In previous articles in this series, 7pranayama discussed the earth element through a series of yoga poses. Next up is balancing the water element with yoga.
Quick Summary
This article explores how practicing water element yoga can enhance body fluidity, flexibility, creativity, passion, and emotional balance. Associated with the second chakra (Svadhisthana or Sacral chakra), a balanced water element brings calmness and receptivity, while an imbalance can cause emotional instability or stress. Through specific fluid movements—primarily backbends, forward folds, and hip openers—these yoga poses help release emotional energy from the hip and pelvic areas to help you flow smoothly through life.
Table of Contents
Introduction (Balancing the Water Element)
Balancing the water element with yoga teaches your body fluidity or flow and can greatly enhance your flexibility, creativity, emotions, passion, and pleasure. It is associated with the second chakra, Svadhisthana or Sacral chakra, which keeps the various mood states unblocked or in balance, such as emotions, passion, fluidity, and sexuality.
As humans and all, in fact, Water is one of the important elements of life as well as the five main elements of the universe – water, earth, fire, air/wind, ether/space. Its effect on our bodies can help us live a healthier, more balanced, and happier life.
Water is fluid, soft, balancing, cooling, yielding, and calming force. When the water element is balanced, you can feel fluidity, acceptance, and receptivity, be content and calm, allowing yourself to flow more smoothly with circumstances. An imbalanced water element can make you feel emotionally unstable, dehydrated, have a low libido, stressed, and stuck.
Interestingly, water is fluid, soft, cooling, calming, and yielding, which will overcome whatever is rigid and hard and dissolve old structures.
The following Water element yoga poses are very fluid movements. They address the balance of the water element, which is stimulated primarily through backbends and forward folds. Also focuses on releasing emotional energy, especially from the hip and pelvic area.
Elemental Flow: Water Element Yoga Poses
Move slowly and breathe deeply through your yoga practice, and incorporate more of the following poses for the water element and explore fluidity into your flows!
Skandasana/ Side Lunge
A wonderful water element flow that is a seated, hip-opening pose, stretches your hips and hamstrings, and helps build your core strength.
Stand straight on the yoga mat and then stand straight by giving a gap of 2-3 feet between the legs. Now, keeping the leg with running tone straight, bend the knee of the other leg and sit keeping some distance from the calf. And after staying in the same position for 10 seconds, stand back straight and just like that keep the leg that was sitting bent straight, and the leg which was kept straight earlier, bend the leg from the knee and keep a little gap from the calf of the same leg. Go, stay in the same position for 10 seconds, take a deep breath 5 to 10 times, slowly release it, and get back up and stand straight.
Malasana/Squat pose
Another great pose to connect you to the water element has a grounding quality and connects you to your breath.
Stand in a squat position on the mat. Then bend your knees to come into a squat and lower your hips toward the floor. Turn your toes out, but try to keep the feet parallel. Place your hands near your knees and bend your elbows to bring your palms together in Anjali Mudra. Place your hands near your heart center in Anjali Mudra. Now keep pressing the thighs with your hands while in this pose. Stay here for five breaths, then come out by straightening the legs.
Kapotasana/Pigeon
Kapotasana is a special, intense hip opener pose, with the help of which the joints of the hips can be made flexible, and at the same time, the problems of the lower back can be relieved.
First of all, sit in Vajrasana. Then lift the body on the knees. Keep in mind that you should not stand on your feet. After this, keep both your hands near the toes of the feet, i.e., below the waist. Taking the support of your palms, slowly start turning backwards. Now bend your waist comfortably, take your head backwards, and rest your head on the ground. Carefully hold the ankles of the feet with both your hands. Maintain this position for a few minutes or according to your ability. Keep breathing deeply while doing the asana.
Janu Sirsasana/ Head-to-Knee Pose
Janu Sirsasana is powerful yet grounded. It opens the hips and offers a stretch from your ankle to your hips, and helps calm your mind as well as stretch your body.
Spreading the legs in front, sit on the seat and bend the right leg from the knee and touch the sole to the thigh of the right leg. Raise both hands up and hold the upper part of the left leg with both hands and pull it inwards, i.e., towards the head. While bending the nose slowly, apply it to the left knee, then while exhaling slowly, straighten the right leg. Again with the same method, bend the left foot and touch the nose with the knee of the right foot, and pull the foot inwards with both hands. then exhale slowly
Bound Angle pose/Butterfly Pose
Butterfly Pose a useful addition to most yoga routines that strengthens the muscles in your legs, hips, and lower back. If the water element is imbalanced, you may feel it in your hips.
To practice the butterfly pose, first of all, sit in Dandasana on a yoga mat. Now, keeping the spine, neck, and head straight, bend the knees and bring the soles of the feet together. Join the soles to each other and hold them with the palms. Also, try that while doing this, your knees are touching the ground. Move your knees up and down like a butterfly’s wings 30 to 40 times.
Mandukasana/Frog Pose
Mandukasana is a simple yet intense pose among beginners, as it is very easy to do. This pose gives relief from abdominal pain and helps in the smooth functioning of abdominal organs.
Sit in the posture of Vajrasana. Close the fists of your hands; keep in mind that the fists should be closed in such a way that the thumbs are on the outside. Now bring both your fists towards the navel. After bringing it towards the navel, press the navel with the fist, keep in mind that press it in such a way that your thumb touches the navel as well, and the lower part of the fist is towards the front. Now, leaving the breath, pull the stomach inwards. After this, slowly bend forward, raise your neck and head, and look in front.
Conclusion
Incorporating water element yoga poses into your regular practice is an excellent way to invite softness, calming energy, and fluidity into both your body and mind. By moving slowly, breathing deeply, and focusing on these targeted hip-opening and stretching postures, you can release stored emotional tension, dissolve rigid physical structures, and achieve a healthier, more balanced, and happier life.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The water element is associated with the second chakra, known as the Svadhisthana or Sacral chakra, which regulates mood states, emotions, passion, fluidity, and sexuality.
When the water element is imbalanced, you may feel emotionally unstable, stressed, stuck, dehydrated, or experience a low libido. You might also feel tightness or an imbalance physically in your hips.
These poses utilize fluid movements that primarily stimulate the body through backbends, forward folds, and intense hip openers. They help stretch the hamstrings, ankles, and lower back, build core strength, and improve flexibility in the hip joints.
You should move slowly and breathe deeply throughout your practice to explore true fluidity in your flows and successfully calm your mind.
