Vishuddha.

Vishuddha is the throat chakra, the fifth centre in the classical seven-chakra system. The Sanskrit name means "especially pure," which the old texts link to the idea that clear expression is itself a kind of purification: thought becomes word, and the inner life takes a shape that can be shared.

It sits at the hollow of the throat and is pictured as a sixteen-petalled blue lotus. In modern practice it governs voice in every sense: speaking up, singing, writing, listening well, and the harder work of telling the truth without dressing it up or shutting it down. A "blocked" throat chakra is often felt as a tight jaw, a habit of swallowing words, or weeks of unsent messages.

Stones favoured at the throat are usually blue. Aquamarine, sodalite, lapis lazuli, blue lace agate, and kyanite are the common picks. The everyday work here is small and specific: writing a difficult message and actually sending it, asking a clear question instead of a vague one, or singing in the car when no one is listening. Stones can be worn close to the throat as a reminder to use the voice.