Journey Through the 5 Elements: Water
As we continue our journey through the 5 elements, today we will look at the water element, and explore its adaptable and flowing nature. When we reconnect with this element, we learn important lessons about both our inner and outer worlds.
Water is constantly changing and adapting; just consider the many forms that it can come in. Water can flow, it can be rigid (think of ice), it can be hot and bubbling, or it can even be stagnant like the water in a swamp or bog. And just like water, so to are we ever changing. Whichever you most resonate with today, you can be sure that just as water changes and adapts constantly, so will you.
Water and the Svadhisthana chakra
Water is linked to the Svadhisthana chakra. This second or sacral chakra is located around the lower belly and represents fluidity - an ability to ‘go with the flow’, and also houses our power of creativity. Every time we connect to water we rise and connect to these energies within us, both in our physical body as well as our spiritual body.
Interestingly enough, our bodies are made up of about 60% water, which almost mirrors perfectly the make up of the Earth, which is made up of 70% water! If we can start reconnecting to water in small ways in our own lives, we move ever closer to a sense of our natural human selves.
Practices to tune into the Water Element
Try using the following practices to link your 5 senses to water, some movement and breathing techniques to connect to this element too:
Touch: Cold Water Therapy
If you still haven’t tried a cold shower or wild swim, it’s a joyful and a thrilling experience! Just think of how wonderful it feels to take a cold shower after sweaty yard work and you know what I mean! While it’s important to interact with cold water safely – especially outdoors – regular cold water experiences can do wonders for the body and mind: like reduced anxiety, improved circulation, more energy, a stronger immune system, greater emotional and physical resilience, and a mood boost like no other.
Taste: Sweet & Salty
The water element is linked to the tastes of sweet and salty, perhaps the two tastes favored by most people! When we consume naturally sweet foods, this tends to have a nourishing, calming, soothing and relaxing effect on the body and mind. Salty foods awaken the taste buds, encourage the flow of digestive juices, and aid in strengthening agni – the digestive fire.
Enhance the water element within you by consuming naturally sweet foods like dates, fresh fruits, milk, cashews and rice, as well as naturally salty foods like seaweed, celery, tamari, miso, and of course good quality salt itself. When you consume these foods, notice the physical and emotional effects they have – can you feel the way they enhance saliva and digestive juices? Can you feel how they bring more ‘life’ and ‘joy’ to meals?
Smell: Petrichor
Described as an ‘earthy’ scent, petrichor is the smell of the earth and nature after a hard rain. It is said to be one of the most pleasing scents; think back to a rainy afternoon on a warm summer day and try and remember if you took a deep breath in and how it made you feel. There is something about the smell after a rainstorm that is joyful and relaxing all at once. The sense of smell in itself is incredibly powerful, and when we spend time in nature after rainfall, our ability to smell certain beneficial scents can be heightened. When you’re out walking after rainfall, take a moment to smell the trees, leaves and earth.
Sound: Waves Against The Shore
If you’ve listened to enough guided relaxations or meditations, its likely at least one of them has been accompanied by the sound of waves lapping against the shore.
Our brains enjoy gentle bubbling, waving or flowing water sounds, as it perceives them as non-threatening. Listening to the soothing sounds of water for a prolonged amount of time allows the mind to ‘tune out’ and can even help with sleep. Scientists liken the sounds of waves to a soothing voice telling us ‘not to worry’. Try listening to this beach scene the next time you are having a tough time falling asleep, or feeling overly stressed out.
Sight: Awe-Inspiring Ocean Scenes
Feeling a sense of ‘awe’ is a powerful way to feel connected to the world around us. Research suggests that feeling awe can improve mental wellbeing, happiness, can make you feel more humble, and is a direct way to overcome the ego. There’s a strong relationship between ego-disillusion and experiencing awe, and we can use this emotion as a way to recognise the underlying unity that threads through the entirety of nature and ourselves. Looking out to sea, at the open ocean and horizon is an effective way of cultivating awe, and can be a powerful way to shift perspective. Try visiting the beach and spending some quiet time looking out to sea. If you live in a city or far from the ocean, even looking at pictures or videos of awe-inspiring images like the sea and horizon can improve wellbeing and stimulate the awe response.
Yoga Practices to Connect us back to Water
Here is a short yoga sequence that can help you connect to the water element:
Prep Poses
Thunderbolt Pose with a crescent side bend
Thunderbolt Pose with a twist
Moving Cat/Cow
Table top, swaying the hips in a figure 8
Thread the Needle
Asana Poses
Tiger Pose
Moving Cobra Pose
Down dog vinyasa to plank and cobra
Warrior I with circle arm movement
Down dog moving into pigeon pose
Frog Pose gently moving with the breath
Cool Down Poses
Baby Pigeon
Happy Baby
Moving gentle pelvic tilt moving into a gentle moving bridge
Pranayama: Ocean Breath
Ujjayi breath is often taught in yoga classes as a way to bring more heat and strength into the body, but it can also be used to cultivate a state of relaxation. Max Strom – teacher, speaker and author of A Life Worth Breathing calls this type of breath ‘ocean breath’ as it sounds a little like waves on the sea. Ujjayi breath can help relax the nervous system. Try visualizing waves gently lapping against the shore while practicing this breathing technique.
