Which element calls you?
Yoga for the earth element in Uluwatu
Feel steady, grounded and held.
Earth classes use prithvi, the earth element, as their theme. It is one of the five great elements (pancha mahabhuta) of Indian philosophy, Ayurveda and yoga, and in class it usually means slow, low, steady work with imagery of weight, stability and support.
10 classes coming up at 1 studio.
What Earth does for you
You slow right down and let the ground take your weight. Long holds in standing poses and squats build warmth and solidity in your legs, and floor work lets you feel heavy and supported. Many people leave feeling steadier and less rushed. In a city where everything moves fast, it is a deliberate brake.
It suits you if
- your days feel scattered and fast
- you like slow, strong poses more than quick flows
- you want a steady practice in the darker months
- you prefer practicing close to the floor
Read the full guide to EarthWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Expect 60 to 90 minutes at an unhurried pace. Typical poses include mountain, warriors, wide squats, low lunges and seated forward folds, often held for several breaths, plus time lying on your belly or back. Facilitators cue weight, contact and your feet, and some bring in earthy imagery, natural materials or the prithvi mudra (thumb touching ring finger). Some classes tie the theme to the root chakra. You warm up without much sweat.
Your first time
- Practice barefoot and wear clothes you can squat in.
- Bring a layer for the slower floor work at the end.
- Tell the facilitator about knee or ankle issues before you start.
Good to know
- Long squats and lunges can load knees and ankles; use a block or a higher stance whenever you like.
Where it comes from
The five great elements, pancha mahabhuta, are earth (prithvi), water (apas or jala), fire (agni or tejas), air (vayu) and ether or space (akasha). Indian thought used them to describe the stuff the physical world is made of, and the Taittiriya Upanishad already gives a sequence in which space gives rise to air, air to fire, fire to water and water to earth.
Samkhya, one of the classical schools of Indian philosophy, counts the five gross elements among its 25 principles and derives each from a subtle element (tanmatra) tied to one sense. Earth is the densest of the five and is linked to smell. Ayurveda builds its picture of the body on the same elements: earth and water together make up kapha, the dosha associated with stability, structure and steadiness.
In yoga the elements appear in tantric rituals of element purification, in hatha manuals such as the 17th century Gheranda Samhita, which describes a concentration practice for each element, and in the chakra system, where earth belongs to the root chakra, Muladhara. Modern element-themed classes draw loosely on all of this as imagery rather than following any one text.
Studios today use the elements as a theme for a class, a month or a season. Some follow Ayurveda's idea that seasons shift the balance of the doshas, others simply pick earth for the dark, unsettled months. Some yin facilitators work instead with the Chinese five phases (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), a separate system from Chinese medicine. In Berlin you meet element themes in monthly studio series, seasonal workshops and, in summer, outdoor classes in parks.
Words you will hear
- Prithvi
- Sanskrit for earth, the densest of the five elements.
- Pancha mahabhuta
- The five great elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether.
- Kapha
- In Ayurveda, the dosha made of earth and water, associated with stability.
- Tadasana
- Mountain pose: standing tall with your weight spread evenly through both feet.
- Prithvi mudra
- A hand gesture with the tip of the ring finger touching the thumb, used for the earth element.