E is for Elements

 

 As always, a huge shout out to Ninja Minion Master Captain Alex and his army of ninja minions! 

My Theme: Yoga.  For those of you who don't know, I've been working on obtaining my yoga teacher's certification for the past year and am just a little over a month from graduating with my RYT200.  As such, I figure there's no better way to spend this month than teaching you folks some of what I've learned.

Today we're talking about the natural elements and their role in yoga practice.  In my teachings there are five elements; Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Ether.  Each one aligns with one or two of the Chakras (as mentioned on Monday) and the Doshas (as referenced yesterday) and the Asanas I've learned (as mentioned last week) are categorized according to their element.

 

Each one helps us align ourselves not only with the natural rhythms of the earth (seasons, moon cycles, etc) but also of our own body.  Earth is grounding, helping to stay stable and solid when things shift.  Water is changing, allowing us to access our inner source and create our dreams.  Fire is purifying, helping us burn away that which no longer serves us so that we can make room to manifest what we want in life.  Air is connecting, allowing us to speak our authentic truths and connect with people, the community and the world.  And ether is transcending, allowing us to see outside of our limited existence and tap into our spirituality and, by virtue, freedom.  

Each one plays a vitally important role in helping us through our lives and in yoga we use specific asana to tap into them, reiki to enhance them within our chakras and daily lifestyle to help us live within out home system (the dosha connection).

Come back tomorrow to learn all about F!