Metabolism—necessary for all life—is the unceasing transformation of matter into energy (catabolism, a yin process) and energy into matter (anabolism, a yang process). Ideally there is a harmony between catabolic and anabolic processes, a yin-yang balance.

While metabolism takes place at all levels of the body, down to events in the cells, metabolism is governed by the throat chakra.

Beyond metabolism as we usually think of it—involving physical matter such as food—information carried by a more subtle form of energy is also metabolized. This is the job of the throat chakra. Information from the other six chakras passes through the throat chakra.

Seven different truths, different kinds of information, are represented in the seven chakras. Here is how information from each chakra is metabolized at the throat chakra. It is both broken down (catabolism) so it can be assimilated, and assimilated information is built up into new syntheses (anabolism). The value of having all this occur in one place is that the truths of all 7 chakras can be incorporated into the new synthesis.

Each of the 7 chambers of the throat chakra corresponds with one of the 7 chakras.

The 3 chambers on the left side correspond with the 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th chakras. These are a more receptive energy, more yin. These chakras are catabolic, more involved with breaking down and assimilating information, though this is not to say that any chakra is all yin or all catabolic. Each has both yin and yang energy, but the balance of these three is more toward yin, toward catabolic action. These three chakras happen to contain more layers that spin counterclockwise (which breaks down, catabolic) than clockwise (which stabilizes, anabolic).

The 3 chambers on the right side correspond with the 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th chakras. These are a more active energy, more yang. These chakras are anabolic, more involved with creating new information out of information that has already been assimilated. But again, every chakra carries out both processes--it is simply that the balance of these three is more toward yang, toward anabolic action. These three chakras contain more layers that spin clockwise (anabolic) than counterclockwise.

The energy of the 7^th chakra comes through the central chamber, at least during the times in our life when we are enjoying harmony among all our chakras. When this harmony does not exist, however, because new information needs to be synthesized, or because of stress or other factors, the energy of the throat chakra comes through the central chamber. It does this to give a boost to the metabolizing and harmonizing of all the chakra energies it is managing. When the throat chakra energy comes through the central chamber, the energy of the 7^th chakra will move through the far right chamber.