LINKS AND RESOURCES FOR SEPTEMBER

GROUNDING

THE TREE

This exercise is a mindfulness exercise to help your yogis identify with their roots, who makes them feel grounded and the safe people in their lives.  This is a great exercise to do with your yogis.  They will discover the people who they should keep close to them as they add enormous value to their mental well-being, nurturing and development.

Click on the link to learn more about this exercise. Yoga for Grounding THE TREE EXERCISE

A SIMPLE QUICK GROUNDING TECHNIQUE

The Ujjayi breath – breathe in slowly and then when you breathe out make the sound of the ocean by partially closing the back of your throat, like when you want to mist a mirror. Do this for as long as you feel comfortable, preferably at least 5 minutes, preferably while lying down in a cosy room with little light.

CONNECTION WITH THE ELEMENTS

Almost every ancient culture has described our interconnection with the nature of natural phenomena. Through the lens of yoga, there are five basic elements: earth, water, fire, air and space or ether. They represent the physical and energetic qualities of the human body and of the physical world. The ebb and flow of these five elements influence our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. When they are in harmony, we experience peace and good health. When they are out of balance, we can experience suffering and unhappiness. The awareness and understanding of these laws of nature allows us to bring them into a state of equilibrium through our yoga and meditation practices.

Panchabhutas

The 5 elements of nature are known in Sanskrit as the pancha bhutas, or panchamahabhutas. They form the basic building blocks of the universe, every person, animal, plant and thing is composed of various combinations of the pancha bhutas.

Each element has its own characteristics and properties and there are different asanas we can do to support this element and its characteristic in our lives.

Prithvi or Bhumi (Earth) — represents solidity, stability and grounding.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior I Pose )

Vriksasana  Tree Pose

Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend)

  Apas or Jal (Water) — represents fluidity, adaptability and change.

Marjaryasana (Cat Cow)

Anjaneyasana (cresent lunge)

Moving figures of eight with hips.

Tejas or Agni (Fire) — represents energy, passion and transformation.

Navasana (Boat)

Plank posture

Bhastrika pranayama (bellows breath)

Kapalbhati Pranayama (fire breathe or shining skull breath)

Vayu (Air) — represents movement, expansion and communication.

Chest opening postures

Ujjayi breathe

Sama Vritti

Deep yogic diaphragmatic breathing

Akasha (Space or Ether) — represents emptiness, consciousness, and intuition.

Chanting bija mantras, fisrt starting chanting out loud, then chanting whispering, then silent repetition of mantra to connect with the still spacious quality.

Focussing on the stillness between the breathes.

Focusing on the space around the body.

Savasana

The importance of five elements in yoga

The three Ayurvedic doshas are combinations of two basic elements. Vata dosha is formed from Air and Ether. Pitta dosha is made from Fire and Water. Kapha dosha is a mix of Earth and Water. The techniques and practices of  be very effective at harmonizing and balancing the five Ayurvedic elements.

By understanding and incorporating the awareness of each element into your yoga practice, you will find that it is easier to balance and harmonize your individual dosha to create health, well-being and happiness.

The benefits we get from practising yoga with an emphasis on experiencing the elements of nature are numerous. Yoga teaches us that when all five are balanced within ourselves, then we have achieved perfect wellness. This means that we feel calm, peaceful, happy, healthy, and strong and we can feel intimately connected to the environment around us. Grounded, in other words!