In the philosophies of India, sound is considered the primordial ingredient of creation. Sound, crafted from the cosmic drum of Shiva in the celestial realms, was given to Brahma and Saraswati, the pair of deities that rule over creation and beginnings. The divine order o the universe, the essence of spirit, and the element of sound are intricately connected. Without sound, the universe will collapse again into nothingness, stolen by Mother Kali, in her final act of destruction. With sound, we are given the power to create from within ourselves using the same primordial energies that crate the world around us and indeed, our very selves.
With sound, we are given the tools to avert destruction. The fifth chakra facilitates a profound passage between the abstract information of conception, image and idea, and the manifested realm of the material world. It takes us through the heart where we communicate and connect with each other; through our power where we command and contain; through our emotions, and down into the coordination of the cells within our bodies. on the spiritual plane, sound brings us up through the lower chakras (using body, movement, will and breath) into resonance and harmony, information and understanding. It is the prime transmitter of consciousness itself. Although sound may be the primordial ingredient of existence, it is consciousness–created from vibrational impact–that creates and maintains the very web of life. – Anodea Judith Eastern Body, Western Mind
Working with the 5th chakra truly brings us into alignment with our own creative capacity, but first we have to believe in our own ability to do that and in our own worthiness for owning such creations. The throat chakra is a tricky place, I find it so intricately linked to the other chakras as its often a gateway for expressing our chakra energy and needs in the world. When we can’t find this expression not only does the 5th chakra become blocked, but we also experience energy stagnation in other energy centers as well. For example, when we’re unable to speak our truth about our feelings, not only does our 5th chakra become blocked, but our 2nd chakra is also denied and energetically shut down. An open and flowing chakra then truly opens us up to health in many of our other chakras and in our capacity to make manifest the intention coming down from the higher chakras and the emotion, passion and physical experiences of the lower chakras. We can therefore, use our other chakras to help gain access to our 5th. The more we create flow through multiple chakras we open to better health and well-being in the body, mind and spirit. Try these practices below to open the 5th chakra by way of the lower chakras.
1st Chakra Body Movement
One of the best ways to free the voice is to first free up the body, and the body is ruled by the 1st chakra. Free form body movement helps us to get more comfortable in our skin, as we get comfortable in our own skin we get more comfortable with sharing our voice and speaking truthfully. This practice is so simple and can be done at any time. Turn on some music, preferably something with an accessible drumbeat and is somewhat unknown to you (i.e. don’t turn on your favorite Beyonce dance song as you most likely have a particular way of moving your body to this song). A favorite song of mine is The Rhythm is Not Mine (Instrumental) by John de Kadt. To do this practice, turn the music on, close your eyes and begin swaying with the music. As your body drops into the rhythm, widen the stance into a squat and continue to move. Involve the arms, the legs, the head, shoulders and neck. Keep your eyes closed, no judgement about movement and start to dance. Don’t worry about your dance moves, move in a way that feels authentic, represents the experience of energy and emotion in the body and keep moving. As you drop away the layers of worry around doing it correctly, you’ll find an authentic voice in your body’s movement which will eventually help you find an authentic voice in your 5th chakra.
2nd Chakra Emotional Release
image from energyenhancement.org
When we can give voice to our emotions, whatever they may be, we open up to the power of the 5th chakra. I have definitely found myself in tears in yoga class before and not really been able to express how or why I feel that way. The more we can open to the waves of emotion that arise for us on the mat, the more we can be open to the authenticity of our expression in the 5th chakra. Woodchopper is one of my favorite poses for releasing emotion locked in the body. A series of 10-12 is often enough to move energy through and open up to emotions. After the series, be sure to give yourself time to be with the flow of energy and let whatever comes up move through the body like a wave. Don’t hold on to anything that arises and don’t worry about unpacking where the emotion came from. Let it arise, be with it and let it go.
3rd Chakra Practice for Stimulating Creative Flow and Opening
image from yogajournal.com
The 3rd chakra and the 5th chakra are intricately linked. They hold either side of the heart and are both associated with creativity. The 3rd chakra is associated with more physical manifestations of creativity and the the 5th chakra with more consciousness based manifestation of creativity. Both equally important and both tied together. When we do 3rd chakra practices to clear out this chakra for creativity, we can also open the 5th chakra for the same energies. A heat building and clearing practice that I love is lion’s breath. It can also help clear 2nd chakra emotional blockages much in the same way that the Woodchopper can. Use this breath in any pose where you feel stuck and as you exhale bring your awareness to your throat and visualize vibrant blue light traveling out with the breath. As you take each lions breath you stimulate the 3rd chakra, release the 2nd chakra and open the 5th chakra.
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