One spr ing during Lent while I was living in France, I decided  to take
on a project that created a lot of discomfort in me. I wanted to do something
good for others during the forty days prior to Easter instead of the
traditional practice of giving up chocolate or sweets. In Aix-en-Provence,
France, near where I lived, the re were a lot of homeless people. Most of
them we re illega l immigrants, or gypsies, as the French called them. I made
the d ecision to p ack lunches every W ednesday during Lent and  to go seek
out hom eless in dividuals in the city and give them the bagged lunches. In
addition, I decided to take my three-year -old son with me. Coming from
suburbia in the United States, I wasn’ t accustomed to homeles s people or
comfortable arou nd them. I mad e the decision to put myself into discomfort
to help other people. I didn’ t fee l it was enough to give money or donate to
a food bank. I needed to be on the streets and spontaneously giving and
interacting with those less fortunate than I. It was the best thin g, I believe,
and the most dif ficult thing I’ve ever done.At first,  the homeless people I encountered were very skeptical of my
kindness. The French, in general, don’ t have a habit of taking kindly to
homeless people . They have so cial systems in place that can give even a
homeless person  a monthly source of income. However , as I  mentioned,
most of these pe ople were illegal immigrants and therefore no t eligible to
receive such aid. In the beginn ing I had to ur ge some of the homeless
people t o accept my lunches, especially those with children. But as time
went on , they received me with  open arms. I adapted to make e xtra for the
homeless childr en with their p arents or to include a little toy or plush
animal. Seeing them would usually bring me to tears. Some W ednesdays I
would get nervous because I d idn’ t want to go out there and face them. Other ti mes the  weather was b ad and I just didn’ t want to ge t out of my
comfort zone to fulfill the promi se I had made to myself and Go d. But I did. The level of com passion I achieved during that project was un matched by
anything else I’ve experienced. I believe the reason I was able to achieve
that level, at th at moment, was because I pushed myself to the edge of
discomfort. I learned: the grea ter the self-sacrifice, the greater the inner
reward. I do n’ t mention this story to p at myself on the back. Except for my
family , most people have no idea I ever did this. I tell this story to
demonstrate that you can heal your heart through acts of compassion. It
doesn’ t have to b e as big as making lunches for the homeless. Y ou can of fer
someone a smile, a joke, or a warm hug. Y ou can give a person the gift of
your ful l attentio n by turning of f your phone when you’re with him or her . If you know yo ur friend or fam ily member has had a rough day , you can
ask, “Is there anything I can do for you?” Then do it. A wareness of others’ suf fering and a desire to alleviate their pain are all
it takes. ANAHA T A GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit c omfortably  and close your eyes. Bring your awareness to  your
heart center , your source of lov e and compassion. Imagine, think, or
feel an emerald green color radiating from your heart. This sparkling
green li ght is shining outward in every direction. Breathe into thisspace, a nd feel the circumference of the light surrounding your heart
getting w ider and wider . Feel the  balance between physical matter and
spirit here. Feel yourself grounded and open and awakened to spirit at
the same time. Now that you’re aware of your radiating, compassionate light
moving out of your body and into the world, bring your attention back
to your heart ce nter . Search within your heart for any discomfort that
resides there. If you find any , s end the discomfort flowers and then
escort it away from your he art. As you’re escorting away the
discomfort, whi ch can come di sguised as hurt, shame, blame, anger ,
or lack of for giveness, thank it for its message and let it know that it
can go now . Re peat this with every source of discomfort that comes
up i n your hear t center , until y ou’re only left with light and ease of
breath. Y ou will know when you have let everything go because your
heart will feel l ighter , as if a lar ge weight has been lifted of f your
chest. Feel how easy it is to breathe now . Now tha t your heart is clear , feel flooded with unconditional lov e.
Allow th is love to flow in and fill your heart space. Feel the w armth
and expansiven ess of this love . Allow yourself to receive. Allow
yourself to feel vulnerable and open to this great love, of which you
are worthy . Y ou are becoming a vessel of love with each and every
breath. Love flows to you and through you. Y ou become a conduit for
this love, and as  this love fills every cell of your body , you feel lighter
and mor e joyful. Y our joyfulness radiates throughout your being. Y ou
may eve n find yourself smiling for no apparent reason. Let it b e as it
is, for this is the state of love. At this moment you may even  feel a
tingling sensation pulsating through your body . This is normal, as you
have raised the vibrational fre quency of your being. Sit wit h this
sensation. It’ s here, and you can always access it whenever you desire. Y ou can sit in this silent meditation for as long as you like before
opening your eyes and slowly returning to activity . T o enhance the
vibrations, chant the mantra sound YUM  three times. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORSAs m entioned earlier , the color for the fourth chakra is emerald green. Y ou
can wear this color or keep it in your awareness while healing your heart. Rose qu artz is the most beautiful and ef fective stone for bringing love
and compassion  into your life. Keep a rose quartz stone with you
throughout the day . If you can, wear the stone close to your hea rt. Y ou can
even get a rose quartz in the shape of a heart to remind you of healing each
time you hold it. Fourth Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. I am ready to release hurt from my heart and for give everyone who
has harmed me, including myself. 2. I am open to giving and receiv ing love and know I am worthy of
love. 3. I fe el compassion toward others, especially those whom I don’ t
understand. 4. I a m a v essel of God’ s love, transporting unconditional acceptan ce to
all who need it.T5  T H E  T H R O A T  C H A K R A
V i s h u d d h a
ELEMENT :  Space (Akasha)
COLOR:  Sky Blue
MANTRA SOUND:  HUM
he fi fth chakra, which is the firs t chakra totally on the spiritual plane,
is located in th e throat and governs communication and cr eative
verbal e xpression such as singing, chanting, reading poetry out loud, and
recitation. Whe n the fifth chakra is illuminated, all the low er chakras
transcend their limitations. The anatomical  region of the fifth chakra includes the throa t, neck,
shoulders, thyroid, parathyroid, mouth, tongue, jaw , larynx, and vocal
cords. The sense is hearing, and the sense or gans are the ears. The San skrit wo rd V ishuddha  mea ns “ purity ,” and I love this translation
because it captures the true essence of the fifth chakra. Its p urity comes
from speaking the truth that resides in our hearts. Pur e  me ans uncontaminated, clear , innocent, clean, or impeccable. When y ou reach  this level of consciousness, you are exploring the part of
you that is pure. Y ou have reached the level of spirit th at is unadulterated. From the heart chakra you come to a place where you are awakened to
truth. Th at is such a beautiful realization. All the debris has been swept
aside. In  the lower chakras you  had to sift through such debris to see thetruth in everything. Now the only thing you see is truth, and it feels clear . There is liberation in seeing truth. V ishuddha is like looking into the Caribbean Sea and not seeing the
bottom of it. One year I took a trip to Jamaica. I had always seen pictures of
the Cari bbean w ith its crystal-clear turquoise waters and its white sands as
far as the eye can see. When I arrived in Jamaica I didn’ t see what I had
imagined. Aroun d my hotel all I could see was lots of seaweed, rocks, and
sand. I was so disappointed because I wanted to experience the beauty of
the c lear waters like I had seen in the pictures. In order to see this, I had to
travel far by bus to find it. When I arrived, it was well worth the trip. Y ou hav e traveled up four chakras to find the clarity of the fifth. The
debris o f deception, lies, and c onfusion has drifted away , and you never
again have to live in darkness. The A yu rvedic d osha that rules the fifth chakra is V ata. The tw o gunas
that rule this chakra are rajas and sattva. The color we attribute to the throat chakra is cerulean blue. The mantra,
or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the fifth chakra is HUM . Fifth Chakra Ailments
Ailments of the fifth chakra include diseases of the throat and the thyroid
and parathyroid glands, neck and  jaw problems, speech impediments, colds,
and hearing problems. From a psychological standpoint, imbalances can
include unexpressed grief, sadness, anger , judgment, and feelings of
depression. Fifth Chakra Energy
The pow er that lies within the fifth chakra is the power to trans cend space-
time. Communic ation enables us to transcend space as sound w aves travel
through phone lines, cell towe rs, and internet connections. W e can be
virtually presen t in another place — through audio and mo re recently
through video — without leaving our physical location. Communication happens on m any levels, not only the physical. W e
communicate through words and sounds, facial expressions, body language,
thoughts (also known as telepat hy), and vibration. A thought is a vibrationon a subtle level, which will be  explained in more detail in the chapter on
the sixth chakra. The or gans and body parts in the fifth chakra allow us to
create and absorb the vibrations of sound. Sound can be used to harm or to heal. The voice of a loved one can be
used to say , “I love you,” or it can be used to say , “I never want to see you
again.” When used for unkind intentions, such as in rap lyrics filled with
words of hate, s ound creates separateness and dissonance. How ever , when
harnessed as a powerful expres sion of beauty , as in Mozart’ s  Forty-First
Symphony or Beethoven’ s Fifth, it creates harmony , entrainment, and
synchronization. W ords have the power to heal when you speak inner truth to yourself. Y our inner and outer dialogue about yourself determines how healthy you
are. If you repea t to yourself dai ly , “I’m so fat and I’ll never get thin,” those
words h ave the power to become your reality . However , if you t ell yourself,
“I’m wo rking on  getting healthier each and every day ,” you will have quite
a dif ferent outcome. W ords from others also have the power to heal. When a
child fal ls and skins his knee, he will heal faster if his parent says, “Y ou’re
all right. Get up and go play .”
