The 3 Silent Breakdowns in Leadership Communication

My first difficult moment as a people manager came when I received my first resignation from someone in my team. She felt overworked. I felt terrible.

They say that people join companies but leave their manager, don’t they? So where did I fail?

• Was it the way I expressed my expectations? Did she feel pressured rather than supported?

• Was it that I did not really listen to her concerns, and so failed to recognise her struggle in time?

• Or was it something in our team culture that prevented us from having an honest conversation about it?

This experience became a big learning moment for me. It helped me understand three common breakdowns in leadership communication: failing to express myself clearly, failing to listen attentively and failing to create an environment in which both of these can flourish.

Our yoga practice offers powerful tools to help us create and cultivate more conscious communication, and this is how.

Throat Chakra - The Centre of Communication

Yogic science speaks of seven chakras, spinning energy centres along the spine, each governing key aspects of our physical and emotional wellbeing. In the West, the idea of chakras is sometimes dismissed as 'esoteric humbug'. If I can't see them on an MRI, then surely they can't be real, right?

But what if chakras are simply a visual representation of our endocrine and nervous systems, the (almost) invisible control centre regulating most of our body functions and emotional state? That is how I like to view them.

Situated at the base of the neck, the fifth of these seven chakras is the throat chakra, or vishuddha. In Sanskrit, vishuddha means "most pure", reflecting its role in helping us express our inner truth and listen to the truth of others. It enables communication that is clear, honest and compassionate, acting as a bridge between heart and mind.

Energy in this centre moves in two directions: outward through speaking, and inward through listening. A balanced throat chakra supports both.

Element: Space (ether)

Colour: Blue

Physical body: thyroid and parathyroid glands, larynx, tongue

Processes: Speech, hearing, metabolism, hormone regulation

Benefits of a Balanced Throat Chakra in Leadership

Clear and Authentic Self-Expression

Leaders need to be able to translate complexity into clarity, and express themselves clearly, confidently, and with authenticity.

Clear communication means taking a thought that exists in your own mind and reconstructing it in someone else’s, building on their perspective, prior knowledge, and even their biases.

When the throat chakra is balanced, leaders are better able to align their inner voice with their outer expression. They say what they mean, without unnecessary dilution or distortion. This creates trust. Teams know where they stand, and communication becomes a source of clarity rather than confusion.

Listening with the Intention to Understand

Active listening is one of the pillars of emotional intelligence, and a key leadership skill.

A balanced throat chakra allows leaders to listen without immediately judging, fixing, or preparing their reply. Instead, they create space to fully receive the other person’s perspective.

This shift transforms relationships. It reduces misunderstandings, diffuses conflict, and enables more thoughtful, grounded responses. People feel heard, and that alone can be profoundly impactful.

Creating a Culture of Healthy Communication

Strong personal communication skills are essential, but they are not enough on their own. Leadership also involves shaping the environment in which communication happens.

A leader with a balanced throat chakra actively cultivates a culture where open, honest dialogue is encouraged and modelled. This means creating psychological safety, where team members feel able to speak up, share concerns, and express differing viewpoints without fear of judgement or repercussion.

In such an environment, communication becomes a shared responsibility, and the team learns not only to speak clearly, but also to listen deeply.

What Happens When the Throat Chakra Is Out of Balance?

Physically, imbalances may manifest as:

• Sore throat

• Hoarseness

• Thyroid issues

• Jaw tension

• Neck pain

• Frequent headaches

Emotionally, a blocked throat chakra may present as:

• Difficulty expressing thoughts and emotions clearly and confidently

• Disharmonious relationships due to misunderstanding, conflict and a breakdown in communication

• Fear of judgement, criticism and rejection

On the other hand, an overactive throat chakra can result in:

• Rambling

• Dishonesty

• Gossiping

How to Bring the Throat Chakra Back into Balance?

There are many ways to support the rebalancing of the throat chakra, helping you to find your ability to communicate clearly and listen attentively.

Try a few of the tips below, stick with what feels right, and let me know which ones work for YOU.

🔵 Bring the colour blue into your home and wardrobe.

🫐 Introduce more hydrating and soothing foods into your diet, for example peppermint or chamomile tea, kiwi, honey, lemon, kelp and nori, as well as blue foods such as blueberries and blackberries.

📖 Practice expressing your truth, for example by starting a journal to uncover hidden feelings and thoughts.

🧘‍♀️ Meditation Practice:

• Begin any meditation by grounding into your physical body. Direct your attention to your breath flowing in and out of your nostril and down the larynx. When your mind wanders, gently return your focus to this flow of air. I found the practices outlined in Deeper Mindfulness especially valuable for this.

• Using your hands, form one the hand gestures for this energy centre, for example the akash mudra, the gesture to balance the element of ether in the body. Touch your thumb to the tip of your middle finger, while keeping your other three fingers extended.

• Chant the seed mantra of this chakra (HAM), or find a track on your favourite music player with this chant. Alternatively, use a track with the Solfreggio frequency of 741Hz, which is said to resonate with this chakra.

😤 Breathing Technique: Practice lion's breath (simhasana), which helps to open the throat chakra by releasing suppressed emotions and stress, and releasing tension from the jaws, neck and face. Sit comfortably, ideally on your heels, with a straight spine and palms resting on your knees. Take a deep inhale through your nose. As you exhale, open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out, creating a "haa" sound from your throat. Repeat a few times, allowing a few rounds of normal breaths between them.

💬 Affirmation Practice: Choose an affirmation to repeat to yourself daily, saying it aloud to yourself while looking into your own eyes in a mirror. Repeat this until you start believing it. Or turn it into a piece of lettering art to put on your wall, desktop or phone lock screen to keep reminding yourself. Some examples:

• I speak my truth with clarity and confidence.

• I express myself freely and creatively.

• My voice is my power.

• By voicing my needs, I am able to receive.

• I am accountable for expressing myself clearly and truthfully.

🙏 Yoga Practice: Regularly include the following poses in your asana practice: Fish Pose (matsyasana), Raised Legs Pose (uttana padasana), Shoulder Stand (salamba sarvangasana), Plough Pose (halasana).

Communication is like watching your thoughts reflected in the pond of another person's mind. Clearly or distorted, depending on the ability of both people to express themselves and listen.

As leaders, we are responsible for all three: the clarity of what we express, the quality of how we listen, and the conditions we create for others to do the same.

When these come into balance, communication becomes a shared space where understanding can quietly emerge.

❓Which of these three — expression, listening, or environment — feels most alive as an opportunity for you right now?

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Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week ahead.

The light in me honours the light in you.

Namaste