Yoga for the ether element in Varkala
Rest in spaciousness and stillness.
Ether classes take akasha, the fifth of the great elements in Indian philosophy, as their theme: space itself, the openness everything else happens in. In class that usually means stillness, sound and long rest.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Ether does for you
You get time to do almost nothing and notice the space around and inside you. Long holds, quiet breathing and sound leave many people feeling spacious and unhurried. It is the element class closest to meditation. It suits evenings when you want to switch off without falling asleep on the sofa.
It suits you if
- you want stillness after a loud week
- you like sound baths and long rests
- you are drawn to meditation but like some movement first
- you find it hard to slow down on your own
Read the full guide to EtherWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes run 60 to 90 minutes and are slow. Expect gentle stretches, long supported poses, a quiet breath practice and a long savasana, yoga nidra or sound bath with gongs, bowls or chimes. Facilitators often use imagery of sky, space and silence, and some chant 'om', since sound is the quality tied to ether. Some classes link the theme to the throat or crown chakra. There is no sweat and very little talking.
Your first time
- Bring warm layers and socks, since lying still gets cold.
- Arrive on time, as these classes often begin in silence.
- Use a blanket and an eye pillow if the studio offers them.
Good to know
- Gongs can be loud and intense up close; pick a spot farther away if you are sensitive to sound.
- Long silence can feel unfamiliar; you can open your eyes or move whenever you need to.
Where it comes from
Akasha, usually translated as ether or space, is the subtlest of the pancha mahabhuta, the five great elements, alongside earth, water, fire and air. It is the space in which the other elements exist. In Samkhya philosophy it arises from the subtle element (tanmatra) of sound, and hearing is its sense; the Vaisheshika school likewise treats akasha as the substance whose quality is sound. The Taittiriya Upanishad places space first in the sequence from which air, fire, water and earth unfold.
The English word 'ether' comes from the Greek aether, the fifth element Aristotle gave to the heavens, which is why akasha is often called the fifth element. Ayurveda pairs it with air to form vata, the dosha of movement. In the chakra system of tantric texts such as the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana (1577), akasha belongs to Vishuddha, the throat chakra, and the link between space and sound runs through mantra and nada yoga, the yoga of inner sound.
The popular 'akashic records', a cosmic archive of everything that has happened, come from 19th and 20th century Theosophy rather than the classical texts. Studios today use ether as the quiet end of a five-element series, as a winter theme, or as the frame for sound baths and yoga nidra.
In Berlin, ether themes sit naturally next to the city's many gong nights, sound baths and evening nidra classes.
Words you will hear
- Akasha
- Sanskrit for space or ether, the subtlest of the five elements.
- Nada
- Sound, especially the inner sound that nada yoga listens for.
- Shabda
- Sanskrit for sound, the quality traditionally tied to ether.
- Savasana
- Corpse pose: lying still on your back for the final rest.
- Yoga nidra
- 'Yogic sleep', a guided rest lying down in which you stay aware.