CHAKRAS Evolutionary Wheels

5. Vishuddha Chiara Corte

The color of Vishuddha is turquoise or blue, its element is ether-space. Here we are entering the realm of Ether, the element that allows the expansion of sound in space, it is connected with the moon.

The physical place where the Vishuddha chakra is located is a bottleneck, a narrow channel, it is a strategic point for the body both physically and at many other levels.

This is where a great expansion takes place as the magic of sound, the magic of breath and the magic of nourishment are performed here. In this cakra the connection between the stimuli coming from above: air, sound, thought, light, and the energies coming from below can take place: the emotions from the body and from the earth find their expression in the throat and, through the voice, they can be heard.

In the context of our healing work on our unconscious materials, already described in this series of articles, the evolutionary aspects are particularly significant.

We have explored the unconscious materials stored “in the golden underworld” below the first chakra Muladhara, they are welcomed and identified in the second chakra Svadhishthana, then they are processed and purified by the fire of Manipura, they are deeply sifted by the force of free will, they are transformed into conscious choices and lovingly cared for in the joy of Anahata, finally they are liberated here in Vishuddha.

They can be expressed, communicated with words, with songs, with shouts, with tears and laughter. In the fifth chakra every emotion has its sound that emerges from our bowels and is released in the throat, and it's a real liberation.

Expressing the sound of an emotion means having identified and recognized it. Expressing it means giving dignity of existence to what was hidden. Giving voice means creating, giving shape, giving existence to what was impossible to say before.

The cry of the child at birth is a cry of existence and a name is given to each child, the name creates. Words create. Emotions rise in the throat; thoughts reach the throat. Sound launches the expression of both into space.

Our throat is the mystical place where the word expresses the meaning of emotion through sound. Therefore, it has the ability to create, to name things, people, emotions, and to release their meaning, so that it can be communicated and understood by the world outside of us.

The intention of the mind and the love of the heart find expression in a unified field, they create a new world and allow us to go out in search of contacts, of connections.

We will therefore explore the expansive and expressive potential of the seed syllable, of the original sound, the creative sound, AUM.

The practice of AUM will be the first practice of this series. It has the function of harmonizing all thoughts, all emotions in one sound. When it is practiced long enough, it produces a sense of liberation, expansion and harmony and eventually pacifies the entire chakra system, including the head.

In the known practice of chanting the AUM mantra, I need to highlight that the sound starts from the abdomen, then takes flight in the solar plexus and in the chest and finally finds its great expansion in the throat and in the head, from the body cavities it then resonates outward reaching the rest of creation, so that everything becomes one.

I want to underline the need to practice the chanting of this mantra in a seated position, as desired, the column is straight, from the coccyx to the apex of the head to enhance the alignment of all the chakras and to allow the effective passage of the contents patiently worked on so far, so that they can continue their path all the way towards the higher parts.

In addition to sound, this practice recognizes the importance of breathing and its foundational role. Naturally and effortlessly, we find voice and breath manifesting together. This association is as natural as it is full of mystery.

The breath is the vehicle of Prana, the voice makes the breath perceptible, while chanting the mantra. Therefore, the voice, the human sound, makes Prana perceptible in the world. The human being is the vehicle of the creative force of Prana and as such, through sound, he/she creates.

In the space of the throat, through our sound, we release the emotions combined with the thoughts that were unconscious in Muladhara, and we have subsequently processed in each chakra, these contents become conscious and by expressing them we create our healed world, we give substance to our healing.

From an iconographic point of view, this path is represented in many classic images: for example, the elephant which is black in the first chakra and is white in the fifth, to symbolize the transformation that has taken place. (G. Cella Al-Chamali, The Chakras, Milan, Fabbri, 2003)

The practice I suggest at this point is:

THE GREETING AT DAWN and the pronunciation of the BIJA MANTRA OF VISHUDDHA - HAM:

From the starting position standing in TADASANA with hands joined in NAMASKARA MUDRA, inhaling, as I rise on my toes, at the same time I bring my hands from my chest to a point above my head, the gesture brings my arms straight and keeps folded hands.

With full lungs, the throat opens, and the gaze turns to the hands, at least for an instant (people suffering from neck pain are advised to avoid this step). Then the gaze returns fixed to a point on the ground in front of us and the exhale comes out controlled while the arms open to the side with the palms facing upwards. When the arms reach shoulder height, continuing to exhale, the palms turn downwards. The arms continue to descend, and the breath concludes its path. With empty lungs, the gesture continues its circularity and brings the hands back in Namaskara Mudra on the chest, and the respiratory cycle starts again.

In a later stage, when the gesture has become familiar, we will add the chanting of the Bija Mantra HAM.

We will pronounce H in the first phase of the descent of the arms, A in the second half of the descent and M in the ascent of the arms in Namaskara Mudra.

The inhalation is silent. The chanting of this Mantra associated with Vishuddha makes the whole practice very powerful with a calming effect on the central nervous system.

The sunrise greeting promotes good mood and optimism every day, as at the dawn of creation.

The VISHUDDHA chakra is very complex, the other vital function worth dwelling on is the transit of food in the early stages of digestion: swallowing, accepting, or rejecting, choosing, distinguishing good from bad, discerning, as you can understand the consequences are vast…

Furthermore, this chakra presides over the activity of the thyroid and parathyroids, therefore, it also influences the body's ability to transform matter into energy, thus its influence on the metabolism and absorption of calcium.

We will now work on this aspect through the position of SADHA SHIVA or Shiva the Saint.

From the supine position, bring the arms over the head and the hands under the head with the fingertips pointing towards the neck, the forearms above the head and the elbows at eye level.

(I strongly advise against interlacing the hands under the neck as often it is done out of habit because it would only produce harmful effects, such as compression of the cervical vertebrae and contrary to those we wanted).

From this position, with the head relaxing and held by the hands, the arms exercise a gradual and delicate traction until the chin is brought into the collarbone dimple and the gaze towards the navel.

The practice releases all unnecessary tension in the body, by letting both the neck and the throat relax, as well as observing the slow flow of the breath up to the abdomen. It is acceptable to feel any vibration of the abdomen, that shows the work of the abdominal muscle bands.

At the end, the arms bring the head back to a lying position on the ground, you will notice a pleasant reduction in the cervical hyper lordosis, greater relaxation of the neck and shoulder muscles, and the whole body will feel more relaxed.

We will conclude the work with the practice of MATSYASANA - the fish. This position is the natural counter position of the previous one

(This position, however, has strong contraindications for people suffering from disc disease and cervical hernias Therefore, it is not recommended, indeed forbidden in these cases, in which complete relaxation will be practiced instead).

From the supine position, the hands will rest on the navel and, firmly pointing the elbows on the ground, the lumbar area and shoulders will be arched, and the apex of the head will rest on the ground, reclining it backwards. We keep breathing here only for a few minutes.

These two positions, Sadha Shiva and Matsyasana complement each other and complete our work on VISHUDDHA.

We will still allow ourselves ample space-time for complete relaxation to integrate the effects of the work and enjoy its benefits.

Chiara Corte

Editing and Translating by Antonella Vicini

NOTE: If someone, having practiced in recent years by following this process, has comments, suggestions to share or questions to ask, he/she can contact me at the following e-mail address chiara.corte66@gmail.com