The Five Elements in Yoga - Connecting to the Natural Energies
June 2012
Marian van Oorschot
www.fractal-yoga.com
The Five Elements in Yoga – connecting to the Natural Energies
A popular venue for yoga events in North-­‐East Scotland is the Camphill Murtle Estate. Secluded by woods and farmland on the north bank of the river Dee, the estate is a haven of tranquillity on the outskirts of Aberdeen. It was founded by Karl König who came to Aberdeenshire in 1939, fleeing the Nazi invasion of his home country Austria and bringing with him a group of vulnerable children, their carers, and the deeply-­‐held spiritual beliefs of Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical movement. Here at Murtle Estate Dr König laid the foundations of the Camphill Movement, now a worldwide organisation caring for vulnerable children and adults in a nurturing community environment. By all accounts Dr König was a man of great sensitivity, a gifted healer who worked tirelessly to bring succour to those in his care. When, as a young man, the demands of his professional life became overwhelming, he sought refuge in the beautiful mountains of his native Austria, writing: “There I always breathed new strength into my soul; and even today I must still return again and again when I am tired and inwardly spent. It is the nature forces of the area that I draw into myself.” [Karl König, My Task, Floris Books 2008]. In later years he likewise replenished his energy on rambles through Deeside and Donside, noting the ancient stone circles and dolmens in which the landscape abounded and writing eloquently of the river Dee: “If the sun shines on its waters, the river smiles back and the salmon leap through its waves.” Did the ancient yogis feel a similar response to the “nature forces” when they sought the solitude of the forest with its rich earth smells, or the cold thin air of the Himalayas? “Find a quiet retreat for the practice of Yoga,” wrote the author of the Svetasvatara Upanishad, “sheltered from the wind, level and clean, … where the sound of waters and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation.” In yogic thought, all matter is comprised of the five elements of ether (space), air, fire, water and earth. Starting with ether, each element emanates from the preceding one and taken together they represent different layers of manifestation, from subtle (ether) to gross (earth). The elements are linked to the senses and also to distinctive subtle energetic qualities. The author of the Svetasvatara Upanishad describes the wise yogis of yore as seeing “the river of life impetuously rushing with the five streams of sense-­‐feelings which come from five sources, the five elements.” It does not seem too fanciful to speculate that the sage who wrote these words was able, like Karl König centuries later, to tap into the profound spiritual energy present in nature and symbolised by the elements. Many of us are fortunate in that we have ready access to places of natural beauty where we, too, can feel a connection to the elements. Walking through a forest or along the shore of a lake, sunbathing on a warm sheltered beach, breathing in the clean pure air of the hills or marvelling at the stars in the night sky – all these activities will leave us feeling invigorated and spiritually nourished, albeit in subtly different ways reflecting the different energies of earth, water, fire, air and space. It is not always feasible to restore our energies through such outdoor experiences. Fortunately, yoga provides us with other techniques whereby we can draw into ourselves the “nature forces”. One way in which we can do this is through working with the yantras associated with the elements. These are simple but powerful geometrical symbols we can incorporate into our asana practice, visualise during pranayama or use as a focus for meditation. The yantras represent the energies of each element and are reinforced by recitation of the corresponding bija mantra (seed sound). Symbol and sound together generate powerful vibrations that resonate with our own 1
The Five Elements in Yoga - Connecting to the Natural Energies
June 2012
Marian van Oorschot
www.fractal-yoga.com
internal elemental energies – a subtle counterpart to the physical experience of being “at one” with nature. Descriptions of the elemental yantras and bija mantras are given in the 16th century text the Shat-­‐Chakra-­‐Nirupana, which was compiled by Purnananda, a guru from Bengal. In yogic thought, each element is associated with one of the first five chakras. Purnananda vividly describes each chakra in terms of glowing colours, resonant sounds, fierce deities and mythological creatures. The elemental yantras form part of these descriptions and as such provide a link between the external world of nature and the energies of our subtle anatomy. Marian van Oorschot Yantras of the Elements
As described in the Shat-­‐Chakra-­‐Nirupana. Element
Earth The square region of Prithivi … of a shining yellow colour and beautiful like lightning. Water The white, shining, watery region of Varuna … in the shape of a crescent. Fire The region of Agni, triangular in form and shining like the rising sun. Air The region of Vayu, beautiful and with six corners, which is like smoke in colour. Ether The region of Akasha, circular in shape and white like the full moon. Yantra
Bija Mantra
Lam Vam Ram Yam Ham A version of this article first appeared in the Summer 2012 edition of “What’s On”, the
BWY Scotland regional newsletter.
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