The fifth sign of the year is Taurus. The body parts associated with Taurus are the throat, neck, jaw, vocal cords, and organs are thyroid and tonsils.
The energetic signatures of Taurus include communication of needs, establishing boundaries, developing self-worth, and speaking one’s truth. People who have their sun sign in Taurus often tend to have throat tightness, jaw tension, thyroid imbalances, and difficulty expressing one’s needs.
Core theme: expressing one’s truth to both self and others, knowing oneself in order to establish healthy boundaries, and valuing oneself.
Over the years, here’s what I observed about throat, neck, and jaw tightness:
- If someone’s reality is hard to accept, it may feel difficult to swallow, or it could lead to a swollen or sore throat.
- A sore throat is when a person holds back their full expression – not speaking up or having a harder time tolerating and “swallowing” a current or past situation.
- A stiff or painful neck indicates resistance to other concepts or view points, narrow mindedness, and/or being unable to turn or see the larger picture.
- TMJ and jaw issues are all about holding in emotions or things that we feel unable to express to ourselves or others.
Here is an excerpt from my book, Infinite Body Wisdom:
Jasmine Discovers Her Life Path
The power of becoming more present with oneself and moving forward along one’s life path by taking ownership is clearly exemplified by the story of Jasmine. Jasmine came to my office around eight months ago. The “shoulds,” “have to’s,” and sense of familial obligation weighed heavily on her, especially on her right shoulder. Jasmine had been suffering from extreme neck and shoulder tension on her right side for a week. She had gone to a massage therapist, but it hadn’t helped. She also had trouble sleeping and ground her teeth at night. Her menstrual cycle, although regular, was heavy and often left her light-headed and weak.
When Jasmine came to see me, she was looking for something more than just being fixed, even though extreme pain and stiffness were great motivating factors. She was at a crossroads in her life, torn between moving to the mainland to join her longtime boyfriend, or stay to care for her ailing father. Jasmine is a caring woman who is capable and dependable, especially when it comes to her loved ones. However, putting herself first was foreign and uncomfortable. What caught Jasmine’s attention was my offering to teach her body strategies to release tension and breathe.
Going through Jasmine’s history, I helped her to link past experiences with how she was currently experiencing her life. This was the first step toward Jasmine discovering her own inner light. During her initial physical examination, Jasmine got to see how crooked she was. Her head had shifted an inch to the right of her spine, her left shoulder was an inch higher than the right, and there were limited ranges of motion in her neck. However, it was not until she received her first gentle adjustment that she was able to feel her shallow breathing opening up and getting deeper and easier. Four days later, Jasmine came back for her Report of Findings and told me, “I don’t know what you did, but I felt lighter, springier, and really tired after the adjustment. I slept really well that night and the night after. My cycle also came, which usually is heavy and leaves me light-headed, but this time was far less intense. My neck has been less painful and I’m dealing with my job way more easily.”
Jasmine flashed a beautiful smile and was clearly in a better space. She continued on with care and within three weeks became clear about what she wanted. Her decision was to move to the mainland, and although she felt responsible for taking care of her dad and mom, she knew it was the right thing for her. Though she’d struggled with the decision, eventually she chose to connect with her body and listened to what her infinite body wisdom was communicating. Deep down, she wanted to go to the mainland, and once she balanced her perceptions about her choice, the universe supported her with everything falling into place. Jasmine gave her two weeks’ notice and made plans to relocate to the mainland.
Jasmine was apprehensive about leaving, especially since she’d connected to her body and wasn’t sure she would have the same support on the mainland. I reassured her that all the strategies her body had learned over the past six weeks would never be forgotten. We checked her posture just before leaving and it had improved dramatically – less head tilt, head shifted less to the right, shoulders and pelvis more balanced. I told her the next time she was back in Hawai‘i, she could receive more adjustments, followed by a formal reassessment to check how her body was faring. She agreed and embraced her new life’s adventure.
Jasmine recently came back and received a few adjustments to finish her first level of care. We conducted her reevaluation, which included a posture check along with body awareness. Jasmine worried that she had gone backwards due to not receiving care and acupuncture sessions, and not practicing tai chi and yoga on the mainland. However, her fears quickly dissipated as we started the reevaluation.
“From the awareness questionnaire, I see that you are more aware of your body at work, both moving and sitting,” I commented.
