A Healthy Voice

It is not uncommon for the throat chakra to become unbalanced or blocked. When this energy center is not working properly, we may experience physical symptoms such as ear aches, thyroid imbalances, laryngitis and jaw pain.

When our 5^th chakra is clear, it brings about clear communication and creative expression. We feel confident in expressing our feelings, our creativity and saying what we really mean. The two-way energy flow between you and others is greatly enhanced. In fact, the two-way energy flow between you and your own body begins to improve as well.

Keeping our throat chakra healthy is important so that we are able to speak out with ease to support and protect those around us, as well as ourselves. In addition to the use of gemstones and healing visualizations, the use of foods and herbs can quickly clear the energy flow to this chakra. The 5th chakra is the center of communication. Balancing it can help you reconnect with your true nature and make you feel safe enough to express it. 

A great place to begin is by eating blue foods. Blue, purple and red foods contain phytochemicals that are responsible for their color and are an indications of the presence of flavonoids; critical antioxidents that support and strengthen our immune system.

Blackberries
Black olives
Blueberries
Currents
Elderberries
Grapes
Plums
Red/purple cabbage

Wheatgrass and barley are the grains that best support this chakra. Since the 5th chakra anatomical area includes the thyroid, sea vegetables are helpful due to the iodine in them that is crucial for proper thyroid function.

The following list contains herbs that I have found effectively clear and balance the 5th chakra.

Blue pea flower

Cinnamon

Clove

Ginger

Lemongrass

Marshmallow

Peppermint

Slippery elm

Meditation mantras support this process well. My clients and I have found the following examples most effective when addressing the needs of the 5th chakra.

"I am an empathic listener and a clear communicator".

"My voice is important in this world".

"When I speak, my words are honest and balanced".

"I am always understood by others".

"I honor my true voice and let it speak".

However you choose to support and balance your chakra health, do it from a place of grace and love for yourself and the world in which you live. 

~ The herbal and natural health suggestions posted within this blog are 

not intended to replace medical treatment or the taking of prescribed medications. ~

Lifebeats

Native American teachings explain that the shape of the frame drum is a circle to symbolize the endless cycle of life. The beat of the drum represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth and calls the spirits and nations together. Hearing or facilitating the "heartbeat" by playing a drum, brings healing and a deeper understanding of our connection with all life. The drumbeat is of such a low frequency that it vibrates not only the air but also the ground and can be felt by humans and animals alike. Even those with hearing loss are able to feel the beat of the drum and use it to communicate. Drumming synchronizes the left and right brain hemispheres, which brings about deeper awareness of self and connects us with the Divine and all that is.

We are all born with our own personal drum - our heartbeat. We hear the heartbeat of our mother while in her womb, and the drum's beat is the heartbeat of the Great Mother held in our hands. Throughout history the heartbeat of the drum has been used in personal and healing ceremonies, for journey work, celebrations and mourning rituals.
The beating of the drum brings the primordial rhythm of life to a ceremony. The dances, chants, and rituals of all indigenous cultures employ the beating of the drum to mark the beginning, rhythm, and end of their traditional rites. Shamans throughout the world use the beat of the drum to induce a state of ecstasy and to invoke spirits.

When the practice of drumming is undertaken in a sacred way, profound altered states of consciousness can be experienced. Group drumming can double the alpha brain waves, induce deep states of relaxation, reduce stress and connect one to their transcendent nature. The drum is a messenger from Spirit/ the Divine and people can awaken to their true infinite spiritual nature. One enters the realm of miracles where there are no boundaries between self and the vast spaciousness of being. It is here where one is transported beyond the ego's confines of the conditioned self and enters the world of the Divine. These ancient rhythms have the power to elicit healing. As the vibration of the drum permeates the entire body and soul, profound peace is felt and effortlessly radiates out as love for self and others. The ancestral wisdom carried in the lineage of rhythms is a tool for building community, creating loving interactions, and awakens one to the miracles of the Divine.

Scientists, researchers and psychologists are able provide research on the therapeutic effect of rhythms and frequencies. Their recent findings show that drum rhythms strengthen the immune system, produce endorphins and release emotional trauma to create states of well being. The healing power of drumming creates a balance that maintains the connection between body, mind and soul.

Shiva, the Indian deity, holds a drum in his extended right hand. This symbol reminds us that creation (or manisfestation) begins with the first beat of the drum and ends with the last beat; and that creative destruction is a natural, ongoing process of the material realm.
The esoteric lesson offered us by Shiva's drum is that all material things march to the beat of time; they have a beginning, a limited time-span, and an end. When we concentrate on time (duality and matter) we shut out eternity (unity/oneness). However, when we focus our concentration on eternity, time and matter become insignificant. It its most sublime essence, the drumbeat symbolizes the heartbeat of the universe. In its most basic essence it is the rhythmic reminder that, "Time has come".

The drumbeat marks time in the realm of matter. Time cannot exist without matter, for matter has a limited time-span. Conversely, matter cannot exist without time, because without time matter cannot experience the cycle of creation, expansion, decay and rebirth.