Yin yoga & embodiment of the earth element
This gathering is an interlude – to pause from busyness, our embodied universes of thought and feeling huddled together in a finite space.
When the summer brings the pinnacle of heat, there's a short period before autumn's cooler weather arrives, and Mother Nature hangs in balance. This is the time of Earth, grounding and releasing, balancing and finding order. Rediscover your resources, realign and stabilise your energy, and hold-centre amidst the many forces at work whilst we're navigating to gravity; rooting, rising, rebounding, breathing in and breathing out.
Late summer, and the Earth element – abundant, stable, and balancing all life. Earth is the yin to heaven's yang, supporting and sustaining all other elements, centered and steady. If the heady energy of Summer gets too much, find clarity and grounding and a clear mental state coming back to Earth. Indulge yourself in a grounding, softening three-hour practice filled with gentle movement, deep breathing, and long steady restful poses to rebalance.
Breathe deeply, rest when needed – pause, and get ready to begin again.
How do we learn to be fully aware of ourselves, to listen intently to the deep functionings and responses in our mind, the constant play between our mind and our body? How do we find balance and control, or reparation and tenderness?
Simple rituals lead to sacred experiences, nurturing a peaceful and understanding relationship with our bodies, and our bodies speak through sensations and movements, not words. Curiously notice what’s present, don’t explain it in language, hesitate to make meaning of what you hear, and rest into the sensuality of yourself. The coming back to one’s deeper natural self as an orienting principle, is always revolutionary.
Yin yoga & the five elements
Like a network of rivers nourishing a landscape, the meridians are the channels through which qi (chi) flows, to nourish and energise the human body like rivers nourish the Earth. Collectively, the meridians form the matrix within which the physical body functions and communicates with the energetic body. The positions of Yin Yoga affect our meridian orbits in a positive direction, and gives us a deeper understanding of our inner workings, so we learn to self-regulate more efficiently. We can embody the qualities and feelings that we find, using mindful movement to embrace what we encounter in these elemental practices, creating a more intimate relationship with ourselves and whats around us, moving through emotions and regenerating as needed.
Taoism believes that each of the five elements has the ability to draw us towards stronger emotions, behaviors (reaction/action – situation-led), tendencies (frequency of behaviour), attitudes (thoughts/feelings - experience-led), activities, moods, energies and overall health.
Miz • @natarajayogauk
Miz has practiced and studied yoga for almost 20 years, qualifying in various aspects of the practice; Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Sequencing, Embodied Yin & Functional Yin, as well as Tantric Philosophy, Qigong, and Somatics & Restorative Practices. Her classes are about connection, within and from the practitioner, embracing flow and the natural world through steady vibrational energy.