When I was in F rance around 2006, I went to the eye doctor because I
was having trouble reading. I was thirty-five years old at the time and
thought my age was contributin g to the fuzzy words I was seeing. I shared
this thou ght with the doctor , who told me it had nothing to do with age and
that I had some sort of eye dis ease that would cause me to need stronger
and stronger prescriptions as the  years went on. He was very ela borate as he
spoke ab out my future with certainty and conviction. I was taken aback that
he, a medical doctor , could “read” into my future and dared say so with
such doom and gloom. Luckily , I was already on a spiritual path of knowing
that we create our own destiny ,  so I brushed it of f as ignorance. However ,
his w ords did have power becau se I remember them to this day . Now at age
forty-six, eleven years later , my sight isn’ t a whole lot worse. My
prescription has changed once, but I’m optimistic about my vision staying
the same or getting better over the next decade or more. Can you  see the potential damage in the words you or others  speak? Had I believed the doctor and taken his words to be reality ,  I probably
would be blind by now . His words were not truth, but a potential truth.On the positive side of words, h ave you noticed that when you talk to a
person y ou’re close to, your speech patterns tend to mimic each other ’ s? W ords connect in fluid harmony people who like to be together . Y ou can
notice th is best in teenagers. Listen to the way they speak. They  create their
own language with words that o nly they seem to understand. If  you have a
teenager , you know this. And the language changes quickly ,  every few
years or  so. W ords such as sick  to  describe something awesom e or LOL ,
taken fr om text-speak to mean “laugh out loud,” are already outdated,
according to my teenager , when his siblings used those word s only four
years ago. Singing and chanting are ageless forms of sound vibration. Singing has
been use d for thousands of years to band people together with a purpose. Song has the power to transcend. Much of today’ s soul music originated
from music sung by enslaved Africans in the Americas. They used songs to
strengthen community and tran scend the conditions in which they were
living. T hey also used song to connect with God, which brought them to a
state of transcendent bliss. Singing and chanting can be used unconsciously for brainwave
entrainment. People with close relationships entrain, which means their
bodily rhythms work together in synchronistic harmony through sound. Mothers chant or sing to their babies to soothe their cries. When my
children were babies and they were fussy or I was trying to get them to
sleep, I used to hum a simple,  repetitive tune to them. I’m not sure if I
spontaneously made it up or if perhaps it was hummed to me when I was a
baby . I only hummed it to each of them for their first year of life or so,
when ba bies need the most soothing. The strange thing is, the o ther day my
youngest son, who is now thirteen, told me of the tune I hummed to him as
a ba by . He hummed it back to me and said, “Mom, I loved i t when you
hummed that tune to me. I remember it well.” He couldn’ t have been more
than a year old when he last he ard it, being that he is the youngest. How
could he remember it now , twelve years later? I believe the power of that
sound created synchronization in  his brain that signaled well-be ing. So now
as a young man, when he has a s ense of well-being, in particular around me
as h is mother , that sound comes  to mind as one of his earliest memories of
well-being.Y ou too can e ntrain your cells to work in synchronistic h armony
through sound. In each chapter , I provide a mantra sound you can use for
chanting. By chanting the sou nd HUM  rep eatedly , you will align the
vibrational ener gy in the fifth chakra and cause your cells to remember their
purpose and work toward the greater good, which in this case is keeping
you heal thy and  whole. Mantras in meditation are used for this p urpose too. Y ou can chant a mantra, incanta tion, or af firmation out loud or even in your
mind, and it wil l have the same ef fect. Simple, primordial man tras chanted
out loud have greater vibrations and therefore have greater power . For
example, chanting the sound OM , while allowing your lips to vibrate on the
mmmmm  s ound as you exhale, creates an explosion of vibrations in the
body an d precipitates healing. Chanting out loud the af firmation “I am
strong, I am he althy” has great power too, just in a dif ferent way with
dif ferent intensity . The ultimate healing power in the V ishuddha chakra enables you to
synchronize communication between your inner and outer worl ds and most
importantly to clear the lines of communication to the Divine. Once you
have harnessed this power , wher ein there is no disconnection or disharmony
in c ommunication between you , others, and the Divine, you will have a
clear path toward enlightenment. The first step toward this path is to seek and speak truth. Our Societal Relationship with the Fifth Chakra
T ruthfulness has  become more dif ficult than ever in modern society . W e
have increased means of communication, and we seemingly communicate
all the time. W i th the constant stream of text messages, voicemails, video
calls, so cial media feeds, and e mails, it appears that we’re communicating
at a more constant rate than at any other time in history . And perhaps we
are. Y et much of this communication — such as humble-brag Facebook
posts or  tweets — is one-way and often designed to embellish or conceal
the truth. I’m n ot suggesting that people are inherently dishon est. I don’ t
have such a bleak outlook on people’ s subconscious intention s. However ,
that faceless and often voiceless  communication can result in a portrayal of
an alternate reality .W ith in- person communication, you can also alter the other person’ s
perception of who you are by filtering what you let them see. But when
you’re f ace-to-face with another , you have other cues to send yo u signals as
to whether the person is sincere. Y ou can “read” a person’ s ener gy field (we
all do this whether consciously or unconsciously). Y ou can notice a person’ s
body language. Y ou can connect  intonation of voice with facial expressions. It’ s much more dif ficult to dece ive in person than over the internet or the
phone. T oday , much of the political climate in the United States is a result of
modern society’ s one-way communication through declarative statements,
insults, or proclamations of reality without any instant return of
communication by the receiving  parties. The term alternative facts , coined
in 2017 by the T rump administ ration, demonstrates the tendency to ignore
truth in favor of the alternate world of the internet in which tr uth doesn’ t
seem to be valued by all. When I was on the internet dating scene, I was astonished to discover
how much people lied in their profiles. There seems to be a cultural
tolerance of “acceptable untruths” (or blatant lies, as I call them ) in things
such as dating profiles and even résumés. It’ s rather humorous if you think
about it, because we have great er access to truth today . In the past, if you
wanted to fact-check a given topic, you really had to search. Fact-checking
often me ant trip s to the library and in-person research at variou s locations. T oday w e can search facts instantly . Y et it seems that many p eople don’ t
want to see the truth. Society will only shift to a perception of truthfulness as an ass et and a
necessity when enough people decide that it must be so. Another issue with communicat ion today has to do with the exp ectation
of a rapi d respo nse. Because we’re used to instantaneous feedback through
instant m essaging or texts, we’re inclined to become impatient when we
don’ t re ceive a response right away . T wo things tend to happen in these
situations: (1) we jump the gun and respond harshly when we don’ t get an
instant response , and (2) the person on the other end may an swer with a
less-than-honest, ill-conceived, or poorly researched response because he or
she is more con cerned with answering quickly than with thinking things
through first.The same happens with our listening skills. Fifth chakra ener gy is as
much about hearing and listen ing as speaking. Both sides are equally
important for ef fective commun ication. Through all our electronic ways of
communicating, we have become accustomed to jumping to conclusions
and laying out w hat we want to  say without necessarily taking in what the
other person is saying. Then  it becomes two one-sided pieces of
communication that never mer ge into a conversation. One way  to rectify this imbalance is to realize that communication is a
dynamic dance of giving and  receiving that operates according to a
patterned rhythm . If you’re blurting out nonstop whatever comes to mind
over var ious for ms of media, yo u aren’ t honoring the natural rh ythm of this
dance. By taking the time to truly listen to what the other pers on is saying
and aski ng questions when you aren’ t sure or don’ t understand, you can
help turn the tide back toward authentic and real communication. Another pitfall of using electr onic communication is that it can let
barriers down inappropriately . Cyberpsychologists have no ticed a dramatic
increase in behavior traditionall y reserved for those under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, that of dropping all defenses and blurting out the truth. People who have had a few drin ks tend to lose their inhibitions and tell all
or “tell it like it is.” The same p henomenon can happen when we’re hiding
behind a username or social  media profile. Our typical inhibitions,
including a healthy dose of caution, seem to fade away too e asily . Many
open themselves up to complete strangers, feeling safe when they see
reciprocation of such behavior . This lack of discernment in communication
can be just as  dangerous as its opposite: completely shutting down
communication closes of f the fifth chakra, but throwing it a ll out there
online or in dial ogues with people on the internet whom you haven’ t met in
person can push you into a deceptive reality . In real life and  in healthy
communication, the give-and-take allows the two parties t o open up
gradually . Going back to the online dating example, one of  the dating
websites I was o n years ago had an entire page on online datin g etiquette,
and I found it responsible and h elpful. A couple of pieces of advice stuck
out in particul ar , and I rem ember them to this day . Th e first is,
communication is give-and-take. If you initiate communication, wait for the
other pe rson to respond. It’ s a ba ck-and-forth ef fort. T ry not to d ominate the
conversation. The second piece of advice was a warning of what we’reexploring in this section: if a pe rson is opening themselves up too quickly
and acting as i f they’re falling in love straightaway , that should be a
warning sign to get away quickly . I be lieve the lesson we can take away from our societal rela tionship
with the  fifth chakra is that a m ultifaceted approach to communication is
necessary to foster healthy and honest relationships. Meeting in person is
more important than a phone call or an electronic message. Remember to
listen and actually hear what the other person is saying, as well as get your
message across. Use the tool of asking questions and repeat ing back to
make su re you heard properly what the other person is saying. Finally ,
remember that immediacy of res ponse is not always the healthie st or for the
highest good of both parties. A t times, thoughtful reflection can help you
and the other person get in touch with your highest truth. Living Life in the V ishuddha Chakra
The ruling planet of the fifth cha kra is the planet Jupiter . The Sanskrit word
for Jupiter  is guru , which means “dispeller of darkness.” Therefore, people
who embody fifth chakra ener gy enlighten others with their speech and
words. F ifth cha kra people have transcended their egos in such  a way that
they’re in touch with their souls. They become seekers and speakers of
truth. Th ey hav e spent time in  their heart chakra and have opened their
hearts to higher spiritual knowledge. When they speak or write, they’re
inspired and, in turn, inspire others. Their voices are melodious and
welcomed by those who want to learn these truths. Recognizing Fifth Chakra Imbalances
Signs that the fif th chakra is out  of balance may include the V ata imbalance
of talkin g incessantly without listening. This kind of nervous talking uses
the voice out of fear of silence or fear of being alone. Another manifestation
of imbalance would be using the voice to be harsh to others, such as putting
a person  in his or her place or being overly critical. Those ou t of balance
can also use their voice as a wea pon to hurt another person b y not speaking
or by yelling, screaming, or crying out loud to create drama.Speech impediments are disorders that can limit your voice or cause
frustration in speaking. A person who feels suppressed and doe sn’ t feel he
or she has a voice can experience blockages in the fifth chakra. Miscommunication and misunderstandings are also limitations of the
fifth cha kra. Thi s often happens when two people are talking at each other
rather th an to each other , and when one person isn’ t listening or doesn’ t
understand. T ake car e not to misdirect your fifth chakra ener gy by using you r newly
acquired spiritua l knowledge to try to convince others of your perspective. Maybe you know people who have done this with you, talking nonstop and
shoving their perspective down your throat. Instead of speaking to
convince, balanced fifth chakra people speak to inspire. Think of a speaker
who has inspired you. Those wi th inspiration, which means “in spirit,” will
usually talk about themselves in order to demonstrate their path toward
enlightenment. I t’ s never about “ Y ou should do this or that” but rather “This
is what I did and what I experie nced.” That leaves you the space to have an
aha moment. Space, akasha, which is the element of the fifth chakra, is the
essential component in verbal expression. I once heard that it’ s not the
words in the books that make beautiful stories but the spaces in between;
and it’ s not the musical notes th at create sweet melodies but the pauses in
between those notes. It’ s about space. In th e p reface I mentioned havi ng to heal my fifth chakra ener gy after
my t hyroid cancer sur gery . T o that end, I had to do a lot of self-reflection on
how this ener gy had developed throughout my childhood. I’m the firstborn,
and when I was five my parents divorced. However , the divorce is not my
earliest memory . I have lots of m emories, from as early as age three, of my
parents fighting and my mom crying. I even remember givin g my mom
boxes of  Kleenex. Through this traumatic experience, I believe I developed
a ha bit o f “being good” and not creating waves. My mom wou ld even tell
me that I was her strength. Since I had to take care of my mother ’ s emotions
and look after m y sister , I deve loped an inner notion that my own feelings
weren’ t as important. In order t o heal, I had to learn to expres s myself. It
didn’ t come easily . And at times when I tried to make my voice heard, it
came ou t as shouting. But over time I learned to be more asser tive and not
bottle up my feelings.Accepting Fifth Chakra Gifts
In free societies we take for granted the gifts of speaking and he aring truth. The fact that we have ears to listen and a mouth to speak is a miracle in
itself. U nderstanding language, being able to read and write, and the gift of
communication wonderfully bond us together on a deeper level than only
the physical. Being ab le to freely express our selves without fear of being persecuted
for our opinions, political views, or religious persuasions is a gift. I recently
ran a half mara thon in W ashington, DC. There were spectators holding
