If you’re in my age range then the title of this excerpt caught your eye while you -remembered DJ Kool, Biz Markie and ‘nem jumping around the stage. Ohhh the memories! But if you don’t mind, let me clear my throat!

Actually, for as long as I can remember I’ve had some type of throat issue. Either it was an ear ache, post nasal drip, or a sore throat that came on incredibly easy. Funny enough, I could also remember being a quiet person, not fully expressing myself in any one moment. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to put some things together about my health that I can relate to these issues. Around 13 years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease. This thyroid related issue only really means that there’s some sort of imbalance that needs to be checked. Though I didn’t know much about Emotional Wellness through holistic means back then, I knew that I didn’t want them to put me on meds just because my “levels” were off sometimes.

As I’ve been teaching this year, energetic deposits lead to physical imbalances that manifest into chronic conditions. Throat issues are no different! The 5th Chakra is the Throat and the Orisha that governs is Obatala. Despite what you may have learned, the throat orisha, or "obatala" is located at the back of the neck, reaching up into the medulla oblongata attached to the brain. This is a powerful orisha and very active in the human family, being related to the higher creative faculty such as the creation of world and song. In Yoruba religious tradition, “Obatala” and “Oya” is important in communicating with the etheric world. These orishas function during clairaudience hearing at an astral level. It is during this psychic activity that the orishas communicate with the healer. Speech and sound are the means by which we vibrationally express ideas and communications to each other. This center alone has influence over the major glands in the neck region such as the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the mouth, 'Vocal cords, lungs, as well as the cervical vertebrae. It also governs the entire alimentary canal. The thyroid and parathyroid glands are essential to the endocrine system. The parathyroid is responsible for regulating calcium metabolism in bone cells through the secretion of PTH (parathyroid hormone). The thyroid regulates the oxidative processes and effects calcium and bone metabolism in a manner opposite to that of the parathyroid. In terms of its physical correspondence, this orisha governs over the skeletal activity and white fluids of the body. Abnormalities of the energy flow of this orisha may cause a multitude of symptoms such as vertigo, allergies, anemia, fatigue, menstrual irregularities, sore throat, laryngitis, gland tumors, cancer of the larynx, asthma and other respiratory problems may stem from an imbalance of this center. (African Medicine, Sawandi)

I hope you’re still with me and you can make a connection between the energetic deposits in the Throat and some issues that you may have experienced healthwise. Think about this… Do you remember being hurt by something so much that it made you cry? But I’m not talking about the cry that made you wail and scream. I’m referring to that cry that you didn’t want anyone to hear, the one that you tried to hold back. I’m talking about that cry that was so deep, yet you trapped it in your throat. It was heavy, it hurt you to hold it in but you still did. You could feel the weight of it bursting through the front of your neck. Your nose got completely inflamed and started running. Your throat hurt and you couldn’t speak. You began to breathe harder and became a little dizzy, right? You attempted to free this pent-up energy by releasing the back of your neck, holding your head down to relieve the pressure. How many times have you done this? How many times have you held back your words in those moments and just screamed to yourself inside your own body? How many times have you LITERALLY swallowed that pain in your neck… the one that’s full of your freedom of expression? Why wouldn’t you have thyroid issues if that’s how you treated this energy center?

It’s time for you to clear your throat and connect to your truth. Freedom of Expression can be achieved through trusting yourself a bit more. Relief of all that pent-up energy can also be achieved through herbal wellness. Mama nature knows how to heal in every way.