I believe that we have come to earth at this time for a very specific reason, all with unique gifts to share that impact the greater whole. Whether our gift is to teach, to practice medicine, or to build infrastructure, our voice is central to our success. Without being connected to our throat chakra, we may not be utilizing the gift of our voice to its fullest capacity. This can look like being too shy to speak up, not speaking with confidence, not speaking clearly, or being dishonest. It can be tough to speak with openness and vulnerability in a world that seems to police our speech more and more by the day. But ultimately, we all have the gift of free-will, which means it is up to us to cultivate the confidence required to speak our truth in the face of opposition.

There are three simple tools that I use quite often when I am having trouble communicating with others or when I have trouble communicating honestly with myself.

01. Practice Letting it Out 

If you are having trouble communicating openly with others or can’t seem to find the words, the best thing you can do is to practice a little bit every single day in a way that you’re comfortable with. This could be taking 5-10 minutes in the morning to free write in your journal stream of consciousness style. This is not the time to edit, this is the time to word vomit and let it all out! It’s a practice in completely free, open, and honest communication. If you can’t do this between you and your journal, how will you ever be able to do it out in the world?

02. Breathwork 

This tip you may only understand if you have done breathwork meditations before because it really is a “feeling is believing” type thing. Breathwork clears energy blockages in the entire energy system of the body, including in the throat. By focusing in on the throat chakra during a breathwork meditation, you can successfully send the breath to the throat and clear stagnation. When we have stagnant energy anywhere in the body, it is not going to function optimally and you may literally feel “stuck” in that area. I participated in a breathwork meditation workshop focused on the throat chakra from Fields of Study and I kid you not a patch of eczema on my throat began to clear throughout the 8 days. I was also able to write poetry without feeling stuck for the first time in months. I highly recommend checking out the online workshops they offer if you’re curious.

03. Get to the Root

Are there people in your life that have made you feel like you have nothing to say, or that you can’t say anything right? Maybe at one point in your life you had to walk on egg shells and were afraid to speak your truth. Healing past issues surrounding the throat chakra can be key to being able to use your voice freely and effectively. Sometimes this means working with a therapist or confiding in someone you trust, and other times it can simply mean giving yourself the space for these past pains to come up in meditation or bodywork so that they can be released. I think that sometimes we get this idea that releasing past pain has to be this big and excruciating process, but as one of my mentors told me, “it can be as easy as dropping a pencil.” We must simply be willing to let the energy leave the body and trust that this pain is coming up because it is ready to leave. I know this sounds a little out there, but it has worked for me time and time again. The body loves when we give it time and space to heal, always trust that it knows what it’s doing and will never give you more than you can handle.