inspirational sig ns to help the runners keep running. Some of the signs read
“If T rump can run and win, so can you” and “Y ou can run bet ter than the
government.” I thought, How fortunate we ar e to live in a place wher e this
fr eedom of expr ession exists! In another coun try those spectators with signs
might be arrested. If you’re a female or a minority in some co untries, you
cannot speak your mind, vote, or even drive. Y our inn er truth  and voice are powerful blessings to use whene ver you
can. Healing V ishuddha
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I can easily speak my inner truth. Healing the Physical Body
In o rder to ef fe ctively speak your truth, your throat, vocal co rds, mouth,
jaw , and hearing must remai n healthy . Eating the wrong foods and
maintaining poor posture can contribute to inef fective vocal expression. If
you fin d speaking, singing, chanting, or projecting your voice to be
challenging, the following changes may help. First, dry mouth can be rectif ied by reducing caf feine and alcohol
consumption an d by decreasing the number of dry foods in yo ur diet such
as crackers, chips, dried fruit, and nuts. Y ou can also keep your mouth moistand throat lubricated by swishing and gar gling daily with an or ganic food-
grade sesame oil. T ake one to t wo teaspoons in your mouth an d swish for
one minute, then gar gle lightly and spit it out. It will leave a light film in
your mouth. Y ou can do this before bed and you will reap the benefits of a
lubricated mouth and the antibacterial ef fects of the sesame oil . Phlegm in
your thr oat can be corrected by  reducing cold dairy , sugar , and processed
foods. Next, sitting at a  desk and starin g at a computer all day can cause poor
posture due to c raning the neck forward to see the screen. Wh enever you
notice y ourself in this position, make a correction: sit straight, and draw
your head and shoulders back to bring your spine into better alignment. C HANTING AND  S INGING
Saying the chakra mantra soun ds or other mantras out loud is great for
toning t he throat and strengthening the vocal cords. Singing brings about
joy and can be transcendent. I t’ s no wonder so many of us sing in the
shower or alone in the car . It brings out a side of us that is often hidden. Liberate your fifth chakra ener gy by singing out loud — not only in the
shower or car . H EAD AND  N ECK  E XERCISES
Because we tend to position th e neck improperly when using electronic
devices, it’ s very important that  we stretch our necks frequently to release
the tired muscles. Sit tall with your back straight. Have your head in a neutral position
with your chin n either up nor do wn. Rest your hands on your lap with your
palms fa cing up. T urn your head  to the right, then bring your chi n down and
draw a semicircle with your chin as you bring it to your left. Then bring
your chin downward from the l eft side and draw a semicircle back to the
right. Continue back and forth eight times. Next, return your head back to a
centered, neutra l position. T ake the first two fingers of your right hand,
place th em on your chin, and b ring your chin to your chest. Hold it there
and breathe. Release your head, and repeat with your left hand.Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
F IFTH  C HAKRA
T ry these exercises to help heal and align the V ishuddha chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www .youtube.com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor . Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas . Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for . Ujjayi  Br eath:  O ften referred to as the oce an breath or af fectionately
coined the Darth V ader breath, the ujjayi breath is excellent for toning the
throat and calming nerves. This breath brings heat to the body and therefore
is ya ng in nature. T o begin the ujjayi breath, sit tall and close  your eyes. Pretend you’re going to fog up a pair of glasses to clean them,  and exhale
the word ha . No w c lose you r lips and exha le the same way but with your
mouth c losed. Inhale and exhale the word ha . T his results in  a partial
constriction of your throat. Y ou are breathing from the lower belly , inflating
the belly  as you inhale and contracting it as you exhale. In the  beginning,
it’ s d if ficult to in hale the word ha , but  wit h practice it becomes easier . Once
you get the hang  of it, see if you  can prolong each inhalation and exhalation
to th e count of four . Use this breathing technique anytime yo u’re feeling
stressed. Lion’ s Br eath — Simhasana :  This silly-looking breath is ef fective at
toning th e throa t, mouth, and ja w , and clearing out the lungs and bronchial
passages. T o practice the lion’ s breath, sit on your heels with your knees
wide open and place your hands on the floor in front of you. If it’ s
challenging to sit this way , you  can stand and place your feet wide apart
instead. T ake in a deep breath through your nose, and as you exhale, open
your mouth wide, stick out you r tongue, and say the word ha  emphasizing
the h  on the exhale, as if you are a lion roaring. If you want to add another
physical compon ent to complete the asana, b ring up your hands and make
claws as you exhale. It’ s great for releasing negative ener gy .Bridge P ose — Setu Bandhasana :  Begin by lying on your back with your
knees bent and your feet flat on  the floor . Place your feet hip-width apart
and parallel, your toes forward , and your arms alongside you  with your
palms facing down. Press your palms down and lift your pelvis up. If you
can, bring your hands together on the mat underneath your pelvis and
interlace your fingers. W alk your shoulders inward toward your spine, and
lift your  pelvis even higher . Loo k straight at the ceiling, and keep your head
steady . H old for  five to ten breaths. T o lower , separate your hands, bring
your palms to the floor , and lower your pelvis to the gro und. As a
counterpose, bring both knees to your chest and roll gently side to side to
massage your back. Bridge po se stimulates the thyroid, parathyroid, and
thymus glands. Shoulderstand — Salamba Sarvangasana :  Shoulderstand is a more
advanced pose, so if you’re a beginner , do it at a wall (see below for
instructions) or with a spotter . Place a thinly folded blanket or towel on
your ma t, and lie down so that the blanket is underneath your head, neck,
and sho ulders. Bring your arms alongside you with your palms facing
down. B end you r knees with your feet flat on the floor . Press your hands to
the floor , and bring your legs straight into the air while lifting your lower
back. B ring you r hands up to support your back, and move your elbows
inward toward your spine. Keep your head straight and steady; do not turn
it to the side. If you would prefer to use a wall, start in the same position
with you r mat perpendicular to  the wall. Bend your knees and place your
feet against the w all. Press your feet into the wall to lift your pelvis, support
your lower back with your hands, and walk your feet up the wall. If you feel
stable, bring one foot away from  the wall and then th e other to exten d the
legs stra ight up toward the ceili ng. Remain in the pose for a few  breaths or
a few minutes depending on your ability level. T o lower , bring your bent
knees toward your forehead a nd gently roll your back to the floor . If
continuing with the sequence sh own here, move on to plow pose. If you’re
ready to wind down, do fish pose ( matsyasana ; see page 174 ) or reclining
butterfly pose (see page 55 ). Plow Pose — Halasana :  T o begin, lie d own with a thin ly folded blanket
underneath your  head and neck. Rest your arms alongside your torso withyour palms facing down. Bend both knees with your feet flat on the floor . Press into your h ands and lift your legs. W ith your legs joined a nd straight,
bring them over your head until your toes touch the floor above your head. Y ou will  be folding your body c ompletely in half. Y ou can either leave your
arms on the floor or bend your elbows and support your back with your
hands. Hold the pose for several breaths. T o come out of the pose, lower
your knees toward your forehead and gently lower your back to the floor ,
one vertebrae at a time. T o recover , do reclining butterfly pose (see page 55 )
or hug your knees to your chest, and roll your back out side to side. Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
For many of us, one of the hardest things to do is to speak truth. I’m not
referring to telling the truth, wh ich at times is challenging in and of itself. I’m talking about speaking you r inner truth, the truth that resides within
your hea rt. The truth that is the pure essence within your personal soul, the
voice th at comes from your h ighest Self and gives authenticity to your
words. It speaks of who you ar e as an individual and brings light to your
uniqueness in every way . In the third and  fourth chakras, your personality develops to formulate
your pas sions an d love. But it’ s  in the fifth chakra that these f ormulations
are exposed to the world through your words and verbal expression. Fear of rejection or of not fittin g in may be a reason why you feel you
can’ t sh are who  you are. Y et who you are is what God breathed into your
soul, and you will feel balanced only when you share that with the world. L IVING IN  T RUTH
Far from  being an easy task for most of us, living in truth m eans living
authentically in every moment. When you take this to heart an d put it into
practice, you truly realize how incredibly challenging it is. It is humbling
and ego- crushing, in a way . Unle ss you are consciously working at this, you
aren’ t generally  cognizant of how much untruth can infiltrate your life.Most of the untruths aren’ t harmful or pivotal to changing your destiny , but
they are like little grains of sand that can build up to a mountain. Think of  the reasons why you might not tell the truth or the entire truth. Sometimes we don’ t say the t ruth because it’ s not convenient, such as
telling your boss that you were late because you were stuck in t raf fic rather
than bec ause yo u got into an ar gument with your spouse. Or  maybe the
untruth comes from fear of embarrassment. For example, you accidentally
schedule a date with a new hot guy on the same night as you had already
committed to another date with a nother guy who isn’ t so hot. So you lie and
say you’ re sick. Or perhaps you tell an untruth because you fear  rejection or
you feel  bad for the other perso n. There are many reasons why you might
tell an untruth, and most of them are linked to fear . Fear is a low and slow
ener gy . Once you reach the fi fth chakra your body , mind, and soul are
already vibratin g at a higher frequency so you can easily connect to your
spiritual self. Any untruth or lie  you tell inside or out will corr ode the link
between you and your higher self. Therefore it’ s not about the bent reality
that you’re telling but rather your alignment with your own integrity and the
higher vibrations of truth and love. B EING  A UTHENTIC VERSUS  B EING  N ICE
Authenticity is about lifting the false masks of your identity as a person and
revealing who you are to the w orld. W e all wear masks. Som etimes we
wear the mask of someone who works, who plays, who is a spouse, friend,
son, daughter , sister , brother , and so on. And we tend to wear dif ferent
masks fo r dif fer ent people. Living in the truth is about discarding all those
masks a nd inste ad exposing yourself to the world as you are. People who
live authenticall y show little dif ference in their attitudes and app earances no
matter who is before them. S ometimes these people are referred to as
“genuine and real” or even “down-to-earth.”
If, on the other hand, you are c onstantly worried about pleasin g others
or afraid of wha t others might th ink of you, you are not only wearing masks
but also changing those masks d epending on who is in front of you. Being
nice, or people pleasing, is the antithesis of truth. It’ s impossible to be
genuine or authentic and be a p eople pleaser . If you morph into  what otherpeople want or what you think they want, you deny who you a re and your
needs and desires. Y ou can  begin to counter this tendency by first finding out w hat you
truly wa nt, need, and desire. Get to know yourself and your true  nature. For
example, if you hate golf but you go golfing with the guys every weekend
because you want to fit in or to climb the corporate ladder , you aren’ t being
true to yours elf by doing it. Eventually your dislike for golfing will show
through and the guys will figure out you’re just doing it to get ahead. Y our
actions will backfire in a way that will be disadvantageous to you. When I was a young stay-at-home mom, I noticed that all th e other
moms around me spent most o f their time volunteering at the  elementary
school and carting their kids a round to several sporting teams and other
extracurricular a ctivities. I fell into the trap of wanting to be like them. I
thought I should be the perfect mom and that I could achieve th at by doing
the thin gs they did. I exhausted myself by volunteering m y time and
chauf feuring my  kids to many activities. Then one day I woke up and found
myself m iserable. I also noticed that my kids were miserable too. All the
volunteering too k time away fro m parenting. And the overscheduling didn’ t
give my kids time to play and be kids. Once I realized this, I cut
volunteering down to once a month and made my kids choose at most one
extracurricular activity at a time. Everyone was happier when I was truthful
to myself. R EFLECTING ON  S PEAKING  T RUTH
T ry this interesting exercise. During the day , focus on your words and see if
they ma tch how  you truly feel. Resist the temptation to judge or admonish
yourself; just notice. Y ou may be amazed to discover times when you don’ t
think yo u’re “stretching the truth” but you are. Keep in mind that I’m not
talking about joking around or exaggerating to prove a poin t but rather
deliberately chan ging the truth t o mislead another person or you rself in any
way . For example, if you get on the scale to weigh yourself and you weigh
160 pounds, but you tell your spouse, who asks, that the sca le read 150
pounds, that’ s deliberate. Y ou might think, “W ell, what’ s the harm in that?It’ s j ust a numbe r on a scale.” That might be so, but if it weren’ t a big deal,
why would you change the number? Ultimately , speaking truth and being mindful of your inner truth is about
flexing a muscle so you can live  a life of excellence, marked by coherence
between body , mind, and spirit. The more you flex your muscles of
deception, the bigger they get. And the more you flex your truthfulness
muscles, the bigger those get. In the end, you have greater gains  when your
truthfulness muscles are flexed and toned. Living i n and speaking truth doesn’ t mean you always have to t ell all. It
is yo ur absolute right to say things such as “I’d rather not say ,” “I’m not
sure righ t now ,” or even “Now isn’ t the right time for me to exp ress this.” If
truth means you will hurt some one and that isn’ t where you’d  like to go
with the  conversation, you can always stay silent, unless staying silent
means you might harm them. F or example, if your friend asks  you if you
love her  new red dress and you don’ t like it at all, you could  either stay
silent or say som ething like, “I really like the flowered dress you wore last
week.” Y ou’re u sing a softener t o avoid hurting her feelings, bu t you’re not
lying. H owever , if she says to you, “What do you think about th is new guy
I’m dating?” And you google t he guy and find out he has a police record
and you  don’ t tell her , then you could potentially be harming  her by not
revealing the truth. Do you see the dif ference? As y ou g o through your day with this exercise, say to yourself, “Is what
I’m about to sa y going to hurt my integrity in any way?” and  “W ill I be
disconnecting fr om my spiritual self by saying what I’m about to say?”
