Since 2006, David has offered a special Yoga Experience called The Natural Link: Bringing the Elements of Nature to your Asana Practice. Here are the fundamental ideas behind the class and some other resources about this.
With Yoga, as in daily life, we are given countless opportunities to engage with our natural environment. In bringing these thoughts to a conscious level, we take the first steps towards harmonizing our resonance with the universal forces physically, mentally, and spiritually.
As living breathing beings, we rely on the element of AIR for survival. Air / breath is a source of power for movement, a cleansing sound for the mind, and a fuel source for strength. With conscious breath, these actions occur with the same elemental direction as the natural world.
When air is brought into the body, it converts to liquid in the form of blood for transportation around the body, feeding and oxygenating muscles along the way. Scientifically, we, as humans, are made of anywhere between 55 – 70% WATER so movement of our physical bodies should occur in a naturally fluid motion. When we move with our breath, we find the delicate balance of air and water in mutual vibration…Like the top of the ocean, our skin is the catalyst to keep our fluid bodies true to its natural form.
Living on this EARTH, we are inherently attached to it in many ways. We rely on its minerals to provide sustenance for plants, which feed us both oxygen and food. We rely on its pull to keep us grounded and for opposition to grow strong and balanced. We enjoy it’s beauties for mental stillness and recreation. Maintaining some sort physical and emotional attachment with the earth is our grounding force with the physical plane.
Inside us all, there is an internal FIRE that burns fuel from many sources. The internal fire can be stimulated by external factors like breath and muscle contractions, as well as by internal factors like emotions and intentions. Keeping the core element of the fire alive is what keeps our spirit alive, and in turn, when it burns hot and bright, so do we. Stoking the internal fire with breath, strength, mental focus and intent allows the internal FIRE to provide heat, further connecting your movements with the natural world which experiences the same effect.
Bring nature into both Yoga and life to create harmony and flow.
Click here for another interesting perspective on Yoga and the Elements
