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Do you have throat related issues?


Where did my voice go?
Where did my voice go?

Difficulty expressing thoughts and emotions


My dear reader, you may find it interesting that I am choosing to write about the throat this week. There's a reason. While reviewing my notes from Yoga Therapy training, I came across information that pertains to energy centers within the body. They align with the spine. As a singer and teacher, I've suffered through many holiday seasons where my voice simply gave out. Living in Austin, TX makes it easy to target Cedar or Juniper trees as the causative agent. Their prime season to bloom is near Christmas time until February. Just when the holiday gatherings begin and choirs come out to celebrate, my voice often starts cracking or worse, simply disappears.


Could there be a deeper reason for losing one's voice? What else goes on during that time of year? I'm not saying Cedar fever and colds and flu aren't the main culprit; research proves that they are to be blamed. Still, if there was a way to mitigate the problem through yoga or meditation, it would be worth the effort. Here's what we know.


The throat chakra is one of the seven main energy centers in the body.



According to many Eastern traditions and the field of energy medicine, when a chakra is blocked or weak, it doesn’t let energy flow as it should, and this may lead to specific physical and mental health symptoms.  When our AC unit in Fredericksburg is blocked because the filter needs changing or cleaning, the room around it becomes sticky.  The AC unit works twice as hard to provide half the output.  Without flow, it’s downright uncomfortable. 


The throat chakra is traditionally associated with the function of your lungs, thyroid, throat, voice box, and the inferior cervical ganglion. This ganglion is a group of nerves that innervate your neck, ears, mouth, and upper limbs. Do you consider yourself one who commands attention upon entering a room? Lucky you! Or, are you more like me, the one who enters with a big smile but feels pressure. The pressure is the pressure to "perform" or say something clever. In my world of yoga, some of my best classes are loaded with space. I joyfully speak a few words and then I wait. I listen to my students breathe. I listen to the soft instrumental music playing in the background. Sometimes I hear my husband or Hondo, our 3 year old Wheaten, just doing their thing. There is no pressure to keep a running monologue. There's a time for chitter chatter before and after class but, during the hour, every student is asked to have a conversation with their body.


If this topic resonates with you, feel free to reach out. I wrote a song that details what this "Fifth Chakra" means for many people. Not only do I invite you to hear the song, but to hear my melody and harmony, and view the video that accompanies the words. Please give a thumbs up if you like it.


Click here for My Fifth Chakra, by Dayna Culwell



Hard at Work in my Yoga by Dayna studio, Lakeway/Steiner Ranch
Hard at Work in my Yoga by Dayna studio, Lakeway/Steiner Ranch

 
 
 

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