Y ou’ll notice that if you can a nswer those questions honestly , you’ll go
about your day honoring truthfulness. Healing the Spiritual Body
Gaining the awareness of the fifth chakra is like awakening from a deep
slumber . Y ou begin to see thing s dif ferently . W ords spoken or written take
on new meaning . As you emer g e from the darkness of the lower chakras,
spiritual truths seem to fall into place and link together like the pieces of a
puzzle t hat seemed so complicated before. Y ou may find yourself on a
sudden spiritual  journey , seeking to take in as much information as youpossibly can. It’ s an exciting tim e for you as you begin to wond er where all
this wonderful truth has been hiding your whole life. A W AKENING T O THE  T RUTH
Have you ever r ead a really goo d book with an important message and then
picked i t back up several years later and gotten a completely dif ferent
message? That is what it feels like to awaken to spiritual tru ths. An old
adage says, “When the student is ready , the teacher will appear .” At this
stage of our chakra journey , we have traveled far into a spiritual plane
where things just start to make sense. Y ou might feel that before this moment, you were like a p iece of
seaweed being tossed around by  the waves with absolutely no control over
your thoughts, feelings, emotio ns, and destiny . Now you’re beginning to
understand that you ar e  th e ocean. How  empowering it is to realize that
when you align yourself with the creative force of the enti re universe,
everything is possible. Y ou are at the point in your spiritual development that you are so
ecstatic you want to shout from the rooftops to everyone a round you,
“Don’ t y ou see this? Don’ t yo u understand? This is amazing!” But alas,
everyone aroun d you is not on your spiritual path, and they don’ t
understand. They are like you w ere before you awakened. In the  beginning,
it ca n be  frustra ting. Y ou want to share all this wonderful know ledge. Y ou
want oth ers to see that we are n ot our bodies but spiritual bein gs having a
human experien ce. W ith the knowledge gained from your heart chakra, you
can reach back in and have co mpassion for those who have n ot yet seen
what you see. Y our faith grows by leaps and b ounds as you test out this new spiritual
awareness. Y ou may be shy to share your joy , but it’ s necessary that you do
so in order to share these spir itual truths with others, just as  they were
shared with you. VISHUDDHA GUIDED MEDIT A TIONSit comfortably and close your eyes. Bring your attention and
awareness to the area of your throat. If it’ s chilly in the room,  cover
your throat with a warm scarf. Or if you prefer , you can use your
hands: crisscros s your hands to  make the shape of a butterfly , and
gently place your palms agains t your throat. This will bring warmth
and healing ener gy to the fift h chakra. Set the intention to bring
healing to your neck, throat, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, jaw ,
mouth, tongue, vocal cords, and ears. As you settle in to relaxing all
these pa rts of your body , ask the question, “How do I know my  inner
truth?” By simply asking the q uestion, you’ll find that the an swers
will app ear . Then bring your aw areness back to the word truth. Ask
your higher self to access your inner truth. Bring to your awareness dif ferent aspects of your life, and
continue to ask your higher self, “What is my inner truth here? ” Start
with the most important things in your life, such as your family ,
friends, and other relationships, then go to your personal health and
well-being, continually asking yourself, “What is my inner truth
here?” Next, expand outward to your work or career , and ask yo urself,
“What i s my inner truth here?” Then go to your passions, gift s, and
talents: “What is my inner trut h here?” Next, consider the m aterial
items in your life — finances, money , home, cars, and other m aterial
goods — and ask yourself, “What is my inner truth here?” Finally , go
to y our spirituality , your belief s, your ideals, your values, an d ask,
“What is  my inner truth here?” T ake some time to go over other areas
of your life that come up for you now , repeating the same question:
“What is my inner truth here?”
Listen to what comes up. Acknowledge it with a nod. T ry not to
judge whatever comes to you i n this conversation with your higher
self. When you’re finished, than k your higher self for all the in sight. Y ou can seal the  meditation by chanting the mantra sound HUM  three
times. When yo u feel ready , you can sl owly open your eyes and return  to
activity . Since this guided meditation has brought you some
revelations, you  may want to write down what came to you duri ng the
meditation.E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
The color sky blue is associated with the fifth chakra. Lapis lazuli, known as the “stone of truth,” is great for speaking your
truth. Y ou can also use aquamarine and turquoise. Y ou can  wear or hold to
your thr oat chak ra the stones b lue kyanite and blue iolite to help enhance
clairaudient or psychic hearing abilities. Fifth Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. When I communicate with other s, I will keep in mind that it’ s not the
words that create beautiful st ories, but the spaces between the
words. And it’ s not the musical  notes that create melodious m usic,
but the pauses between the notes. I’m creating space in my
communication. I’m pausing, listening fully , and allowing the space
to create beautiful conversations. 2. Revealing my inner truth is the only way to authenticity . 3. Honesty is the way I express my self-love and my integrity . 4. I remain open to all forms of communication, and I honor others’
needs to express themselves in many ways. 5. As I live more in truth, more truth will be revealed to me.T6  T H E  T H I R D - E Y E  C H A K R A
A j n a
ELEMENT :  Light
COLOR:  Indigo
MANTRA SOUND:  SHAM
he sixth chakra is a special place on our chakra journey . Anatomically ,
we have  arrived  at the area of the third eye, which is located between
the t wo eyebrows and the two p hysical eyes. The sixth chakra includes the
eyes and the pineal gland. Ajna is our center of intuition and clairvoyance,
or seeing things beyond the physical. Relatively speaking, the descriptions of the first five chakras have been
fairly grounded and hopefully relatable to your daily life. Pleas e bear with
me throughout the description of the sixth chakra, as it w ill be more
esoteric. The world we live in is made up of opposites. Where there is up, there is
down. Where there is day , there  is night. Where there is darkness, there is
light. No matter how hard we  try to only have half of something, its
opposite always  tends to show up somehow . As happy as you can be one
day , you know i n the back of your mind that something can happ en to make
you sad. But the  upside is, when  you’re sad, you can be fairly certain that it
won’ t last and that you will eventually experience happiness again, if you’re
patient. This principle of opposites is called duality .When you were born, you came into this world of duality . Y ou began
life on earth, and shortly thereafter you realized that you will die someday . According to T antra yoga philosophy , we can transcend this world of
duality while we’re still living. W e don’ t have to experien ce death to
appreciate our state of perfection wherein suf fering no longer exists. W e can
have this experience while we’re alive. In the first five chakras we’re stuck with the experience of our five
senses, the tanmantras ; with the five elements, the mahabhutas; and with
the three  gunas,  or states of being. The first five chakras are also bound to
the t hree doshas as well as the alternating ener gies of yin and y ang, which
are repre sentative of the Ida and Pingala nadis. As you can see, up until this
point, w e were bound to the eb b and flow of many factors that influenced
the experiences of our existence. Not any more. Once you reach the Ajna chakra, you’re able to go
beyond all these factors. The Ida and Pingala nadis end in the nostrils. For
the s ixth chakra, the two physical eyes represent the Ida and Pi ngala nadis,
and the third e ye represents the Shushumna nadi. Rememb er that the
Shushumna nadi is the central nadi that runs through the spinal cord
connecting all seven main chakras. The physical eyes see the past and
present, and the third eye sees th e future. Lastly , the physical ey es represent
the sun and moon, and the third eye represents fire or intense light. This bea utiful q uote by Dr . K. O. Paulose portrays the essenc e of the
sixth chakra: “Ajna is where time ceases to exist. There is no past, no
present and no future. Ajna will help you break down the barriers between
your ind ividual self and teach you to blend with the cosmic mind in single-
pointed consciou sness. This is the chakra wherein duality ends. There is no
light and dark; no good and e vil. Unconditional truth is the essence of
Ajna.”
The color we attribute to the third-eye chakra is indigo. The mantra, or
bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the sixth chakra is SHAM . Sixth Chakra Ailments
Ailments of the Ajna chakra include blindness, eyestrain, blurred vision,
headaches, hallucinations, dif ficulty concentrating, and nightmares. Memory problems can also be a sixth chakra disorder .Sixth Chakra Energy
If you have never experienced a transcendent state, Ajna’ s ener gy may be
dif ficult to understand. Y ou might even have a hard time believing that
something like this exists. Let me give you an example to help you
recognize that you have already experienced the transcendent quality of the
sixth chakra. Have yo u ever experienced your sense of intuition through a hunch or
inner knowing? Have you had a  clear sense about a person or s ituation but
no idea how you knew it? Let’ s say you’re in the market to buy a new car . Y ou shop around and find a particular vehicle that you would like to buy . The car salesma n shows you the  top-of-the-line model with all t he bells and
whistles. Y ou explain you want the basic model with heated front seats but
nothing else extra. He convinces you that he can get you a  great deal,
fantastic trade-in value, and perfect financing on the car he showed you. Reluctantly you agree to let him write up the paperwork. Three hours later
he s ays he’ s crunched all the numbers and presents you with a bill that is
$5,000 m ore tha n you wanted t o spend. Defeated, you’re about to sign on
the d otted line w hen something inside you says, “Stop!” Y ou put down your
pen and tell the salesman, “I thin k I need to shop around some more. I think
I can  get a better deal elsewhere.” He tries to convince you tha t you could
never in  a million years find a better deal on such a car . Listening to your
intuition, you leave and head of f to another dealership where you’re able to
buy the  same top-of-the-line model for $5,000 less, exactly what you
wanted to pay in the first place and with more amenities. That is
transcendence. Y ou mig ht ar gue  that your decis ion to leave the first dealership was pure
logic since you know through life experience when you’re bei ng taken to
the clea ners. But your hunch wasn’ t based on factual information, not
unless y ou had called every sing le car dealership in your area with the specs
on that same car  and had already gathered the information before declining
the f irst deal. It came from an in ner knowing, a small voice that  told you to
get out while you still could. If you’ve ever experienced telepathy or meaningful coincidence, you’ve
also tapp ed into your sixth chakra. Have you ever thought about someone
you hadn’ t seen or spoken to i n a long time, and the mere experience ofthinking about her caused her to call you out of the blue? Or maybe you
thought about a book you really  wanted to read, and a friend w alked up to
you and said, “I was out shopping, saw this book, and thought of you. W ould you like to have it?” That happened to me while I w as living in
France. I was helping my father -in-law , who was having some health issues. I w as thinking about a book I had read several years before, 8 W eeks to
Optimum Health  by Dr . Andrew W eil. I knew that if I could give it to him,
it might change his life. But I didn’ t know where to find it or if  it was even
translated into French. That day I went to the supermarket and walked past
a ba r gain bin f ull of books. I glanced down and there was 8 W eeks to
Optimum Health  in French and on sale. It was crazy . That is what happens
when you access your sixth chakra fully . Many p eople brush of f events like that as mere coincidence or
happenstance. My answer to them is, “Really?” What are the chances that a
book, originally  published in 1997, would find itself in a bar gain bin in a
grocery store in France in 2006, among all the hundreds of th ousands of
books that exist, and at the exac t same time that I was at that grocery store? I w ould  bet that the probability  is close to zero. That event was divinely
orchestrated as a result of my meditating and living in a higher state of
consciousness. Meaningful coincidences or synchronistic events begin to occur when
you align yourself with the spiritual ener gy that resides in the Ajna chakra. Life bec omes ea sier and more fu lfilling. Y ou experience more joy , and your
life becomes more meaningful. Our Societal Relationship with the Sixth Chakra
W e have not yet reached a point in our society where sixth chakra
consciousness e xists for the ma jority . If that were the case, there would be
no such  thing as good people and bad people, therefore no wars would
formulate. There would be no push-pull of the ego, and thus we wouldn’ t be
concerned with competition or getting ahead of other people. A  mind-set of
abundance would reign everywhere as we would realize that there is enough
on this planet for everyone. Crime would be nonexistent as a result of
wealth consciou sness. If everything was light, then there would be no
darkness.The feel ing of interconnectedness would end the debate as to whether or
not we need to t ake care of our planet. The answer would be obvious. Daily
life would flow in greater peace and harmony . The emer gence of spiritual enli ghtenment is in its infancy in the W est. There is  certain ly more awareness than in the past one hundred years, but
