Elements
Relaxation
Five senses, five elements, five breaths. A simple way back to balance.
We experience the physical world around us through five senses: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell. What’s less well known is that each of these senses is linked, in classical Indian philosophy, to one of five elements: ether, air, fire, water, and earth.
The five elements and their sense
Ether is the medium through which sound travels, and is therefore linked to hearing. Air is linked to touch, the skin and the hands. Fire manifests light, heat and color, and is linked to sight. Water is linked to taste: without saliva, the tongue cannot taste. Earth is linked to the sense of smell.
The following simple breathing exercise helps you bring these elements into balance. I use it myself regularly at the start of a class, as a calm way to help everyone land in the body before we continue. You’ll notice you become calmer and more relaxed.
The 5 Element Breath
Relax and breathe your natural breath for a moment first. Take about 5 breaths per element, or longer.
Inhale nose, exhale nose. Qualities: nurturing, solidity. Movement: spreading horizontally.
Inhale nose, exhale mouth. Qualities: fluidity, purifying, life-giving. Movement: downward.
Inhale mouth, exhale nose. Qualities: enthusiasm, transmutation. Movement: upward.
Inhale and exhale mouth. Qualities: freedom, release. Movement: zig-zag.
Very fine breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nose. Qualities: stillness, unity. Movement: stillness.
Do the exercise at your own pace. There’s no right or wrong: notice which element is asking for attention today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 5 Element Breath?
A breathing exercise where you inhale and exhale differently, through the nose or mouth, for each of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether), to bring them into balance in the body.
How long does the exercise take?
About 5 breaths per element, which adds up to a few minutes in total. You can also hold it longer.
What is the difference between the five elements?
Each element has its own breath route and quality: earth is nurturing and solid, water is fluid, fire is warming and active, air is free and zig-zagging, ether is still and unifying.
Where does this classification into five elements come from?
From classical Indian philosophy, where each of the five senses (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell) is linked to one of the five elements.
Curious what else House of InnerPower offers? See our upcoming agenda, or sign up below for the House of InnerPower newsletter.
Ilse-Marie Sobering is the founder of House of InnerPower and the creator of the InnerPower Method: LAND • ADEM • VOEL (Land, Breathe, Feel), a cyclical practice of returning to yourself again and again. She has studied yoga philosophy and Eastern philosophy for more than 25 years, and has worked professionally since 2015 as an E-RYT 500 yoga and Yoga Nidra teacher, mindfulness and breathwork coach, Ayurveda practitioner and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner. In Spain, where she lived for seven years, she taught trainings, teacher trainings and retreats at various locations in the Málaga region, including near Periana, Nerja and Frigiliana. She now works from the Netherlands, teaching trainings and speaking in the Netherlands, in Spain and online. Within the method she works with Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, breathwork, meditation, Qigong and somatic work, complemented with elements from her hypnotherapy training. She teaches teacher trainings, continuing education and company training, for people living with long-term stress and for professionals who want to deepen the way they guide others.
