Throat Chakra is the communication chakra and, in families, it represents the collective voice. Over time, cram packed social calendars, demanding work schedules and over-reliance on technology, such as text messaging or emailing, can impact individual members’ Throat Chakra energies.
When one or more family members have weak or over-active throat chakras, it affects the whole group and can fray even the strongest family ties. If communication is a problem in your family, consider restoring some good old fashioned face time to your clan and hold family meetings.
Family meetings are a great opportunity for voicing concerns, being heard and clearing the air. They can reveal each member’s communication style that may indicate different aspects of the throat chakra. An extremely shy child, a too talkative older sibling or a domineering parent who does not listen to his spouse or child, can all can be signs of an imbalanced throat chakra in the family unit.
Throat Chakra imbalances that negatively impact family communication can show up in several ways. Shouting matches, silent treatments and social withdrawal are all ways that throat chakra imbalances present themselves. The causes of imbalance range from siblings talking over you, language barriers in bilingual households, to verbal abuse and shaming.
Family meetings can be a fun and healthy way to clear up misunderstandings, miscommunication and address negative or ineffective behavior patterns.
Here are some techniques to banish dissonance and create harmony in the family circle.
Improve Family Communications with These Simple Steps
Set a Time
Set a time that works for everyone. Choose a weeknight or early morning time when everyone’s schedule is light, or before busy social calendar activities begin.
Pick a Place
Make it a rule that there be no outside “communications.” No cell phones, laptops, television. Hold the meeting at a kitchen table, the patio or backyard. Anyplace that signifies gathering of the clan with no outside influences or distractions. Energetically, this quiets external noise
so you can hear your ‘inner circle’ voice.
Set an Agenda
During the week, put a signup sheet on the community bulletin board (a.k.a. the refrigerator) for anyone to list things they want to discuss at the meeting. This small gesture of communication builds trust in a big way! Then, when you have your meeting, use a talking stick or some other object to pass around as each person takes his turn to speak. Whomever holds the object has the floor.
Choose a Moderator
Take turns every week designating a moderator. It doesn’t always have to be a parent or the oldest. Give the younger ones a chance at group facilitation. Read off the agenda items everyone listed throughout the week and take a vote for the top 3 items. Of course, parents have veto power should an important family issue emerge. This is a great way to even out the balance of power, both physically and energetically.
Give Appreciation
Begin with compliments and appreciation. Go around your circle having each person state one thing they appreciate or admire about the other. The Throat Chakra is most closely connected with Heart Chakra and this exercise will remind you why you’re all here in the first place.
Pick a Topic
Once topics are established, give the ‘talking object’ to the person who brought up the topic so she can summarize the issue. Then pass the talking object in the circle so that everyone can offer their thoughts on the topic. After everyone has had their chance to weigh in, any additional discussion is to continue with using the talking object to avoid interruption.
Listen Up
Practice Listening. Listening is one of the most honorable gifts you can give to another person. And it does take practice to not want to interrupt, speak over the other person, or rehearse what you’re going to say, or argue back, in reply before you’ve even let the other person finish their thoughts. The more you listen the more you’ll learn something valuable, for yourself, the other person and the relationship. This will reinforce the message that everyone has a voice and everyone will be heard.
Suggest Solutions
Now that the complaints have been noted, it’s time for solutions. In fact, you might want to make it a rule that no one can air a grievance before having considered an idea for a solution. Each person can comment on the solution when they are holding the talking object. Then, the person whose agenda item it is can either choose from the pool of solutions or the whole family can put it to a vote. Self-knowledge and the ability to resolve our own problems strengthens our self-confidence to speak clearly and truthfully.
Reward Hard Work
Conclude your meeting with a treat. A special dessert? A family hike? How about a return to a slower pace and a time when families made more time for one another and break out the board games or deck of cards. Energetically this will send the message, “I always have time for you.”
In no time at all you will find the family meeting ritual opening and balancing the throat chakra energies within your family as a whole. When the communication starts to flow, the kids feel they are being heard and parents no longer have to shout or threaten, you will turn your throaty issues into something to hum about.
Throat Chakra advice isn’t just for families. Use it in the classroom, day care center or any place people come together as a ‘family.’ Most of all, have fun!