Sādhana Lab Ep. 2 - the Earth Element
Cultivating steadiness, firmness and stability
Greetings friends,
In today’s publication I’d like to visit themes centered around the Element of the Earth. This essay is part of a series of writings where I’ll be elaborating on each of the Five Great Elements (pañca mahā bhūtas) in accordance with their traditional meanings along with a modern interpretation (you can read my essay on FIRE here). We rely on the spiritual sciences of Samkhya and also Tantra to guide our conversation. These ancient wisdom traditions both inform & inspire our approach through Bhūta Yoga: a modern school of Tantrik Hatha Yoga.
If you reading about traditional methods of purification and inner alchemy interests you, or if you are interested in learning about the Five Great Elements, then read on.
Overview of the Five Elements
A large part of what we do in the Bhūta Yoga Method is, as the name implies, working directly with the Bhūtas (Elements). The alchemical practice of purifying the Elements is known in Tantrik scripture as Bhūta Śuddhi. If you stick around and begin to dive into our material, this will make sense; it is a practical & systematic approach to development at every level of our being. To start the conversation, it may be useful to review each of the Elements.
Pṛthvī (Earth):
Represents solidity, stability, and the physical structure of things. In the human body, it's associated with bones, muscles, skin, and other solid tissues. The sense organ connected to the Earth Element is smell and its related chakra is Mūlādhāra. The bīja mantra for this Element is LAM.
Āpas (Water):
Represents liquidity, cohesion, and the fluid nature of existence. In the human body, it's associated with blood, lymph, and other bodily fluids. The sense organ connected to the Water Element is taste and its related chakra is Svādhiṣṭhāna. The bīja mantra for this Element is VAM.
Agni (Fire):
Represents transformation, digestion, and metabolism. In the human body, it's associated with body temperature, digestion, and metabolic processes. The sense organ connected to the Fire Element is sight and its related chakra is Maṇipūra. The bīja mantra for this Element is RAM.
Vayu (Air):
Represents movement, breath, and the gaseous state of matter. In the human body, it's associated with respiration, circulation, and nerve impulses. The sense organ connected to the Air Element is touch and its related chakra is Anāhata. The bīja mantra for this Element is YAM.
Akasha (Ether or Space):
Represents the space within which all other elements exist and interact. In the human body, it's associated with the cavities and spaces within organs. The sense organ connected to the Space Element is hearing/sound and its related chakra is Viśuddha. The bīja mantra for this Element is HAM.
Each Element has its corresponding qualities, and with the Bhūta Yoga Method we work to enhance our awareness of these qualities. What we attempting to address by working with the Elements, through our awareness & practice OF them, are the major imbalances that we can experience as human beings. We talk about this more in my book which will be out soon. I’ve attached an excerpt from said book, which you are welcome to save and refer back to if you find it helpful:
A deeper look at the EARTH…
Now that we have an overview of the Five Elements, let’s start by focusing on Earth. Near the bottom of this essay you will find a video offering a technical analysis into one of our primary strategies for cultivating our relationship to the Earth Element. Our “strategies” have to do with what we practice AND how we practice. In much of what we see in “modern studio yoga”, there is very little emphasis placed on how to practice but rather the focus is on achieving some desired performance bench mark, such as a so-called “peak pose”. “Creative” sequences and a Spotify playlist are filling classes with a bunch of bodies desirous of a good sweat. Sixty minutes of glorified gymnastics called “yoga” and people leave feeling somehow better… for a time… until the next “fix” is required. This suits the fast-paced lifestyle of many people.
Deeper cultivation of the underlying energy systems of the body & mind requires a more intelligent approach. This demands that the practitioner slows down, pays attention and slowly refines their internal awareness and their powers of concentration. For some, slowing down like this is “too hard”. The tendency towards speed and rushing is the first condition that must be dismantled in order to steadily approach the inner realms of the yogi. Few people find this interesting enough to inspire them to actually slow down, as it requires work that many are simply unwilling to do. The fast-paced, musically-motivated “studio yoga” is often enough to scratch the itch, check the box, and carry on with the Whole Foods shopping run.
This is not how we approach our sādhana with Bhūta Yoga as we are interested in long-term development, legitimate transformation and inner growth. An approach like ours requires time, commitment, devotion and, more than anything, faith. Faith, or śraddhā is seen as one of the six keys to success, according to the 15th century authoritative Hatha Yoga scripture, the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā.
siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā śraddhāvān labhate siddhim
kṣipraṁ siddhiṁ prayacchanti nityamabhyāsatatparāḥ || HYP CH.1 V.66 ||
Being indifferent to success or failure, the one with śraddhā (faith) attains perfection. Success comes quickly to those who are constant in practice and full of devotion
Where do we start?
And why do we want to…?
When it comes to the Earth Element, we look at its fundamental qualities — steadiness, stability, ground, solidity, structure. As we may have noticed above in the cheeky example of what we are calling “studio yoga”, these types of practices offer little in terms of these qualities. To be fair, there may be nothing inherently wrong with that “style” or mode of practice — a fast-paced vinyāsa class may indeed have its place. However, if we look at the qualities of “Earth” and we are able to accurately assess how our own internal energy system is functioning in relation to these qualities, we might conclude that, perhaps, a “fast-pased vinyāsa class” is the last thing we need to cultivate balance in our lives. This inner assessment is a critical aspect of legitimate spiritual progress; the 2nd Yama from Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras comes to mind — satya, or ‘truthfulness’. Can we be truthful and honest with ourselves about where we’re at, and what we need? An accurate self-diagnosis of the situation is a great starting place and often brings us a sense of clarity & stability, even before we step onto our mat. IF the qualities that relate to the Earth are attractive in some way, THEN we might start thinking intelligently about how to cultivate these aspects of our being.