greater darkness as well. W e have shifted from world wars to wars on
ourselves and our health. Illness in society as a whole reflects the state of
consciousness of its people. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prev ention, half of all US adults, or 133 million people, suf fer from at
least o ne chronic disease. Disease cannot exist in sixth chakra
consciousness. By synchronizing with mind, body , spirit, and  the entire
universe, you are vibrating at s uch a fast speed that the lower ener gies of
disease cannot take hold in you. Let me give you an example. Pe rhaps there has been a time in y our life
when yo u were living in bliss. Y our career was great. Y ou were deeply in
love. Y o ur family life was balanced, and you woke up every morning
feeling fantastic. Y ou felt on top  of the world. Maybe that time lasted for a
week, a month, or a year . But do you remember that during that  time, when
you felt like you could take on the world, you didn’ t get sick? People
around y ou were getting colds o r the flu, but not you. Y ou were  untouched
by d isease even though you were exposed to it. Inversely , perhaps there was
a t ime when everything was goi ng wrong. Y ou lost your job, your car broke
down, and your dog died all in one week. Y ou were stressed, sad, and
worried, and on top of it all you got hit with a killer bronchial infection. I wo uld suggest that if you want to live a life that is disease-free, along
with following the other principles of fered in this book, st ay away  from
disease c onsciousness. T urn of f the TV or radio when prescription drug ads
come on, and even try to av oid advertisements for hospi tals, cancer
treatment centers, and other medical centers. Y ou don’ t want any of that
ener gy anywhere near you. It will lower your vibrational frequency . If
friends o r family  talk about the flu epidemic or the Zika virus, ask them to
please c hange th e subject. If yo u feel a minor ache or pain, try  not to surf
the i nternet looking for diseases. Instead, do some yoga breathin g, meditate,
or change your diet. I know people who feel a small pain , and after
browsing disease possibilities, they’re of f to their doctor with a self-
diagnosis. Other than getting yearly checkups, wouldn’ t it be b etter to nothave to rely on doctors so much? Y our body is a healing machine. Consider
it as such. W ouldn’ t it be wonderful if inst ead of medical advertisements, we had
motivational adv ertisements? Im agine where your thoughts would go if you
saw a big billb oard that read “Y our body is a healing mach ine. Y ou’re
healthy now ,” then you opened your internet browser and a pop-up ad read
“Y ou ha ve extraordinary ener gy !” Most medical companies would go out of
business. When we let go of the belief that disease is a given, we can then  evolve
in consciousness as a society . Living Life in the Ajna Chakra
The person who dwells in the Ajna chakra lives a magical but disciplined
life. The gifts that come with sixth chakra consciousness only come with
the grea test amount of austerity and adherence to steadfast principles. It’ s
no wond er that only a select few  ever attain this level of consciousness. The
work req uired to  gain these gifts is a tough and often lonely road. Others
around you may not understand why you need to meditate for an hour a day
or practice yoga daily . They may not get why you buy only or ganic food,
recycle, or consistently give to charities. They might tease yo u for never
drinking alcohol, using drugs, or taking any substances that will harm your
body . Th ey may  find you weak for never ar guing with others or trying to
prove that you’re right. And they certainly won’ t understand why you prefer
silence to blaring music or a loud television. By living in the Ajna chakra you give up a great many things, but you
gain mu ch more  in return. Y ou live in bliss and joy every day of your life. The reso urces you need seem t o appear out of nowhere. Y ou begin to see
into the future a nd know the places and people to avoid. Y our life unfolds
ef fortlessly and easily . Many pe ople living in this state have the power to
heal. And when you are in the presence of others, they feel at peace. Recognizing Sixth Chakra Imbalances
Practicing medit ation and living a life of austerity are not the o nly ways to
obtain th e level of transcendence  most people seek. Beware of fast tracks totranscendence. S ome people will try to obtain sixth chakra transcendence
by d estructive means such as extreme fasting, drugs, alcohol , and other
types of addictive behavior . Y ou  can have momentary journeys i nto bliss by
flooding your brain with addict ive substances or by depriving the brain of
oxygen, food, or water . But these things always come with a price. By
forcing yourself into higher states of consciousness, you create a karmic
debt tha t must be repaid. Often the lows include plummeting back into the
most pri mal and  basic areas of the first chakra, where you’re surrounded by
fear , shame, and guilt. Since all of us are seeking a grea ter spiritual
connection on some level, it can be tempting to try to take a shortcut to
transcendent bli ss. However , anything worth having is also wo rth working
toward. Accepting Sixth Chakra Gifts
If you’r e not already living in the sixth chakra state of consc iousness at
least some of the time, it can be scary to accept the gifts of this chakra. Y ou
may be reluctan t to follow your intuition or trust your visions, whether they
come from within or as outer visual experiences. Accepting sixth chakra gifts can  give you an edge over others w ho don’ t
accept them. Y our power of intuition can save you a lot of pain and
heartache. It can help you make better choices and guide you along your
life p ath with gr eater ease. The p ower of dreaming and visualization can get
you to your desires and life purpose at lightning speed. The sixth chakra
transcends time  and space. In the universal realm, manifestation is not
linear . It  does not await the per fect time and place. Y ou can take quantum
leaps in progress through the power of visualization, daydreaming, and
following your intuition. I me t thi s woman at a meeting of Al-Anon, a recovery group for people
who are af fected by someone else’ s drinking. She was a nice person with a
big heart. She s hared with me that she had been in the program for over
forty-nine years. She said she was still working on the issues that plagued
her from  the beginning. Many other women in the program seemed to be
experiencing the same. They had spent years and often dec ades in the
program, going over the mistak es of the past and often repeating the same
mistakes in the p resent. I often h ear this story of people who stay in therapyfor many years. I don’ t believe in getting stuck in this sort of holding
pattern. For true spiritual develo pment to occur , you must contin ually grow . Programs and self-help books are wonderful and great. There a re layers to
personal growth  that can and do unfold with repetition. However , if you
find you rself repeating the same destructive behavior or mulling over past
behavior , feeling s, or emotions, you will find it dif ficult to rea ch the sixth
chakra l evel of consciousness. Instead of daydreaming about how you have
this defect or that ingrained behavior or emotion, visualize yourself as
healed and strong. Spend time daydreaming about living in a dif ferent
mind-set and staying there. Living your life dif ferently is as easy as a
decision. My philosophy: get the lesson and move on. W e all have a l imited amount of time on this planet. Y ou might have
seventy , eighty , ninety , or one hundred years total.
_OceanofPDF.com_Chakra_Healing_for_Vibrant_Energy_-_Michelle_S_Fondin.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        One spr ing during Lent while I was living in France, I decided  to take
on a project that created a lot of discomfort in me. I wanted to do something
good for others during the forty days prior to Easter instead of the
traditional practice of giving up chocolate or sweets. In Aix-en-Provence,
France, near where I lived, the re were a lot of homeless people. Most of
them we re illega l immigrants, or gypsies, as the French called them. I made
the d ecision to p ack lunches every W ednesday during Lent and  to go seek
out hom eless in dividuals in the city and give them the bagged lunches. In
addition, I decided to take my three-year -old son with me. Coming from
suburbia in the United States, I wasn’ t accustomed to homeles s people or
comfortable arou nd them. I mad e the decision to put myself into discomfort
to help other people. I didn’ t fee l it was enough to give money or donate to
a food bank. I needed to be on the streets and spontaneously giving and
interacting with those less fortunate than I. It was the best thin g, I believe,
and the most dif ficult thing I’ve ever done. At first,  the homeless people I encountered were very skeptical of my
kindness. The French, in general, don’ t have a habit of taking kindly to
homeless people. They have so cial systems in place that can give even a
homeless person  a monthly source of income. However, as I  mentioned,
most of these pe ople were illegal immigrants and therefore no t eligible to
receive such aid. In the beginn ing I had to ur ge some of the homeless
people t o accept my lunches, especially those with children. But as time
went on, they received me with  open arms. I adapted to make e xtra for the
homeless childr en with their p arents or to include a little toy or plush
animal. Seeing them would usually bring me to tears. Some W ednesdays I
would get nervous because I d idn’ t want to go out there and face them. Other ti mes the  weather was b ad and I just didn’ t want to ge t out of my
comfort zone to fulfill the promi se I had made to myself and Go d. But I did. The level of com passion I achieved during that project was un matched by
anything else I’ve experienced. I believe the reason I was able to achieve
that level, at th at moment, was because I pushed myself to the edge of
discomfort. I learned: the grea ter the self-sacrifice, the greater the inner
reward. I do n’ t mention this story to p at myself on the back. Except for my
family, most people have no idea I ever did this. I tell this story to
demonstrate that you can heal your heart through acts of compassion. It
doesn’ t have to b e as big as making lunches for the homeless. Y ou can of fer
someone a smile, a joke, or a warm hug. Y ou can give a person the gift of
your ful l attentio n by turning of f your phone when you’re with him or her. If you know yo ur friend or fam ily member has had a rough day, you can
ask, “Is there anything I can do for you. ” Then do it. A wareness of others’ suf fering and a desire to alleviate their pain are all
it takes. ANAHA T A GUIDED MEDIT A TION
Sit c omfortably  and close your eyes. Bring your awareness to  your
heart center, your source of lov e and compassion. Imagine, think, or
feel an emerald green color radiating from your heart. This sparkling
green li ght is shining outward in every direction. Breathe into thisspace, a nd feel the circumference of the light surrounding your heart
getting w ider and wider. Feel the  balance between physical matter and
spirit here. Feel yourself grounded and open and awakened to spirit at
the same time. Now that you’re aware of your radiating, compassionate light
moving out of your body and into the world, bring your attention back
to your heart ce nter. Search within your heart for any discomfort that
resides there. If you find any, s end the discomfort flowers and then
escort it away from your he art. As you’re escorting away the
discomfort, whi ch can come di sguised as hurt, shame, blame, anger,
or lack of for giveness, thank it for its message and let it know that it
can go now. Re peat this with every source of discomfort that comes
up i n your hear t center, until y ou’re only left with light and ease of
breath. Y ou will know when you have let everything go because your
heart will feel l ighter, as if a lar ge weight has been lifted of f your
chest. Feel how easy it is to breathe now. Now tha t your heart is clear, feel flooded with unconditional lov e. Allow th is love to flow in and fill your heart space. Feel the w armth
and expansiven ess of this love. Allow yourself to receive. Allow
yourself to feel vulnerable and open to this great love, of which you
are worthy. Y ou are becoming a vessel of love with each and every
breath. Love flows to you and through you. Y ou become a conduit for
this love, and as  this love fills every cell of your body, you feel lighter
and mor e joyful. Y our joyfulness radiates throughout your being. Y ou
may eve n find yourself smiling for no apparent reason. Let it b e as it
is, for this is the state of love. At this moment you may even  feel a
tingling sensation pulsating through your body. This is normal, as you
have raised the vibrational fre quency of your being. Sit wit h this
sensation. It’ s here, and you can always access it whenever you desire. Y ou can sit in this silent meditation for as long as you like before
opening your eyes and slowly returning to activity. T o enhance the
vibrations, chant the mantra sound YUM  three times. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORSAs m entioned earlier, the color for the fourth chakra is emerald green. Y ou
can wear this color or keep it in your awareness while healing your heart. Rose qu artz is the most beautiful and ef fective stone for bringing love
and compassion  into your life. Keep a rose quartz stone with you
throughout the day. If you can, wear the stone close to your hea rt. Y ou can
even get a rose quartz in the shape of a heart to remind you of healing each
time you hold it. Fourth Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. I am ready to release hurt from my heart and for give everyone who
has harmed me, including myself. 2. I am open to giving and receiv ing love and know I am worthy of
love. 3. I fe el compassion toward others, especially those whom I don’ t
understand. 4. I a m a v essel of God’ s love, transporting unconditional acceptan ce to
all who need it. T5  T H E  T H R O A T  C H A K R A
V i s h u d d h a
ELEMENT :  Space (Akasha)
COLOR:  Sky Blue
MANTRA SOUND:  HUM
he fi fth chakra, which is the firs t chakra totally on the spiritual plane,
is located in th e throat and governs communication and cr eative
