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Located at the center of your throat is your blue Self-Expression 5th Chakra.  Information stored here has to do with speaking one’s truth, self-expression, and compassionate listening.  The most common occurrence I see in my clients’ Express Yo’Self Chakras is that the energy here tends to stop and go.  When in a safe place for self-expression, it’s spinning.  When with the boss or maybe parents or unsupportive people, it’s stopped.   So most people’s relationship with their Express Yo’Self Chakra is somewhat conditional and reactive to their environment.

It takes A LOT of COURAGE to have a healthy spinning 5th Chakra and to be fully self-expressed regardless of audience.  It also makes a huge impact!  Think MLK, John Lennon, Oprah.  While we know these magnificent beings to have a huge fan base that strongly supports their message, you best believe they’ve all had to overcome a whole lotta suppression and disapproval in their message… but that didn’t stop them from spinning their Express Yo’Self Chakras and BOOM, impact!

We’re all born with a message. 

Sharing our message and having it received keeps this chakra spinning right round.  There are plenty of ways to do that!  Shouting doesn’t necessarily mean sharing .. but we’ll get into that in later paragraphs.

Just like all chakras, the 5th Express Yo’Self Chakra is both emitting and receiving information at all times.  Giving = Receiving.  Compassionate listening is just as important as self-expression.  They are one in the same energetically and  when both are present, there’s a healthy energy flow.  Should we do one or the other, (talking or listening) it would oppose nature.  Think of a 2-way road where only one of the ways is being utilized.  There’s gonna be an inevitable traffic jam (stagnation) and either a sensation of overwhelm (if all we do is take in) or exhaustion of resources (if all we do is give out).   Both giving and receiving are equally important and will keep this and all chakras in harmony.  

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of Express Yo’Self Imbalances:

A) The Stagnant 5th Chakra: If we’re spending our entire lives “biting our tongues” it makes it pretty tricky for us to even know what we believe in anymore.  How are we supposed to connect with our passions when we’re not openly expressing them.  Prolonged underuse of this chakra will lead to it’s stagnation and a lack of luster for life.  A sense of not belonging.  Self-expression is a way for us to declare our space in the world, offer our message to the world AND allow the world to receive our message.   It’s a way to interact and energetically exchange with the world we live in.

Think about it, our thyroid gland is located in our throats.  Yes, our Express Yo’Self Chakra does command the thyroid gland.  When the thyroid is healthy we feel energized, right?  Sluggish thyroid and we feel exhausted all. the. time.  Spinning our Express Yo’Self Chakras gets us energized and enthusiastic about life!  Not spinning it and life may feel a little dull.  The apathy will surely lead to lower energy levels.  Our body is all like, “Why have energy if we’re not fully engaging in life?  I don’t get it, so I’ll just slow it down a bit…. mmmm, sleepy.”

If you don’t normally feel comfy speaking your truth or if you have a sluggish thyroid, please please pretty please Express Yo’Self!

Therapy is often a great safe, controlled, environment to do so for us more shy individuals.  As is journaling.  Self-expression can come through art, dance, the clothes we wear.  There are plenty of “safe” outlets to start utilizing this chakra!  Start with the safe ones and really build the self-expression muscle.  I’ll bet in a few months you’ll notice more self-expression across the board- regardless of audience!

Singing is probably one of the most effective ways to get the 5th spinning and the thyroid active.  It’s prolonged concentration of energy at the Express Yo’Self Chakra.

B)  Okay, and then there are those of us who are majorly outspoken.  You’d think our 5th is spinning outta control, yeah?  Always the first to offer an opinion.  Perhaps a performer who’s entire livelihood is based on self-expression.  Or maybe someone who’s clothing and fashion sense is a bit eccentric or extreme.  No concept of an indoor voice?  Almost never gets embarrassed?

Believe it or not, these people end up on my table feeling totally disconnected to life.  Often times when people shout or repeat themselves, it’s because they feel unheard.   Obvi, this doesn’t apply to all performers or fully self-expressed people!  I’m just using the other extreme as an example of a one – way traffic jam.

This is where compassionate listening comes into place.  We’re born with 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason.  Listening is important!  While it helps the speaker feel received and understood, it helps the listener exchange with the speaker and form a connection.  It’s unifying and helps both parties feel that sense of belonging.

From what I’ve clinically observed the people that are depleting their Express Yo’Self Chakra have a history of feeling insignificant.  Often times, they’ve fought so hard to have their message received that it’s become a form of habit for them to continue shouting it out.  Perhaps rooted in self-protection or self-preservation as a kid, this habit can evolve into always giving and not receiving/listening.   One way traffic jam.  Can you guess what happens?  That’s right, a disconnect!  Due to the sensation of not being heard,  there will be more and more of an outpour of the Express Yo’Self chakra without the balance of compassionate listening.  A connection cannot be established in this way.  There’s not a give-and-take to create that energetic exchange with life and other people.  So we end up feeling just as lonely and insignificant as the lovelies that silence themselves.

A cool trick I learned from Tich Nhat Hanh years ago is to ask when I want to express.  To give when I want to receive.  If you feel like you’re always talking and no one’s listening, try it out!  Super helpful for when we’re really pissed and really really don’t wanna listen and all we want is to be heard and understood.  Ask, “How have I upset you recently?” and LISTEN.  Simply asking to wait for your turn to speak won’t cut it.  Really try and relate to what the other person is saying.  See if you can imagine what they’re experiencing.  BRIDGE THE GAP.  The connection and unity will help you both feel both expressed and heard.  Message received.

We are all born with a message.  Whether that message comes through in the form of the spoken word, written word, art, dance, movement, work, or whatever your forms of self-expression is, when not honoring this, we are robbing both ourselves and the world of our very unique message.  Try both self-expressing and really listening with compassion to see how it goes!  Lemme know if you feel a greater sense of belonging after practicing a few of the above suggestions for a week!  Would love to hear all of your unique messages!