06/28/2025
Over a year ago, from listening to many of my students express themselves during our yoga therapy sessions, I began to see an alarming pattern. The pattern was quiet, unassuming, hidden from view, but worthy of unraveling. Granted, most of my students are women, although I gratefully accept male students. The few male students that I do have teach me a different perspective. So, first and foremost, know that this is not a blame game against any one gender. It reaches above all that. I’ll start with a question to you. Can you think of a situation where you felt strongly about something but felt you didn’t have the right to express your opinion?
A student, I will call her Star, found herself in the middle of a family feud, (with no hopes of winning a fortune or being on t.v.) The family was divided over someone’s conduct. It wasn’t an immediate sibling; it was a cousin of theirs. Still, everyone mostly sided one way and Star didn’t agree. Because she didn’t go along for the ride, she found conversations with her family awkward and tense. She didn’t want to lie; she wanted and needed to express her opinion. She wanted to be truthful. Her wish correctly follows the Yoga Sutra 2.36. Her need to speak follows her Fifth chakra. Not being able to speak up caused her cortisol levels to dramatically rise as she made every effort to squash her thoughts. This in turn made her sick and unsure of herself. This is but one example.
Another student, I will call her Galaxy, had a long term relationship with her companion. Their love was true but politics got in the middle. To think that one’s political thoughts could overrule real love seems absurd, but it happens more often than not. While the companion freely expressed his opinion, Galaxy felt like her voice had no merit. Galaxy began to second guess herself. With a college degree in hand and a former professional career, this seemed ludicrous. The bitterness started to creep into her body. She got sick and unsure of herself. Both Sutra 2.36 and Chakra number 5 were discounted.
North Americans in general are blessed to be able to express freedom of speech. But behind the walls of private dwellings, it doesn’t always work out that way. In response to conversations only spoken in the privacy of my Yoga Therapy studio, I felt the calling to write a song about 3 years ago. That song is called Fifth Chakra and is quite relevant in today’s context. For example:
We appear good and dutiful to keep the peace. All our thoughts are exploding within, (causing lack of sleep). These thoughts ruminate in our head. We’re not sure how to respond to the thoughts. Perhaps we suffer in silence. Perhaps our voice is gone. Perhaps we no longer trust our innate wisdom to share what we know is the right thing to do.
The Yoga Sutra 2.36 says that Truthfulness is our duty. In yoga we say “Satya”. It suggests that when you are firmly established in truthfulness, your words and actions gain power, and what you say comes to fruition. It asks you to not just speak the truth but live in alignment with the truth. Finding a way to speak the truth without hurting someone might seem to be a daunting task. This is where it may be advisable to share your story with a non-judgemental listener (who won’t rat on you!)-One who can be objective and lend an ear without already having a strong opinion on the matter.
Adding the Fifth Chakra, known as Viśuddha in yoga, addresses your very important energy center, the throat. The Throat Chakra governs
communication
Self-expression
Listening with empathy
Truthfulness (Satya)
Integrity
Authenticity
If your Fifth Chakra is imbalanced, you may shows signs of:
Fear of speaking, shyness, holding back truth, sore throat
Talking too much, interrupting others, harsh or critical speech
Chronic sore throats, thyroid problems, neck stiffness
Your vocal chords are yearning to be used, but they may be stifled. And so, you must know that the Fifth Chakra says,
We have a right to express ourselves. And in doing so,
We have a right to renew. We have the right to speak and the right to be heard. We have the right to feel supported and be understood. We have a choice! We can call out the uneasiness of the situation with truthfulness.
Where do we start? Yoga Therapy says that we begin with an awareness of who we are and in what we believe. We need a higher power to help us see this.
If you find yourself on the receiving end of an outpouring of emotion, you may wonder how you can maintain empathy without getting reeled in. Again, it starts with awareness. It starts with knowing who you are and what you believe in. This is how you can listen mindfully, lend a patient ear to your friend, and stay true to yourself.
In summary, You have a right to express yourself. You have a right to renew. This is your 5th Chakra; The right to speak and the right to be heard. You have the right To feel supported and to be understood.
I invite you to take a listen to the Fifth Chakra song on my YouTube channel (). I created a video which includes the words and pictures to help you fully experience the meaning of the song. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/r7CBIYcI7Kc?feature=shared
Ways to balance the Throat (Fifth) Chakra may include:
Chanting or singing
Journaling
Practicing Satya in words and action
Breathing exercises
Wearing or visualizing the color blue
Welcome to Yoga by Dayna. I hope you enjoy this song I wrote concerning our right to speak our thoughts, be heard, and be understood. This is a new adventu...