verbal e xpression such as singing, chanting, reading poetry out loud, and
recitation. Whe n the fifth chakra is illuminated, all the low er chakras
transcend their limitations. The anatomical  region of the fifth chakra includes the throa t, neck,
shoulders, thyroid, parathyroid, mouth, tongue, jaw, larynx, and vocal
cords. The sense is hearing, and the sense or gans are the ears. The San skrit wo rd V ishuddha  mea ns “ purity,” and I love this translation
because it captures the true essence of the fifth chakra. Its p urity comes
from speaking the truth that resides in our hearts. Pur e  me ans uncontaminated, clear, innocent, clean, or impeccable. When y ou reach  this level of consciousness, you are exploring the part of
you that is pure. Y ou have reached the level of spirit th at is unadulterated. From the heart chakra you come to a place where you are awakened to
truth. Th at is such a beautiful realization. All the debris has been swept
aside. In  the lower chakras you  had to sift through such debris to see thetruth in everything. Now the only thing you see is truth, and it feels clear. There is liberation in seeing truth. V ishuddha is like looking into the Caribbean Sea and not seeing the
bottom of it. One year I took a trip to Jamaica. I had always seen pictures of
the Cari bbean w ith its crystal-clear turquoise waters and its white sands as
far as the eye can see. When I arrived in Jamaica I didn’ t see what I had
imagined. Aroun d my hotel all I could see was lots of seaweed, rocks, and
sand. I was so disappointed because I wanted to experience the beauty of
the c lear waters like I had seen in the pictures. In order to see this, I had to
travel far by bus to find it. When I arrived, it was well worth the trip. Y ou hav e traveled up four chakras to find the clarity of the fifth. The
debris o f deception, lies, and c onfusion has drifted away, and you never
again have to live in darkness. The A yu rvedic d osha that rules the fifth chakra is V ata. The tw o gunas
that rule this chakra are rajas and sattva. The color we attribute to the throat chakra is cerulean blue. The mantra,
or bija (seed) sound, we vocalize for the fifth chakra is HUM. Fifth Chakra Ailments
Ailments of the fifth chakra include diseases of the throat and the thyroid
and parathyroid glands, neck and  jaw problems, speech impediments, colds,
and hearing problems. From a psychological standpoint, imbalances can
include unexpressed grief, sadness, anger, judgment, and feelings of
depression. Fifth Chakra Energy
The pow er that lies within the fifth chakra is the power to trans cend space-
time. Communic ation enables us to transcend space as sound w aves travel
through phone lines, cell towe rs, and internet connections. W e can be
virtually presen t in another place — through audio and mo re recently
through video — without leaving our physical location. Communication happens on m any levels, not only the physical. W e
communicate through words and sounds, facial expressions, body language,
thoughts (also known as telepat hy), and vibration. A thought is a vibrationon a subtle level, which will be  explained in more detail in the chapter on
the sixth chakra. The or gans and body parts in the fifth chakra allow us to
create and absorb the vibrations of sound. Sound can be used to harm or to heal. The voice of a loved one can be
used to say, “I love you,” or it can be used to say, “I never want to see you
again. ” When used for unkind intentions, such as in rap lyrics filled with
words of hate, s ound creates separateness and dissonance. How ever, when
harnessed as a powerful expres sion of beauty, as in Mozart’ s  Forty-First
Symphony or Beethoven’ s Fifth, it creates harmony, entrainment, and
synchronization. W ords have the power to heal when you speak inner truth to yourself. Y our inner and outer dialogue about yourself determines how healthy you
are. If you repea t to yourself dai ly, “I’m so fat and I’ll never get thin,” those
words h ave the power to become your reality. However, if you t ell yourself,
“I’m wo rking on  getting healthier each and every day,” you will have quite
a dif ferent outcome. W ords from others also have the power to heal. When a
child fal ls and skins his knee, he will heal faster if his parent says, “Y ou’re
all right. Get up and go play. ”
When I was in F rance around 2006, I went to the eye doctor because I
was having trouble reading. I was thirty-five years old at the time and
thought my age was contributin g to the fuzzy words I was seeing. I shared
this thou ght with the doctor, who told me it had nothing to do with age and
that I had some sort of eye dis ease that would cause me to need stronger
and stronger prescriptions as the  years went on. He was very ela borate as he
spoke ab out my future with certainty and conviction. I was taken aback that
he, a medical doctor, could “read” into my future and dared say so with
such doom and gloom. Luckily, I was already on a spiritual path of knowing
that we create our own destiny,  so I brushed it of f as ignorance. However,
his w ords did have power becau se I remember them to this day. Now at age
forty-six, eleven years later, my sight isn’ t a whole lot worse. My
prescription has changed once, but I’m optimistic about my vision staying
the same or getting better over the next decade or more. Can you  see the potential damage in the words you or others  speak. Had I believed the doctor and taken his words to be reality,  I probably
would be blind by now. His words were not truth, but a potential truth. On the positive side of words, h ave you noticed that when you talk to a
person y ou’re close to, your speech patterns tend to mimic each other ’ s. W ords connect in fluid harmony people who like to be together. Y ou can
notice th is best in teenagers. Listen to the way they speak. They  create their
own language with words that o nly they seem to understand. If  you have a
teenager, you know this. And the language changes quickly,  every few
years or  so. W ords such as sick  to  describe something awesom e or LOL,
taken fr om text-speak to mean “laugh out loud,” are already outdated,
according to my teenager, when his siblings used those word s only four
years ago. Singing and chanting are ageless forms of sound vibration. Singing has
been use d for thousands of years to band people together with a purpose. Song has the power to transcend. Much of today’ s soul music originated
from music sung by enslaved Africans in the Americas. They used songs to
strengthen community and tran scend the conditions in which they were
living. T hey also used song to connect with God, which brought them to a
state of transcendent bliss. Singing and chanting can be used unconsciously for brainwave
entrainment. People with close relationships entrain, which means their
bodily rhythms work together in synchronistic harmony through sound. Mothers chant or sing to their babies to soothe their cries. When my
children were babies and they were fussy or I was trying to get them to
sleep, I used to hum a simple,  repetitive tune to them. I’m not sure if I
spontaneously made it up or if perhaps it was hummed to me when I was a
baby. I only hummed it to each of them for their first year of life or so,
when ba bies need the most soothing. The strange thing is, the o ther day my
youngest son, who is now thirteen, told me of the tune I hummed to him as
a ba by. He hummed it back to me and said, “Mom, I loved i t when you
hummed that tune to me. I remember it well. ” He couldn’ t have been more
than a year old when he last he ard it, being that he is the youngest. How
could he remember it now, twelve years later. I believe the power of that
sound created synchronization in  his brain that signaled well-be ing. So now
as a young man, when he has a s ense of well-being, in particular around me
as h is mother, that sound comes  to mind as one of his earliest memories of
well-being. Y ou too can e ntrain your cells to work in synchronistic h armony
through sound. In each chapter, I provide a mantra sound you can use for
chanting. By chanting the sou nd HUM  rep eatedly, you will align the
vibrational ener gy in the fifth chakra and cause your cells to remember their
purpose and work toward the greater good, which in this case is keeping
you heal thy and  whole. Mantras in meditation are used for this p urpose too. Y ou can chant a mantra, incanta tion, or af firmation out loud or even in your
mind, and it wil l have the same ef fect. Simple, primordial man tras chanted
out loud have greater vibrations and therefore have greater power. For
example, chanting the sound OM, while allowing your lips to vibrate on the
mmmmm  s ound as you exhale, creates an explosion of vibrations in the
body an d precipitates healing. Chanting out loud the af firmation “I am
strong, I am he althy” has great power too, just in a dif ferent way with
dif ferent intensity. The ultimate healing power in the V ishuddha chakra enables you to
synchronize communication between your inner and outer worl ds and most
importantly to clear the lines of communication to the Divine. Once you
have harnessed this power, wher ein there is no disconnection or disharmony
in c ommunication between you, others, and the Divine, you will have a
clear path toward enlightenment. The first step toward this path is to seek and speak truth. Our Societal Relationship with the Fifth Chakra
T ruthfulness has  become more dif ficult than ever in modern society. W e
have increased means of communication, and we seemingly communicate
all the time. W i th the constant stream of text messages, voicemails, video
calls, so cial media feeds, and e mails, it appears that we’re communicating
at a more constant rate than at any other time in history. And perhaps we
are. Y et much of this communication — such as humble-brag Facebook
posts or  tweets — is one-way and often designed to embellish or conceal
the truth. I’m n ot suggesting that people are inherently dishon est. I don’ t
have such a bleak outlook on people’ s subconscious intention s. However,
that faceless and often voiceless  communication can result in a portrayal of
an alternate reality. W ith in- person communication, you can also alter the other person’ s
perception of who you are by filtering what you let them see. But when
you’re f ace-to-face with another, you have other cues to send yo u signals as
to whether the person is sincere. Y ou can “read” a person’ s ener gy field (we
all do this whether consciously or unconsciously). Y ou can notice a person’ s
body language. Y ou can connect  intonation of voice with facial expressions. It’ s much more dif ficult to dece ive in person than over the internet or the
phone. T oday, much of the political climate in the United States is a result of
modern society’ s one-way communication through declarative statements,
insults, or proclamations of reality without any instant return of
communication by the receiving  parties. The term alternative facts, coined
in 2017 by the T rump administ ration, demonstrates the tendency to ignore
truth in favor of the alternate world of the internet in which tr uth doesn’ t
seem to be valued by all. When I was on the internet dating scene, I was astonished to discover
how much people lied in their profiles. There seems to be a cultural
tolerance of “acceptable untruths” (or blatant lies, as I call them ) in things
such as dating profiles and even résumés. It’ s rather humorous if you think
about it, because we have great er access to truth today. In the past, if you
wanted to fact-check a given topic, you really had to search. Fact-checking
often me ant trip s to the library and in-person research at variou s locations. T oday w e can search facts instantly. Y et it seems that many p eople don’ t
want to see the truth. Society will only shift to a perception of truthfulness as an ass et and a
necessity when enough people decide that it must be so. Another issue with communicat ion today has to do with the exp ectation
of a rapi d respo nse. Because we’re used to instantaneous feedback through
instant m essaging or texts, we’re inclined to become impatient when we
don’ t re ceive a response right away. T wo things tend to happen in these
situations: (1) we jump the gun and respond harshly when we don’ t get an
instant response, and (2) the person on the other end may an swer with a
less-than-honest, ill-conceived, or poorly researched response because he or
she is more con cerned with answering quickly than with thinking things
through first. The same happens with our listening skills. Fifth chakra ener gy is as
much about hearing and listen ing as speaking. Both sides are equally
important for ef fective commun ication. Through all our electronic ways of
communicating, we have become accustomed to jumping to conclusions
and laying out w hat we want to  say without necessarily taking in what the
other person is saying. Then  it becomes two one-sided pieces of
communication that never mer ge into a conversation. One way  to rectify this imbalance is to realize that communication is a
dynamic dance of giving and  receiving that operates according to a
patterned rhythm. If you’re blurting out nonstop whatever comes to mind
over var ious for ms of media, yo u aren’ t honoring the natural rh ythm of this
dance. By taking the time to truly listen to what the other pers on is saying
and aski ng questions when you aren’ t sure or don’ t understand, you can
help turn the tide back toward authentic and real communication. Another pitfall of using electr onic communication is that it can let
barriers down inappropriately. Cyberpsychologists have no ticed a dramatic
increase in behavior traditionall y reserved for those under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, that of dropping all defenses and blurting out the truth. People who have had a few drin ks tend to lose their inhibitions and tell all
or “tell it like it is. ” The same p henomenon can happen when we’re hiding
behind a username or social  media profile. Our typical inhibitions,
including a healthy dose of caution, seem to fade away too e asily. Many
open themselves up to complete strangers, feeling safe when they see
reciprocation of such behavior. This lack of discernment in communication
can be just as  dangerous as its opposite: completely shutting down
communication closes of f the fifth chakra, but throwing it a ll out there