To clarify this point, let us restate what was implied above: analyzing our relationship to the Earth Element in terms of this Element’s associated qualities (stability, etc.) might offer us some clues as to what we need to work on for holistic development. Make sense? At Bhūta Yoga, we call this practical form of self-analysis a “Self-Diagnosis”; doing this sets the stage for the path ahead and gives us constructive, measurable markers for progression. So, this answers the question of “WHY?”
Once we have a sense of why, our next step is to look at what we want to do in our practice. To continue on with our example, if stability is indeed a desirable quality to manifest in our lives, then we have to ask the question — how do we cultivate this?
Stability is the first step
According to Tantrik teachings, there are essential and progressive steps along the path of spiritual awakening. Each step builds on the last. The first step before anything else is stabilization of the mind. Generally speaking, a scattered mind lacks the focus necessary to achieve anything useful. Again, we are speaking generally, but this applies to virtually every area of our life. Keep in mind that when we are talking about stability, we are not simply speaking of stability at the level of the physical body. Although physical stability applies, too, we are speaking to the general quality of stability. This is an important point to make as our approach through our sādhana is one in which we strive to develop every facet of our lives. We’re talking about a path of radical excellence and vibrant well-being — not merely looking sexy and pulling off cool moves. Are you with me?
But… how?
Okay. Back to the question — “how do we cultivate stability via the Earth Element?”
Right, right. Hey, context is key. Thanks for bearing with me. I think now it will be useful to share the video I was mentioning earlier. This video will provide a technical look at one of the very important aspects of our practice with Bhūta Yoga. We call this important aspect: “Stance Work”.
Okay. So, what’d you get out of watching this video? Maybe a little bit, but not too much. As they say, “the proof is in the pudding”. Which means that in order to fully grok what is being shared here in this essay, well, ya gotta practice! But seeing the video above will offer a glimpse of what we’re talking about here, and maybe get the wheels churning. Perhaps it will inspire some to go find a solid rock outside and start cultivating some stability. Hopefully!
What I’d like to speak to here, though, is this idea that stability can be developed through posture practice. Indeed, it is this posture practice which often brings the most stability — if we apply ourselves skillfully to the task. The key is to sloooow down. Exhale. Feel your feet. Locate the point of balance of the physical gravity of your body and move from this place. Do this repeatedly, consistently, and with focus, and begin to notice the subtle changes. A body that begins to know its place at all times, well, that body is going to house a stable & calm mind. A body whose feet are disconnected from the surface beneath it? There’s a good chance that the mind will be easily distracted and thrown off course. We work through the body, with the Elements, with our breath and our attention and we gain mastery over our energy. This approach helps us to harness the powers of the mind. And it is done through the posture. With the “right” posture practice, the “right” intention & the “right” application of techniques we can start to align ourselves with natural forces that exist within us and all around us. That’s the idea, at least; this all remains theoretical until it is lived and felt inside. Trust your intuition.
Stance Work
With development, which takes time, the body becomes more centralized on its point of balance and more ‘surrendered’ to the downward pull of gravity. Basically, we learn to deeply trust our body as it becomes literally more stable at the levels of the feet, ankles and legs. This has to do with the energetic connection that we’ve made to our root system (feet, ankles, legs). While this is vaguely esoteric, physiologically speaking, we might acknowledge that a daily activity like “stance work” can help to circulate energy from the tailbone region down to the very bottoms of the feet. Blood, lymph, nerve impulses — the primary [chemical] communication pathways are being developed through the activities of the stances. It’s no wonder traditional energy cultivation arts like Tai Chi, Qigong and even martial arts place tremendous emphasis on this so-called “Stance Work”. Unfortunately, in modern yoga, many people are fascinated with the bendy shapes and not so interested in “standing around” all day. However, put someone in a 3-minute stance hold and watch them start to shake like they’re sitting on a washing machine. This should give a few hints around the importance of developing our stance.
So, what have we learned so far?
I could go on and on but I think that, for now, this essay can be complete. Remember, a book will be coming out soon where I go into more detail on these topics so stay tuned for that. Maybe the last thing I’ll say is something I discovered to be extremely helpful when I started looking at these “ideas” and integrating them into my practice. It’s this: “when my feet are firmly rooted, I know where I’m going. When my feet are not rooted, I am lost in a sea of confusion.” Feet are symbolic of our direction in life. They are physical structures, yes, but they are metaphorical as well. Pay attention to your feet. Notice how connected they are. Then, begin to notice how this connection to your feet travels up the legs to the spine. Understanding these connections might be of interest to you.
Know where you stand and know where you’re going. If you don’t, get rooted with some “Earth Element sādhana” (if you click the link, scroll down for some sample practices over at the free library of BYA). Once a little bit of stabilization practice is integrated into your being, re-evaluate how you feel — in your body, in your emotions and in your mind. Rinse, repeat.
If you enjoyed this publication, be sure to subscribe to stay tuned for my next segment on Water.
And if you are inspired to practice with me, there’s a Live Stream happening every Tuesday over at Bhūta Yoga Academy. Members get access to this weekly class as well as a growing library of video content, including technical explanations, guided practices, satsangs and more.
As always… enjoy your practice ;)
-GI