Earth Element – Grounding, Calming, Ego in check, “hot illness”
This class is intended to be shared with trained Yoga teachers who would like to use this sequence. Please use your intuition and don’t force anything that doesn’t feel good for your body. If it doesn’t feel right for you then don’t do it. You can use a mat, blocks, bolsters, straps and any other props that you feel will be supportive in your practice. This is a Vinyasa Asana practice which means you will be aligning these movements and poses with your breath. You may take all the time you need to explore it all, and you can modify it to make it your own.
Anxiety and nervousness can come with change. Today we are working with Earth energy. We will explore grounding and calming poses, which will help you reconnect to your center. Earth energy helps to balance excess wind and air, which leads to anxiety. Move slowly in your practice, spending a little extra time in each pose. If you need to at anytime rest in Child’s pose (Balasana) or Corpse Pose (Savasana.)
Intent:
Ask yourself what gives you stability? What makes you feel calm?
Meditation:
Find a comfortable seat. Take several deep inhales and exhales. As you sit and breathe choose a star directly above you and bring it’s energy down through the crown of your head. Continue moving it’s energy directly down your spine and down into the earth’s center. See and feel any imbalances within you being moved down and out to be recycled and transmuted by the Earth. Asking imbalances to be taken away. Breathe. Now, bring the stability and the reliability and the grounding energy of the earth and all that she represents to you back through your feet and into your hips and spine. Allow yourself to feel the qualities of the Earth that you most need to draw upon at this time. When you’ve connected and spent some time in this space, affirm to yourself that you can access this feeling anytime you need to, by taking the time to connect to the element of Earth in this way.
- Seated cat/cow
- Seated – Open side body, moving neck slowly up and down
- Seated easy pose (Sukhasana) leaning forward, switching crossed legs halfway through
- Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)(walking heels) lifting one leg to the sky and spin open the hip
- Inhale right leg between hands into high lunge (Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana)
- Move into plank into upward facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana )
- Repeat the last three points on other side
- Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) or Child’s pose (Balasana)
- Low lunge (Anjaneyasana) left hand plants on inside of foot, reaching right hand up and angled over head
- Step forward into half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
- Repeat the last three points on the other side
- Downward facing dog ( Adho Mukha Svanasana)
- Standing Forward bend (Uttanasana) holding for a least 5 breaths
- Mountain Pose (Tadasana) holding for at least 5 breaths, feeling into your feet and palms
- Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
- Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)
- Repeat the last two points on the other side
- Step back into Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
- Half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana) (using a block under your palm if you need help balancing)
- Step back into Extended Triangle Pose ( Utthita Trikonasana)
- Repeat the last three points on the other side
- Linking movement with breath (Vinyasa) into Child’s Resting Pose (Balasana) holding for at least 5 breaths
- Gate pose (Parighasana) moving into modified Wildthing pose (Camatkarasana) from your knee
- move down to your belly and reach back towards your ankles for Bow pose (Dhanurasana)
- Repeat the last three points on the other side
- Downward facing dog ( Adho Mukha Svanasana) into cat/cow movement
- Camel pose (Ustrasana) creating massive lift in chest and spine
- Yogi squat (Malasana) lengthen breath and find stillness within patience – hold for 10 breaths
- Pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) staying up and feeling into the present moment, feeling the stretch with no judgment of the sensations. Bring gratitude into your heart so that you can move forward in your life towards self-love. Hold for at least 10 breaths on each side
- Isometric work with Mula Bandha (Root lock) – laying on your back, squeeze bolster between knees, keeping the lower back pressed to the floor, and subtly rock the pelvic bone up and down. Keep the knees squeezing towards one another. 10x slowly. This eases anxiety and brings us fully into our body.
- Modified Bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
- Happy baby (Ananda Balasana) while gentle rocking side to side
- Laying flat and hugging yourself – breathe slowly letting this pose calm you, feel the earth beneath you
- Corpse pose (Savasana) placing a bolster under the backs of your knees, folding the shoulder blades under you, lengthening the back of your neck, and taking several full inhales and exhales letting your limbs sink back into the earth. Feel her cradle you, feel how big she is and how small you are in her arms. Let your mind rest in her heart center, connecting your heart with hers as your breath naturally flows in and out. Feel the internal balance that this creates. Take at least 10 minutes here and let your body reset.
- Simple pose (Sukhasana) – Take a moment with your eyes closed to connect to your breath. And as you let that breath flow organically, also reflect on your practice. Asking yourself again – What gives you stability? What makes you feel calm? Stay here for as long as feel comfortable to you.
- Closing your practice however feel natural – perhaps bowing towards the earth or your internal teacher or repeating the words Om Shanti Shanti Shanti which is a powerful Vedic mantra or sacred sound with healing vibrations, that calls forth the cosmic peace.
Class by Sabrina McGibney