online or in dial ogues with people on the internet whom you haven’ t met in
person can push you into a deceptive reality. In real life and  in healthy
communication, the give-and-take allows the two parties t o open up
gradually. Going back to the online dating example, one of  the dating
websites I was o n years ago had an entire page on online datin g etiquette,
and I found it responsible and h elpful. A couple of pieces of advice stuck
out in particul ar, and I rem ember them to this day. Th e first is,
communication is give-and-take. If you initiate communication, wait for the
other pe rson to respond. It’ s a ba ck-and-forth ef fort. T ry not to d ominate the
conversation. The second piece of advice was a warning of what we’reexploring in this section: if a pe rson is opening themselves up too quickly
and acting as i f they’re falling in love straightaway, that should be a
warning sign to get away quickly. I be lieve the lesson we can take away from our societal rela tionship
with the  fifth chakra is that a m ultifaceted approach to communication is
necessary to foster healthy and honest relationships. Meeting in person is
more important than a phone call or an electronic message. Remember to
listen and actually hear what the other person is saying, as well as get your
message across. Use the tool of asking questions and repeat ing back to
make su re you heard properly what the other person is saying. Finally,
remember that immediacy of res ponse is not always the healthie st or for the
highest good of both parties. A t times, thoughtful reflection can help you
and the other person get in touch with your highest truth. Living Life in the V ishuddha Chakra
The ruling planet of the fifth cha kra is the planet Jupiter. The Sanskrit word
for Jupiter  is guru, which means “dispeller of darkness. ” Therefore, people
who embody fifth chakra ener gy enlighten others with their speech and
words. F ifth cha kra people have transcended their egos in such  a way that
they’re in touch with their souls. They become seekers and speakers of
truth. Th ey hav e spent time in  their heart chakra and have opened their
hearts to higher spiritual knowledge. When they speak or write, they’re
inspired and, in turn, inspire others. Their voices are melodious and
welcomed by those who want to learn these truths. Recognizing Fifth Chakra Imbalances
Signs that the fif th chakra is out  of balance may include the V ata imbalance
of talkin g incessantly without listening. This kind of nervous talking uses
the voice out of fear of silence or fear of being alone. Another manifestation
of imbalance would be using the voice to be harsh to others, such as putting
a person  in his or her place or being overly critical. Those ou t of balance
can also use their voice as a wea pon to hurt another person b y not speaking
or by yelling, screaming, or crying out loud to create drama. Speech impediments are disorders that can limit your voice or cause
frustration in speaking. A person who feels suppressed and doe sn’ t feel he
or she has a voice can experience blockages in the fifth chakra. Miscommunication and misunderstandings are also limitations of the
fifth cha kra. Thi s often happens when two people are talking at each other
rather th an to each other, and when one person isn’ t listening or doesn’ t
understand. T ake car e not to misdirect your fifth chakra ener gy by using you r newly
acquired spiritua l knowledge to try to convince others of your perspective. Maybe you know people who have done this with you, talking nonstop and
shoving their perspective down your throat. Instead of speaking to
convince, balanced fifth chakra people speak to inspire. Think of a speaker
who has inspired you. Those wi th inspiration, which means “in spirit,” will
usually talk about themselves in order to demonstrate their path toward
enlightenment. I t’ s never about “ Y ou should do this or that” but rather “This
is what I did and what I experie nced. ” That leaves you the space to have an
aha moment. Space, akasha, which is the element of the fifth chakra, is the
essential component in verbal expression. I once heard that it’ s not the
words in the books that make beautiful stories but the spaces in between;
and it’ s not the musical notes th at create sweet melodies but the pauses in
between those notes. It’ s about space. In th e p reface I mentioned havi ng to heal my fifth chakra ener gy after
my t hyroid cancer sur gery. T o that end, I had to do a lot of self-reflection on
how this ener gy had developed throughout my childhood. I’m the firstborn,
and when I was five my parents divorced. However, the divorce is not my
earliest memory. I have lots of m emories, from as early as age three, of my
parents fighting and my mom crying. I even remember givin g my mom
boxes of  Kleenex. Through this traumatic experience, I believe I developed
a ha bit o f “being good” and not creating waves. My mom wou ld even tell
me that I was her strength. Since I had to take care of my mother ’ s emotions
and look after m y sister, I deve loped an inner notion that my own feelings
weren’ t as important. In order t o heal, I had to learn to expres s myself. It
didn’ t come easily. And at times when I tried to make my voice heard, it
came ou t as shouting. But over time I learned to be more asser tive and not
bottle up my feelings. Accepting Fifth Chakra Gifts
In free societies we take for granted the gifts of speaking and he aring truth. The fact that we have ears to listen and a mouth to speak is a miracle in
itself. U nderstanding language, being able to read and write, and the gift of
communication wonderfully bond us together on a deeper level than only
the physical. Being ab le to freely express our selves without fear of being persecuted
for our opinions, political views, or religious persuasions is a gift. I recently
ran a half mara thon in W ashington, DC. There were spectators holding
inspirational sig ns to help the runners keep running. Some of the signs read
“If T rump can run and win, so can you” and “Y ou can run bet ter than the
government. ” I thought, How fortunate we ar e to live in a place wher e this
fr eedom of expr ession exists. In another coun try those spectators with signs
might be arrested. If you’re a female or a minority in some co untries, you
cannot speak your mind, vote, or even drive. Y our inn er truth  and voice are powerful blessings to use whene ver you
can. Healing V ishuddha
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I can easily speak my inner truth. Healing the Physical Body
In o rder to ef fe ctively speak your truth, your throat, vocal co rds, mouth,
jaw, and hearing must remai n healthy. Eating the wrong foods and
maintaining poor posture can contribute to inef fective vocal expression. If
you fin d speaking, singing, chanting, or projecting your voice to be
challenging, the following changes may help. First, dry mouth can be rectif ied by reducing caf feine and alcohol
consumption an d by decreasing the number of dry foods in yo ur diet such
as crackers, chips, dried fruit, and nuts. Y ou can also keep your mouth moistand throat lubricated by swishing and gar gling daily with an or ganic food-
grade sesame oil. T ake one to t wo teaspoons in your mouth an d swish for
one minute, then gar gle lightly and spit it out. It will leave a light film in
your mouth. Y ou can do this before bed and you will reap the benefits of a
lubricated mouth and the antibacterial ef fects of the sesame oil. Phlegm in
your thr oat can be corrected by  reducing cold dairy, sugar, and processed
foods. Next, sitting at a  desk and starin g at a computer all day can cause poor
posture due to c raning the neck forward to see the screen. Wh enever you
notice y ourself in this position, make a correction: sit straight, and draw
your head and shoulders back to bring your spine into better alignment. C HANTING AND  S INGING
Saying the chakra mantra soun ds or other mantras out loud is great for
toning t he throat and strengthening the vocal cords. Singing brings about
joy and can be transcendent. I t’ s no wonder so many of us sing in the
shower or alone in the car. It brings out a side of us that is often hidden. Liberate your fifth chakra ener gy by singing out loud — not only in the
shower or car. H EAD AND  N ECK  E XERCISES
Because we tend to position th e neck improperly when using electronic
devices, it’ s very important that  we stretch our necks frequently to release
the tired muscles. Sit tall with your back straight. Have your head in a neutral position
with your chin n either up nor do wn. Rest your hands on your lap with your
palms fa cing up. T urn your head  to the right, then bring your chi n down and
draw a semicircle with your chin as you bring it to your left. Then bring
your chin downward from the l eft side and draw a semicircle back to the
right. Continue back and forth eight times. Next, return your head back to a
centered, neutra l position. T ake the first two fingers of your right hand,
place th em on your chin, and b ring your chin to your chest. Hold it there
and breathe. Release your head, and repeat with your left hand. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
F IFTH  C HAKRA
T ry these exercises to help heal and align the V ishuddha chakra. T o view a video demo of these exer cises, go to
www. youtube. com/c/MichelleFondinAuthor. Click on the Playlists tab, and select
Chakra Healing Asanas & Pranayamas. Scr oll down the list until you find the one you’r e looking for. Ujjayi  Br eath:  O ften referred to as the oce an breath or af fectionately
coined the Darth V ader breath, the ujjayi breath is excellent for toning the
throat and calming nerves. This breath brings heat to the body and therefore
is ya ng in nature. T o begin the ujjayi breath, sit tall and close  your eyes. Pretend you’re going to fog up a pair of glasses to clean them,  and exhale
the word ha. No w c lose you r lips and exha le the same way but with your
mouth c losed. Inhale and exhale the word ha. T his results in  a partial
constriction of your throat. Y ou are breathing from the lower belly, inflating
the belly  as you inhale and contracting it as you exhale. In the  beginning,
it’ s d if ficult to in hale the word ha, but  wit h practice it becomes easier. Once
you get the hang  of it, see if you  can prolong each inhalation and exhalation
to th e count of four. Use this breathing technique anytime yo u’re feeling
stressed. Lion’ s Br eath — Simhasana :  This silly-looking breath is ef fective at
toning th e throa t, mouth, and ja w, and clearing out the lungs and bronchial
passages. T o practice the lion’ s breath, sit on your heels with your knees
wide open and place your hands on the floor in front of you. If it’ s
challenging to sit this way, you  can stand and place your feet wide apart
instead. T ake in a deep breath through your nose, and as you exhale, open
your mouth wide, stick out you r tongue, and say the word ha  emphasizing
the h  on the exhale, as if you are a lion roaring. If you want to add another
physical compon ent to complete the asana, b ring up your hands and make
claws as you exhale. It’ s great for releasing negative ener gy. Bridge P ose — Setu Bandhasana :  Begin by lying on your back with your
knees bent and your feet flat on  the floor. Place your feet hip-width apart
and parallel, your toes forward, and your arms alongside you  with your
palms facing down. Press your palms down and lift your pelvis up. If you
can, bring your hands together on the mat underneath your pelvis and
interlace your fingers. W alk your shoulders inward toward your spine, and
lift your  pelvis even higher. Loo k straight at the ceiling, and keep your head
steady. H old for  five to ten breaths. T o lower, separate your hands, bring
your palms to the floor, and lower your pelvis to the gro und. As a
counterpose, bring both knees to your chest and roll gently side to side to
massage your back. Bridge po se stimulates the thyroid, parathyroid, and
thymus glands. Shoulderstand — Salamba Sarvangasana :  Shoulderstand is a more
advanced pose, so if you’re a beginner, do it at a wall (see below for
instructions) or with a spotter. Place a thinly folded blanket or towel on
your ma t, and lie down so that the blanket is underneath your head, neck,
and sho ulders. Bring your arms alongside you with your palms facing
down. B end you r knees with your feet flat on the floor. Press your hands to
the floor, and bring your legs straight into the air while lifting your lower
back. B ring you r hands up to support your back, and move your elbows
inward toward your spine. Keep your head straight and steady; do not turn
it to the side. If you would prefer to use a wall, start in the same position
with you r mat perpendicular to  the wall. Bend your knees and place your
feet against the w all. Press your feet into the wall to lift your pelvis, support
your lower back with your hands, and walk your feet up the wall. If you feel
stable, bring one foot away from  the wall and then th e other to exten d the
legs stra ight up toward the ceili ng. Remain in the pose for a few  breaths or
a few minutes depending on your ability level. T o lower, bring your bent
knees toward your forehead a nd gently roll your back to the floor. If
continuing with the sequence sh own here, move on to plow pose. If you’re
ready to wind down, do fish pose ( matsyasana ; see page 174 ) or reclining
butterfly pose (see page 55 ). Plow Pose — Halasana :  T o begin, lie d own with a thin ly folded blanket
underneath your  head and neck. Rest your arms alongside your torso withyour palms facing down. Bend both knees with your feet flat on the floor. Press into your h ands and lift your legs. W ith your legs joined a nd straight,
bring them over your head until your toes touch the floor above your head. Y ou will  be folding your body c ompletely in half. Y ou can either leave your
arms on the floor or bend your elbows and support your back with your
hands. Hold the pose for several breaths. T o come out of the pose, lower
your knees toward your forehead and gently lower your back to the floor,
one vertebrae at a time. T o recover, do reclining butterfly pose (see page 55 )
or hug your knees to your chest, and roll your back out side to side. Healing the Emotional and Energetic Body
For many of us, one of the hardest things to do is to speak truth. I’m not
