

We have an opportunity to filter out unkindness,

Judgment,

Unnecessary words and so on.

So before we get started in our meditation,

Let's do a little housekeeping for body and mind.

Take your time to find a comfortable seat.

You want to keep your spine upright,

But in a way that can be maintained for the duration of the practice.

You can sit in a chair,

On the floor with your back against a wall,

Or maybe on a meditation cushion.

I wouldn't lie down,

It's just too easy to fall asleep.

You can bring your hands to rest on your knees or in your lap,

And take a moment just to allow yourself to settle in.

Be kind to yourself as you practice today.

If you realize you're lost in thought,

And it will happen,

It happens to us all,

Don't get cross or frustrated.

Simply bring yourself back to the practice.

Adopt a beginner's mind.

Have no expectation about what you might experience.

Welcome all sensations.

It's okay to adjust your position if you're in any physical discomfort,

And of course you can open your eyes if you're in any emotional discomfort,

But please do stay with the practice all the way to the end.

Bring your attention inwards now by closing your eyes,

Or if you prefer,

Half capping them,

Bringing your gaze to your lap or to the floor in front of you.

Take two long,

Full,

Deep breaths in and out through the nose.

Then allow your breath to return to normal.

Bring your attention to what is here right now.

You might notice sounds in the environment,

Or maybe you hear sounds or feel sensations in your body.

There's no need to label or judge what you're experiencing.

We'll begin our practice today with a gentle body scan,

Bringing our awareness to various parts of the body to move from a state of doing to a state of being.

As we move our awareness,

We'll accept everything as it is.

As your awareness moves,

You may notice bodily sensations,

Feeling warm or cool,

Tense,

Achy,

Or even tingly.

Allow yourself to accept these sensations.

Bring your awareness to the crown of your head and your scalp.

Then moving down to your brow,

Softening the area around your eyes.

Consciously relax your entire face,

Your ears,

Your mouth,

Tongue,

And jaw.

You could smile a little to release any tension in the lower part of the face.

Work your chin in slightly and allow the back of your neck to lengthen.

Invite your shoulders to lower and relax.

Notice here sensations in your arms,

Hands,

And fingers.

Feel the support of the floor,

The chair,

Or your cushion,

And let yourself soften into it.

Bring your attention to your spine and sense how it rises from your tailbone all the way to the base of your skull.

Relax into your upper back,

Your mid back,

And your lower back.

Let go of any tension in your chest,

Your diaphragm,

And soften into your belly.

Bringing your attention to your legs,

Notice the various sensations from your hips down to your knees,

To your ankles,

To your feet,

All the way to your toes.

Now explore the sensations in your whole body as you remain present,

Relaxed,

And still.

Notice all the beautiful sensations of being alive.

Become aware of the movement of the air as you breathe,

Following the breath as it moves in and out of the body.

Stay focused on your breath.

Bring your awareness to your throat and neck,

Noticing the air as it moves down the throat into your lungs.

Keeping your attention on your throat,

Silently repeat the following affirmations.

I speak my truth with love.

I speak my truth with love.

I balance my speech with deep listening.

I balance my speech with deep listening.

I am impeccable with my word.

I am impeccable with my word.

With your attention on your throat,

Visualize,

Feel,

Or think about the color blue.

Maybe you're looking up at a cloudless sunlit sky,

Swimming in an azure blue sea,

Or lying in a field of soft blue cornflowers.

Bring this color blue to surround your neck and infuse your throat.

Breathe blue into your throat,

And as you exhale,

See it sending soft blue vibrations into the ether.

You may wish to lift your chin slightly,

Feeling the throat open,

Freeing your ability to express your truth.

We will use the simple mantra hum for the remainder of the practice.

Silently repeating hum on the in-breath and hum on the out-breath.

I'll keep a track of the time and we'll sound a chime when our time is over.

At that point you can release the mantra,

But keep the eyes closed just for a few more moments.

And remember,

When the mind starts to wander,

You find yourself lost in thought,

Simply bring yourself back to the mantra.

This is the practice of meditation.

Again,

Silently repeating the simple mantra hum on the in-breath,

Hum on the out-breath.

I'll keep a track of the time.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Silently repeating hum on the out-breath.

Release the mantra and allow yourself to rest in the awareness.

Letting the stillness and the silence settle in.

When you're ready,

You can invite some gentle movement back into the body.

And then in your own time,

Slowly open your eyes.

And I wish you a lovely rest of the day.

Thank you for practicing with me.

Reviews

Lovely 🙏thank you 💙

A lovely way to begin the day

Soothing... thank you 😊

thank you for such a beautiful meditation. A wonderful way to start the day 🌟💗

Silent mantr, a paradox? The mental voicing without words and therefore without vibration…..curious. The color imagery also interesting, the imagination of blue to trigger a blue thought/feelong… all different than I had been reading about…. This opened a door to curiousity about cognizant as action, how does harmonizing of thoughts afford wwork…