Practice ANYTIME
A series of practices to align with the Natural Elements within you: Earth; Water; Fire; Air; and Ether.
Hatha Yoga
Strengthening, Stretching and Releasing
The earth element within you is solid, strong and secure when in balance. Activate these qualities by working with Muladhara Chakra: located at the base of your torso and spine (plus your earth-sensing radar - feet!).
NB The first 15 mins is sitting in breath practice to shift your energy.
Theme: Earth
Duration: 90 mins
Style: Slow and low to the ground
Chakra: Muladhara / Root
Moon Cycle: Waning
Pranayama: Belly breathing + Kapalabahti (breath of fire) + Nadi Shodona (alternate nostril breath) + Brahmari (bumble bee) - That’s alot of breath work!
Meditation: Release tension and gain nourishing
Water is the element represented in the Sacral Chakra, which is where we hold energy associated with emotions (and their underlying stories). Located in the region of your pelvis, we work with hips to strengthen and release this space with love and care.
Theme: Water
Duration: 45 mins
Style: Vinyasa flow (without repetitive chatarunga)
Chakra: Svadhisthana / Sacral
Moon cycle: Full moon
Pranayama: Kapalabahti (breath of fire)
When your fire is in balance you passionately pursue your gut instinct. Fire will transform your worries about the past and future. Forging a commitment to live in the present with purpose and vigour.
Theme: Fire
Duration: 75 mins
Style: Slow Flow
Chakra: Manipura Chakra / Solar Plexus
Moon Cycle: New Moon / New intentions
Peak: Side Plank
Pranayama: Ujayi and Sama Vritti
Air is our greatest source of life force (or prana). Expansion of the breath and lunges will activate more possibility of life force available to you to transcend the mundane to connect with all that is divine.
Theme: Air
Duration: 90 mins
Style: Functional Movement (with flow)
Chakra: Anahata / Heart
Pranayama: Thoracic expansion + 3 part Yogic breath
Moon cycle: Waxing
Peak: Backbends - with lots of safe options
Meditation: Sound awareness
Yin Yoga
Stretching, Release, Calm
Yin Yoga to ground your energy so that you can connect with all that is real and tangible. At times we can be swept off into mind chatter, but this practice anchors you into your body and enables the natural functions of release and letting go (to make more room for something new).
Theme: Earth
Style: Yin Yoga
Healing: Release and let go (elimination)
Duration: 65 mins
Chakra: Muladhara / Root
Moon Cycle: Waning
This practice starts with dynamic breath to shift energy that may feel heavy. With some flowing and dynamic movement, this is not an ordinary Yin class. The goal here is to connect with the Yin aspect of you in movement AND stillness.
Theme: Water
Style: Yin Yoga (with some Yang)
Healing: Shift your energy - remove heaviness
Duration: 43 mins
Chakra: Svadhisthana / Sacral
Moon Cycle: Full moon
Your fire element is represented in your naval region and digestive organs. When it is under active you can feel sluggish and can have digestive imbalance.
This Yin Yoga session will encourage the balance and ease within your digestive system by releasing tension and optimising energetic flow through your system.
Theme: Fire
Style: Yin Yoga
Healing: Digestive Wellness
Duration: 70 mins
Chakra: Manipura / Solar Plexus
Moon Cycle: New Moon
Yin Yoga for the Air elemental encourages the increasing capacity of your lungs and thus the capacity for life force through the opening of the chest and heart space.
Theme: Air
Style: Yin Yoga
Healing: Increasing lifeforce
Duration: 70 mins
Chakra: Anahata / Heart
Moon Cycle: Waxing
Meditation
Be Still and Calm
Mantra: So Hum
Mantra is a word or phrase used in repetition (Japa) to focus and transport the mind.
Mantra Japa can even transform the qualities of the mind through its vibration: making it a supreme point of focus for healing.
NB: Please stick with a simple mantra like this until you can work with a teacher for more.
Duration: 18 mins
Breath Awareness Meditation
In this practice, we use breath to focus the mind. Breath brings life force into the body and is a constant and effortless rhythm, which is why it is a common (and sacred) point of focus for the mind.
NB. Breath awareness can trigger pre-existing anxiety.
Duration: 15 mins