referring to telling the truth, wh ich at times is challenging in and of itself. I’m talking about speaking you r inner truth, the truth that resides within
your hea rt. The truth that is the pure essence within your personal soul, the
voice th at comes from your h ighest Self and gives authenticity to your
words. It speaks of who you ar e as an individual and brings light to your
uniqueness in every way. In the third and  fourth chakras, your personality develops to formulate
your pas sions an d love. But it’ s  in the fifth chakra that these f ormulations
are exposed to the world through your words and verbal expression. Fear of rejection or of not fittin g in may be a reason why you feel you
can’ t sh are who  you are. Y et who you are is what God breathed into your
soul, and you will feel balanced only when you share that with the world. L IVING IN  T RUTH
Far from  being an easy task for most of us, living in truth m eans living
authentically in every moment. When you take this to heart an d put it into
practice, you truly realize how incredibly challenging it is. It is humbling
and ego- crushing, in a way. Unle ss you are consciously working at this, you
aren’ t generally  cognizant of how much untruth can infiltrate your life. Most of the untruths aren’ t harmful or pivotal to changing your destiny, but
they are like little grains of sand that can build up to a mountain. Think of  the reasons why you might not tell the truth or the entire truth. Sometimes we don’ t say the t ruth because it’ s not convenient, such as
telling your boss that you were late because you were stuck in t raf fic rather
than bec ause yo u got into an ar gument with your spouse. Or  maybe the
untruth comes from fear of embarrassment. For example, you accidentally
schedule a date with a new hot guy on the same night as you had already
committed to another date with a nother guy who isn’ t so hot. So you lie and
say you’ re sick. Or perhaps you tell an untruth because you fear  rejection or
you feel  bad for the other perso n. There are many reasons why you might
tell an untruth, and most of them are linked to fear. Fear is a low and slow
ener gy. Once you reach the fi fth chakra your body, mind, and soul are
already vibratin g at a higher frequency so you can easily connect to your
spiritual self. Any untruth or lie  you tell inside or out will corr ode the link
between you and your higher self. Therefore it’ s not about the bent reality
that you’re telling but rather your alignment with your own integrity and the
higher vibrations of truth and love. B EING  A UTHENTIC VERSUS  B EING  N ICE
Authenticity is about lifting the false masks of your identity as a person and
revealing who you are to the w orld. W e all wear masks. Som etimes we
wear the mask of someone who works, who plays, who is a spouse, friend,
son, daughter, sister, brother, and so on. And we tend to wear dif ferent
masks fo r dif fer ent people. Living in the truth is about discarding all those
masks a nd inste ad exposing yourself to the world as you are. People who
live authenticall y show little dif ference in their attitudes and app earances no
matter who is before them. S ometimes these people are referred to as
“genuine and real” or even “down-to-earth. ”
If, on the other hand, you are c onstantly worried about pleasin g others
or afraid of wha t others might th ink of you, you are not only wearing masks
but also changing those masks d epending on who is in front of you. Being
nice, or people pleasing, is the antithesis of truth. It’ s impossible to be
genuine or authentic and be a p eople pleaser. If you morph into  what otherpeople want or what you think they want, you deny who you a re and your
needs and desires. Y ou can  begin to counter this tendency by first finding out w hat you
truly wa nt, need, and desire. Get to know yourself and your true  nature. For
example, if you hate golf but you go golfing with the guys every weekend
because you want to fit in or to climb the corporate ladder, you aren’ t being
true to yours elf by doing it. Eventually your dislike for golfing will show
through and the guys will figure out you’re just doing it to get ahead. Y our
actions will backfire in a way that will be disadvantageous to you. When I was a young stay-at-home mom, I noticed that all th e other
moms around me spent most o f their time volunteering at the  elementary
school and carting their kids a round to several sporting teams and other
extracurricular a ctivities. I fell into the trap of wanting to be like them. I
thought I should be the perfect mom and that I could achieve th at by doing
the thin gs they did. I exhausted myself by volunteering m y time and
chauf feuring my  kids to many activities. Then one day I woke up and found
myself m iserable. I also noticed that my kids were miserable too. All the
volunteering too k time away fro m parenting. And the overscheduling didn’ t
give my kids time to play and be kids. Once I realized this, I cut
volunteering down to once a month and made my kids choose at most one
extracurricular activity at a time. Everyone was happier when I was truthful
to myself. R EFLECTING ON  S PEAKING  T RUTH
T ry this interesting exercise. During the day, focus on your words and see if
they ma tch how  you truly feel. Resist the temptation to judge or admonish
yourself; just notice. Y ou may be amazed to discover times when you don’ t
think yo u’re “stretching the truth” but you are. Keep in mind that I’m not
talking about joking around or exaggerating to prove a poin t but rather
deliberately chan ging the truth t o mislead another person or you rself in any
way. For example, if you get on the scale to weigh yourself and you weigh
160 pounds, but you tell your spouse, who asks, that the sca le read 150
pounds, that’ s deliberate. Y ou might think, “W ell, what’ s the harm in that. It’ s j ust a numbe r on a scale. ” That might be so, but if it weren’ t a big deal,
why would you change the number. Ultimately, speaking truth and being mindful of your inner truth is about
flexing a muscle so you can live  a life of excellence, marked by coherence
between body, mind, and spirit. The more you flex your muscles of
deception, the bigger they get. And the more you flex your truthfulness
muscles, the bigger those get. In the end, you have greater gains  when your
truthfulness muscles are flexed and toned. Living i n and speaking truth doesn’ t mean you always have to t ell all. It
is yo ur absolute right to say things such as “I’d rather not say,” “I’m not
sure righ t now,” or even “Now isn’ t the right time for me to exp ress this. ” If
truth means you will hurt some one and that isn’ t where you’d  like to go
with the  conversation, you can always stay silent, unless staying silent
means you might harm them. F or example, if your friend asks  you if you
love her  new red dress and you don’ t like it at all, you could  either stay
silent or say som ething like, “I really like the flowered dress you wore last
week. ” Y ou’re u sing a softener t o avoid hurting her feelings, bu t you’re not
lying. H owever, if she says to you, “What do you think about th is new guy
I’m dating. ” And you google t he guy and find out he has a police record
and you  don’ t tell her, then you could potentially be harming  her by not
revealing the truth. Do you see the dif ference. As y ou g o through your day with this exercise, say to yourself, “Is what
I’m about to sa y going to hurt my integrity in any way. ” and  “W ill I be
disconnecting fr om my spiritual self by saying what I’m about to say. ”
Y ou’ll notice that if you can a nswer those questions honestly, you’ll go
about your day honoring truthfulness. Healing the Spiritual Body
Gaining the awareness of the fifth chakra is like awakening from a deep
slumber. Y ou begin to see thing s dif ferently. W ords spoken or written take
on new meaning. As you emer g e from the darkness of the lower chakras,
spiritual truths seem to fall into place and link together like the pieces of a
puzzle t hat seemed so complicated before. Y ou may find yourself on a
sudden spiritual  journey, seeking to take in as much information as youpossibly can. It’ s an exciting tim e for you as you begin to wond er where all
this wonderful truth has been hiding your whole life. A W AKENING T O THE  T RUTH
Have you ever r ead a really goo d book with an important message and then
picked i t back up several years later and gotten a completely dif ferent
message. That is what it feels like to awaken to spiritual tru ths. An old
adage says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. ” At this
stage of our chakra journey, we have traveled far into a spiritual plane
where things just start to make sense. Y ou might feel that before this moment, you were like a p iece of
seaweed being tossed around by  the waves with absolutely no control over
your thoughts, feelings, emotio ns, and destiny. Now you’re beginning to
understand that you ar e  th e ocean. How  empowering it is to realize that
when you align yourself with the creative force of the enti re universe,
everything is possible. Y ou are at the point in your spiritual development that you are so
ecstatic you want to shout from the rooftops to everyone a round you,
“Don’ t y ou see this. Don’ t yo u understand. This is amazing. ” But alas,
everyone aroun d you is not on your spiritual path, and they don’ t
understand. They are like you w ere before you awakened. In the  beginning,
it ca n be  frustra ting. Y ou want to share all this wonderful know ledge. Y ou
want oth ers to see that we are n ot our bodies but spiritual bein gs having a
human experien ce. W ith the knowledge gained from your heart chakra, you
can reach back in and have co mpassion for those who have n ot yet seen
what you see. Y our faith grows by leaps and b ounds as you test out this new spiritual
awareness. Y ou may be shy to share your joy, but it’ s necessary that you do
so in order to share these spir itual truths with others, just as  they were
shared with you. VISHUDDHA GUIDED MEDIT A TIONSit comfortably and close your eyes. Bring your attention and
awareness to the area of your throat. If it’ s chilly in the room,  cover
your throat with a warm scarf. Or if you prefer, you can use your
hands: crisscros s your hands to  make the shape of a butterfly, and
gently place your palms agains t your throat. This will bring warmth
and healing ener gy to the fift h chakra. Set the intention to bring
healing to your neck, throat, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, jaw,
mouth, tongue, vocal cords, and ears. As you settle in to relaxing all
these pa rts of your body, ask the question, “How do I know my  inner
truth. ” By simply asking the q uestion, you’ll find that the an swers
will app ear. Then bring your aw areness back to the word truth. Ask
your higher self to access your inner truth. Bring to your awareness dif ferent aspects of your life, and
continue to ask your higher self, “What is my inner truth here. ” Start
with the most important things in your life, such as your family,
friends, and other relationships, then go to your personal health and
well-being, continually asking yourself, “What is my inner truth
here. ” Next, expand outward to your work or career, and ask yo urself,
“What i s my inner truth here. ” Then go to your passions, gift s, and
talents: “What is my inner trut h here. ” Next, consider the m aterial
items in your life — finances, money, home, cars, and other m aterial
goods — and ask yourself, “What is my inner truth here. ” Finally, go
to y our spirituality, your belief s, your ideals, your values, an d ask,
“What is  my inner truth here. ” T ake some time to go over other areas
of your life that come up for you now, repeating the same question:
“What is my inner truth here. ”
Listen to what comes up. Acknowledge it with a nod. T ry not to
judge whatever comes to you i n this conversation with your higher
self. When you’re finished, than k your higher self for all the in sight. Y ou can seal the  meditation by chanting the mantra sound HUM  three
times. When yo u feel ready, you can sl owly open your eyes and return  to
activity. Since this guided meditation has brought you some
revelations, you  may want to write down what came to you duri ng the
meditation. E NERGY -B ODY  H EALING WITH  G EMS AND  C OLORS
The color sky blue is associated with the fifth chakra. Lapis lazuli, known as the “stone of truth,” is great for speaking your
truth. Y ou can also use aquamarine and turquoise. Y ou can  wear or hold to
your thr oat chak ra the stones b lue kyanite and blue iolite to help enhance
clairaudient or psychic hearing abilities. Fifth Chakra Mindfulness Ideas to Ponder
1. When I communicate with other s, I will keep in mind that it’ s not the
words that create beautiful st ories, but the spaces between the
words. And it’ s not the musical  notes that create melodious m usic,
but the pauses between the notes. I’m creating space in my
communication. I’m pausing, listening fully, and allowing the space
to create beautiful conversations.
The author wanted to do something for others instead of giving up something, like chocolate or sweets, and decided to pack lunches for homeless individuals and give them out.
What was the author's initial intention for the 40 days leading up to Easter?
The author had a transformative experience with the fifth chakra, which allowed her to transcend her limitations and find a sense of liberation. She believes that this experience was a result of pushing herself to the edge of discomfort.
What was the author's experience with the fifth chakra, and how did it affect her?
The author advises to reflect on the importance of speaking one's inner truth and not hiding behind masks or pretending to be someone you're not. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity and honesty.
What is the author's advice for achieving truthfulness?
The author is critical of the way technology has changed the way people communicate, citing the rise of "alternative facts" and the lack of face-to-face interactions, which can lead to miscommunication and disconnection.
What is the author's view on the role of technology in modern society?
The author emphasizes the importance of continuous growth and moving on from past mistakes and patterns, rather than getting stuck in self-help programs or therapy.
What is the author's philosophy on personal growth and spiritual development?