THE CHAKRA DIET, SPEAKING ABOUT THE THROAT CHAKRA

The Throat Chakra, the fifth chakra, is associated with communication, the ability to speak honestly, to receive and process information, to know and speak our inner truth.

It is the center of transformation and change. Signs of an unbalanced Throat Chakra are an inability to express yourself, feeling stagnated, and holding on to unexpressed emotions (which can manifest as holding on to excess body weight too). This can lead to frustration, inability to find the right words or even excessive talking, shyness, sore throat, stiff neck, and addictions like smoking, alcohol and binge eating.

When the Throat Chakra is balanced, we feel creatively inspired and able to express ourselves well. We have confidence in our beliefs and the self-confidence to share them, and the capacity to listen to others and truly hear them as well.

The Throat Chakra’s balance is intimately tied into the health of the thyroid gland, located in the throat area. The thyroid secretes hormones that control your metabolism, so a sluggish thyroid (hypothyroidism) will make it hard for you to lose weight, maintain energy, warm your hands and feet, or even stay in a positive mood. A hyperactive thyroid also causes severe metabolic and immune system problems. So foods that nourish the thyroid will also nourish the Throat Chakra.

Foods, especially that share colors with the chakras, carry vibrations that can activate or balance your chakras. The Throat Chakra is associated with the color blue.

Throat Chakra Healing Foods: Fifth chakra foods are soothing to the throat and nourishing to the thyroid gland. Those that are blue or deep red in color include blueberries, blackberries, grapes and cherries. Soups, especially those containing vitamin-and mineral- and fiber-containing vegetables, will be especially soothing to the throat chakra. Seaweeds, like kelp or kombu, contain iodine to support thyroid function and have a demulcent action on the throat.

Dairy products and sugar can clog your throat and wreak havoc with your blood sugar as well, so are best avoided. Drink plenty of water, especially first thing in the morning to cleanse your system. Try the herbal sugar substitute Stevia and herbal teas instead of sodas.

Chewing your food consciously and thoroughly will also exercise the Throat Chakra and unleash the nutrients in the food for easier digestibility. Have you ever gulped down a large meal and still not felt satisfied or nourished, but even still hungry? I recommend chewing each bite 20 times, more if you have food allergies. It’s hard to chew and talk at the same time, so I choose to savor at least one meal per day chewing in silence and awareness.

Yoga Poses for the Throat Chakra:

Add these poses to your yoga repertoire to open the throat chakra: the Half Shoulder Stand, Shoulder Shrugs and Circles, the Fish and the Lion pose.

Throat Chakra Healing Activities:

Walking is a perfect exercise to support the Throat Chakra, as it evens out inconsistent energies in the body and relaxes the mind. Singing and dancing, drumming, and any exercise involving rhythm will help balance this chakra. I especially recommend Ecstatic Dancing and the Dances of Universal Peace where you dance while singing truth (loving words).

When we balance our chakras, we craft our lives the way we want them to be, rather than living in constant reaction to forces outside of us. These spirals of energy are wheels that heal, feeding the body good energy and profoundly affecting our metabolism, as well as emotions, sensations and behaviors.

My favorite recipes for the Throat Chakra are ones that provide the five tastes – spicy, sour, sweet, bitter and astringent foods all in one meal… e.g., miso soup with wakame seaweed, an entrée of stir-fried vegetables over Forbidden black rice with a spicy sauce, and a salad with a sweet-sour balsamic-blueberry dressing.

Please share your favorite recipes for Throat Chakra balancing – it may be included in my upcoming book THE CHAKRA DIET! To enter to win a FREE, personalized Chakra Diet Plan, please go to www.theChakras.org.

Namaste!

Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries, Chakra Secrets and Balance Your Chakras, Balance Your Life

www.theChakras.org