Jasmine responded, “Yes, I have a desk job now and feel my body’s tension building up when I’m in front of the computer. However, I have a cool desk setup which allows me to reposition myself so that I can choose to either be seated or stand, depending on how I feel. I also have a good chair and now am free to move and give myself the freedom to move whenever I feel stressed.”
Jasmine smiled and went on, “I now have little reminders to move my body when I feel tension and I get rewarded when my spine cracks. My neck will crack sometimes too when I turn it and that has never happened before. I now move my shoulders and neck more often to release tension, and do this even when I’m driving or at my desk. Before I thought I had to hold my body in a certain way, and even when I was driving I never allowed myself to actually turn my head to look, but instead would look into my mirrors to navigate. I have even become aware that what I thought were comfortable shoes for me in the past, weren’t. Now working at my desk, I remove my shoes and move my ankles when I want to, as opposed to in the past, when I would keep my shoes on all day long. Can you believe it?”
I smiled and nodded. I then inquired, “So would you say, Jasmine, that ever since you made the choice to follow what felt right for you and gave yourself permission and the freedom to choose the life you wanted, that you are feeling more freedom in other areas of your body and life as well?”
Enthusiastically, Jasmine nodded in agreement and then added, “In general, I am happier. I also have a dog now, whom I just totally adore. Although Mimi has bad hip dysplasia, I have a harness, which allows me to lift her when she struggles on her walks with me. I secretly wanted a dog for years, but always assumed getting a dog for my parents would be a good thing versus getting a dog for myself. Mimi has added lots of joy to my life and I can hardly wait for the weekends to take her walking. Mimi also gets me out of the house, and I go out walking even when it’s raining.”
I was just caught in total amazement at Jasmine’s transformation and all that she was sharing. In fact, I was speechless (which rarely happens)! Jasmine continued, “Even the way I approach sleeping has changed. I don’t get as much sleep as I would like, but find myself saying, ‘Okay, Jasmine, it’s time to go to bed now.’ In the past, I would keep on working until I was absolutely dead tired and crash. My relationship with my boyfriend feels renewed and we’re having fun. We take the time to connect and rediscover what brought us together in the first place. My dad is doing really well too. In the past, he would fight me on everything that I would suggest or have an opinion about. Now he doesn’t do that and I’m able to just enjoy and be with him. At first I was worried that my mom and dad wouldn’t be able to handle things without me, and it was challenging in the beginning. But after a month things got better, and unexpectedly, different family members started stepping in to help out.”
At this point, I was just completely blown away and truly in awe of how, when a person is in sync with trusting and listening to their body, magic happens. I then asked Jasmine, “How are your other health concerns, such as grinding your teeth, clenching your jaw, and the heavy cycle?”
Jasmine responded, “Oh, both my mouth and jaw feel freer now! Although I still use the mouth guard at night, I’m clenching my jaw less and less, so there are fewer jaw pains. Even my periods, which were extremely heavy and made me light-headed and weak, have calmed down a lot. For the past five months I have had no problems and my cycle is normal and manageable. My gynecologist asked me about my cycle, and was really surprised that everything is fine. Nine months ago, I was fearful that something was medically wrong with me and that I’d have to do something more drastic such as ablation to correct my cycle, but no longer.”
I just had to interject, “Isn’t it amazing, that just by listening to your body and following your intuition of what is right for YOU, all the health conditions that you used to worry about no longer bother you?”
Jasmine smiled. “Yes, you helped me see things in such a different way, and I still feel at times that maybe I need to address something, but everything in life is so much better now!” Jasmine is aware that there is always going to be stress in her life, but she is less fearful since she now listens and trusts the wisdom of her body. She has learned to live a life of much greater ease, simply by being in sync with her inner knowing. By honoring herself on all levels, her life has become boundless and infinite.
How Can This Apply to You?
Take this moment to listen to your infinite body wisdom and make choices that align with your inner knowing, and life will unfold in an amazing way! Begin immediately to envision and create the life you want – but it all starts with listening to your body. Connect with your body in a new way and determine what feels right or wrong. Does your breathing feel normal and rhythmical, or is it restricted and staggered? Make a choice you feel is in total alignment with yourself and check your body’s response. Do you feel at ease with your decision, or do you feel uncomfortable? Listen to the subtle cues of your body – rather than waiting for much stronger signals – and take action, to experience the infinite possibilities and wonders of life!