The 5 elements according

to Tantra and why it’s

important to cleanse them
According to yoga, tantra and ayurveda, the entire universe is comprised of five elements
(pancha tattwa).

The word ‘tattwa’ indicates an essence, principle truth or reality. The five principle elements
of Mother Nature are known as earth (prithvi), water (apas), fire (agni), air (vayu) and ether
or space (akasha).

Each element is the manifestation of the cosmic primordial energy (Shakti). The entire
universe is continually changing because these elements co-exist.

Figuratively speaking, the

Earth element represents all that is stable and unwavering; it is the pull of gravity and force
that binds things together; it has weight; is a foundation and/or is inert.
Water element represents the force of attraction; it enables flow, circulation, rhythm, fluidity
and fluid movement.
Fire element transforms; it is fiery, burns, heats, sparks up and stimulates.
Air element is mobility in any direction, unpredictability, irrationality and erratic movement.
Ether element allows space between objects, right down to the atomic level it is the space
between protons, neutrons and electrons. Ether differentiates and separates one thing from
another.

The attributes of the five elements are also within your body, mind and emotions.
Physically, earth element is the skeletal system, blood vessels, connective tissue and that
which binds each cell together;

water element is all bodily fluids and the flow of these fluids; fire element is the digestive
system and metabolism;

air element is respiration and the conversion of air to energy and movement;

ether element is that which differentiates each cell and the individual parts of the body.

At a mental emotional level,

earth element is your attachments to objects, places, people or way of being. It is also
steadfastness. The key expression that qualifies the earth element is ‘I possess’.

Water element is the steady flow of thoughts from one idea to the next. It creates thoughts
and emotions regarding self-gratification. The key expression of water is ‘I desire’.

Fire element creates inspirational or manipulative thoughts and behaviour. The key
expression of fire is ‘I can’.

Air element stirs up exciting thoughts and emotions as well as irrational thoughts and
behaviour. The key expression of air element is ‘I feel’.

Lastly, ether element allows your mind to be clear and alert or imaginative. The key
expression of ether element is ‘I communicate’.

Similarly each element is represented by a geometric shape and prime colour. Earth is
represented by a yellow square; water by a white crescent moon; fire, an inverted red
triangle; air, a blue hexagon and ether, a black sphere.
For the purpose of meditation when reflecting on the elements, you imagine seeing their
forms rather than thinking about their above-mentioned qualities.

Tattwa Shuddhi meditation specifically involves imagining the five elements as prime
shapes and colours. You mentally superimpose the images on specific areas of your body
and then you imagine seeing these forms dissolve one by one.

In general Tantric meditations utilise the mobile nature of the mind to systematically move
you from one idea to the next. One reason why this practice works is that you are not trying
to make the mind quiet. In fact you are doing the opposite, engrossing your mind in
changing imagery.

The purpose of this is to gradually focus the mind without force. And secondly, the specific
imagery is designed to weed out negative mental patterns. Thereby, the process of mental
purification (shuddhi) takes place.

he Chakras - an
Introduction
BY MANLY YOGA06/10/2014
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The practices of yoga affect not only the body and the mind, but also the energetic body.
The energetic body permeates the whole physical body.
Yoga acknowledges that energy is obtained from the breath, food, water and the universe itself as
well as from the burning of glucose.

In yoga we call this energy ‘prana’, in Chinese medicine it is referred to as ‘chi’.

Within the energetic or pranic body there are said to be 72 000 flows of subtle energy (prana). These
flows or channels of energy are called nadis.

The nadis are not the nerve pathways; they are more subtle in nature. The nadis have major junction
points where they intersect, and at these junctions we find chakras.

Chakras are defined as wheels of energy.

Situated along the spine are six major chakras. Each chakra controls the circulation and distribution
of prana throughout the body and also acts like a switch turning on different parts of the brain. Each
chakra governs a particular region of the body corresponding to a nerve plexus, specific endocrine
glands and a sense organ. Chakras also have a psychic symbology and they have a psychological
aspect contributing to the expression of our personality

Chakra locations:
1. Mooladhara – situated at the perineum in males and at the top of the cervix in females
2. Swadhisthana – situated at the coccyx
3. Manipura – situated directly behind the navel centre
4. Anahata – situated in between the shoulder blades, behind the sternum
5. Vishuddhi – at the back of the neck, behind the throat pit
6. Ajna – situated at the midbrain, behind the eyebrow centre.

