Now that we know how to harmonise and balance the elements on the mat – let’s take a closer look at How to connect to the 5 elements off the mat in your everyday life!
EARTH ELEMENT
- Root your feet into the floor first thing in the morning and connect to earth
- Stand barefoot in a park, garden and imagine your feet as roots deeply connected to earth
- Touch plants and trees and stay in touch with nature
- Do some gardening getting your hands and feet into the richness of the soil
“The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
WATER ELEMENT
- Splash water on your face.
- Enjoy the healing powers of water in the tub or shower
- Take a bath in a hot spring or stand beneath a waterfall
- Hydrate your body with good clean nourishing water
“The stream of life is a wave on the ocean of love.” — Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
FIRE ELEMENT
- Soak yourself in the warm light of the sun
- Light up a candle or lamp with vegetable oil or ghee and then sit with it
- Sit alongside a warm crackling fire and be mesmerized by its powerful beauty
“Set your life on fire; seek those who fan your flames.” — Rumi
AIR ELEMENT
- Draw fresh air deeply into your lungs – this can be done at any time of the day BREATHE
- Take a walk in a park or along a lake or river and enjoy fresh and clean air
- Hiking and any activity where you breathe gets moving and becomes dynamic
- Allow yourself to pause and feel the air brush your skin
“That’s life: starting over, one breath at a time.” — Sharon Salzberg
ETHER / SPACE ELEMENT
- You can access ether during the time after the sun has risen or within 40 minutes after the sun has set. Look up to the infinite sky; bow down in gratitude to the etheric space that is holding us and the planet in place.
“A great silent space holds all of nature in its embrace. It also holds you.” — Eckhart Tolle
When again, you walk through a park, along a lake or on the grass, remind yourself that we are part of all the beautiful nature that surrounds us – we are one with it. With the upcoming outdoor Yoga season, practice outside the nurturing embrace of the elements and feel sunshine, wind, water, earth and infinite space surrounding us. As we find the deep connection and gratitude towards nature, we can heal our planet and therefore heal ourselves, too.
