Vishuddha — Throat Chakra, Purified Expression

Vishuddha (vishuddhi = purification) is the fifth chakra, located at the kantha (throat), associated with the akasha tattva (ether/space element) and the bija mantra HAM. The Sat-Cakra-Nirupana depicts it as a sixteen-petaled lotus of smoky purple, the seat of vak-siddhi (perfected speech). Its presiding deity is Sadashiva in the Ardhanarishvara form, signifying the union of expression and silence. In Nada Yoga, Vishuddha is where the sadhaka first apprehends the subtle sound-currents (nada) that descend from Sahasrara, and where satya-vachana (truthful speech) — one of the yamas in Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga — finds its physiological and spiritual seat.