In addition to the six chakras, there are also higher centres in the brain, often referred to in Kundalini
Yoga:

• Bindu – at the top back of the head

• Sahasrara – at the crown of the head.

 We have chosen to profile the six chakras from Mooladhara to Ajna as these are the most tangible
and also the most commonly referred to chakras.

Each chakra also has a trigger point, a corresponding area of the body through which the chakra can
be accessed. These trigger points are called kshetrams and are located in the front of the body. Many
people find it easier to feel the trigger points of the chakras. When we concentrate on the trigger
point a sensation passes through to the chakra and then travels up to the brain.
 Kshetram or trigger point locations:
• Mooladhara – doesn’t have a trigger point
• Swadhisthana – at the level of the pubic bone
• Manipura – at the navel centre
• Anahata – at the centre of the chest
• Vishuddhi – at the pit of the throat
• Ajna – at the eyebrow centre.

Physically, each chakra corresponds to:

• a particular region of the body
• a major nerve plexus
• specific endocrine glands
• a sense organ.

In the yoga tradition some chakra meditations utilise visualisation. The chakras are visualised as and
symbolised by lotus flowers. The lotus flower symbolises human growth from low states of
awareness to higher states of consciousness. The culmination of growth is a beautiful lotus flower.
On a psychic and symbolic level, each chakra has 5 components:

• a lotus flower with a specific number of petals

• a characteristic colour
• a mantra
• a yantra or a geometric shape
• an animal symbol

Each chakra also has a psychological aspect which influences behaviour, thoughts and
emotional patterns.
Dr Rishi Vivekananda in his book Practical Yoga Psychology puts it this way.

“Mooladhara chakra deals in general with one’s personal security, with getting and keeping money
and material possessions, and some say with the aspect of sexuality or reproducing progeny.

Swadhisthana chakra deals with joy, humour, the enjoyment of sexuality and seeking pleasure in
general.

Manipura chakra deals with personal power, dynamic action to getting things done, self-esteem.

Anahata chakra, the heart chakra, deals with love, compassion, emotions and other feelings.

Vishuddhi chakra, among a number of things, deals with communication and interpersonal
relationships.

Ajna chakra deals with intellect, intuition, wisdom, certain higher powers and psychic abilities.”
Evolving through the chakras
The chakras are often viewed as a pathway, starting at Mooladhara and finishing at Sahasrara, for
evolving awareness and consciousness. It is said that Mooladhara is the first (and lowest) centre in a
human incarnation, whereas in animals it is the highest centre. There are chakras existing below
Mooladhara; however, they are present only in animals. They don’t exist in humans because they
have been transcended.

In humans, the lower centres become Mooladhara and Swadhisthana from where the qualities of
security and sexuality arise. The higher centres are the more refined human qualities of love,
communication, intuition and intellect.

It is common to think of the chakras from low to high not only the vertical plane but also in terms of
consciousness.

Evolution in your own hands

Unlike animals, we have the ability to evolve consciously. By understanding the chakra systems and
the qualities of our own chakras we gain insight into our own level of evolution. With yoga we have
the gift of being able to develop the varying aspects of the chakras and thus become a more balanced,
awake and aware human being.

As Swami Satyananda says in Kundalini Tantra

“When the chakras are awakened the mind automatically changes. Your values in life also change
and the quality of your love and relationships improve immensely, enabling you to balance out the
disappointment and frustrations in life. Therefore you are able to live a little higher than you do now,
and your attitude towards yourself and towards this life is much better.

“If awakening of the chakras can bring about unbreakable unity in your family, what more do you
need? Frankly, man needs a happy mind and a happy family. It does not matter what he does or what
his children are. Does it really matter if there is little to eat? Happiness and inner contentment are
above all. And as far as I can see, true contentment can only be gained by a systematic awakening of
the chakras.”

Ultimately in yoga we are working with the chakras. Every asana or yoga posture affects a certain
chakra. Pranayama, mudras, bandhas, yoga nidra, mantra repetition and meditation all affect the
chakras. While each of us is likely to already be dominant in one or two particular chakras, it is not
advised to work on developing one particular chakra at a time.

In Satyananda Yoga we recommend working with all of the chakras together so that the effect is one
of balanced awakening.
Chakra Meditation