When I was in my late teens, my friends and I would often go to the local pizza parlour on Thursday evening because the men’s barbershop group would go there after practice to socialize and sing a few tunes for the patrons.  I absolutely loved the sound of their 4 part a capella music.  Little did I know that a few years later I would be introduced to the women’s counterpart group, the Sweet Adelines!  I was hooked after the first rehearsal and singing in this group is an incredible part of my life.   While it was the harmony that hooked me, there have been innumerable benefits to this wonderful hobby.  The friendships, continuous learning of vocal production, stage performance, choreography and travel top the list.  AND – there is a huge health benefit to singing as it increases your happy hormones and opens up the throat chakra.

I found a wonderful article that I wish to share with you here on the benefits of opening your throat chakra. Taken from the All Good Things website:

The Throat Chakra – The Great Purity Center

When the Throat Chakra is Blocked

The throat Chakra has everything to do with expression and communications. When this Chakra is blocked, there could be problems in the throat, inflammation of the gums, pain in the teeth, a voice that is not natural (too high-pitched is a perfect example). My Story shares a healing of a student’s experience with this. Her entire life changed instantly.

It is not uncommon to find thyroid problems with this Chakra when it is stuck. Other symptoms include: TMJ, scoliosis, swollen glands, laryngitis, cough, sore throat, addiction, criticism, a persistent cold or flu that take a long time to leave, tonsillitis, acute infections, vocal and communication difficulties, and underactive thyroid. It also affects the sternum, throat, and endocrines.

Another prime example is the salivary glands, which include the parotid, sublingual, and submaxillary. These glands are responsible for producing enzymes that initiate the digestion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This is very important because it takes 45 minutes to an hour for adequate hydrochloric acid and pepsin to be produced in the stomach to continue protein digestion.

The salivary glands are also thought by many to be vital in differentiating between food and other foreign proteins in some sort of a tagging process by the immune system. It is for this reason that they are also useful in ridding the body of toxic substances.

The importance of the salivary glands underscores the need to chew one’s food until it is liquefied in order to achieve the most complete mixing of enzymes and other substances.

When the Throat Chakra is Open and Spirals are Free

A person with an open Throat Chakra has no problem with communications, listening, expression, or creative identity. They probably eat slowly and chew their food, too! Great singers and speakers usually have a very strong 5th Chakra. It denotes the ability to enchant others with the voice. When you can hear a pin drop in an audience, you can be sure that you are in the presence of a powerful 5th Chakra.

I just returned from Syracuse, New York where our Regional Competition was held.  My chorus, the North Metro Sweet Adelines, will be representing our region at the International Competition in Denver, Colorado this October.

I know that 30 years of singing has strengthened my throat chakra and for that I am truly grateful. There are so many ways to bring balance to our body, mind and spirit.  What activities bring you joy and give you vibrant health? I’d love your feedback. And don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog as well via the commentluv feature here on the site!

I’m off to exercise my vocal chords!

Karen