A Week Long Mini-Journal into the Ether Element
As part of an assignment in a therapeutic/rehabilitative yoga course I’m taking, I had to look a one of the basic five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether/space) and observe its presence in my yoga practice, teaching and in life, and to journal about it. We chose the elements out of a hat, so it was a surprise choice and not an intentional one. I selected the “Ether element” or sometimes translated as “the Element of Space.”
Of the five elements, this is the most abstract, the least tangible, so it felt like an interesting challenge for me. Beyond the basics, essentially that ether is both everything and nothing, I was not really sure how this element would impact me and my practice.
Here are my notes from the week I spent living with and exploring this element.
Friday thoughts
I substituted a class this morning and then had a busy day preparing for Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath, which we observe traditionally), so I didn’t get to my own practice to explore this element. I did take a bit of time with texts to see what Iyengar had written about it to understand a bit more about ether. Some of my confusion with the word ether is associated with the chemical compound versus the classical element. Though I know they are different, I’ve never explored the subject in depth.
In Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, I see that ether/space is associated with Anadamaya Kosha (the Innermost Layer of the Self), sound, the “I” consciousness, Intelligence, and the Top brain. He uses the word “ethereal” which, with the “sound” link, suddenly brought to mind so many associations of my own.
Back when I was a young woman, dancing ballet, I performed in a ballet called “Les Sylphides” over the course of a few years, with different roles and with different companies. The ballet, choreographed by Michael Fokine and set to music of Chopin, is a quintessential display of “ethereal.” It is a plot-less ballet, abstract and about mood and movement. The sylphs are dressed in white, with little wings. My solo was the prelude and it was all about listening, lightness, and moving effortlessly through space. The connection to sound and ethereal imagery really stand out to me and give me ideas for practice.
Saturday Musings
Ether is space, but can it be time? Is it the void?
The space in between.
Sound needs space to travel, everything needs space. Expansion versus compression. Moving between the narrow spaces.
Sunday Practice – Ether Element through Sound
I want to explore the idea of sound in practice. I’m using a pratyahara bandage over the eyes and ears to help reduce visual stimulation and bring awareness to sound, especially inner sound. The practice is a reclining pranayama practice on support.
Initially outer sound dominated, but also physical sensations – touch, contact with clothes. Eventually, awareness shifted to inner sounds. Breath, pulse, stomach noises, even a little snore from myself which startled me awake as I had begun to drift.
I finished my practice with making my Tibetan Bowl sing and then listening to the sounds eventually fade.
Monday Practice – Ether Element in Sound and Movement
More sound explorations. I started my practice with chanting the vowels along the chakras to help open and awaken the inner body.
Movement in space.
Today’s asana practice is a dynamic practice with jumpings and moving through different planes of movement.
I practiced primarily standing postures, and quite a few twists. Twisting the body gives a complex orientation of the body in space. It challenges the brain.
Inversions also challenge our orientation in space – what is up, what is down? That which stays primarily oriented in the inner space (our organs), yet our limbs have different actions. The body’s search for equilibrium.
Are the inner and outer space separate? Where are the points of co-mingling?
Tuesday – Teaching with Ether Element Consciousness
I read that the ancient and medieval sciences (mostly Greek I think) also called ether “Quintessence.” Indeed, there is something quintessential about ether.
In my teaching, I oriented the opening meditations on ether.
- Observing the outer space of the room/environment and the edges of self.
- Becoming aware of the openings of the body and transitioning to the inside.
- Meditating on the inner space – the actual cavities of the body, the organs, the sinews, the bones, the circuitry…
Wednesday – Meditations on Ether Element in Teaching
More concepts of ether through meditations in teaching. Subsequently, this led to a contemplation of different people’s energies impact on a space. Like, positive vibes or good energy and how that is held in space.
We are held in space. We are very stable. The physical and natural laws hold us here without our effort. How it feels to be on the ground versus in water.
Thursday – Dog in Ether
In today’s meeting for my course, some of our practice explored the same posture but represented in space differently. For example, in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog), we practiced it multiple ways…on the floor, on 4 blocks (one under each limb) and on two chairs (hands on one and feet on the other) to experience the change in the inner feeling.
One of my teachers spoke about how of the five elements Earth and Ether are inherently without movement. In order to bring change to them, the other elements (Water, Fire and Air), which have movement by nature, must be introduced to them.
In Conclusion
After living consciously with the Ether element for the past week, I can definitely say while I am more familiar with it, Ether remains elusive to me for complete understanding. One thing that did happen, though I didn’t write about it daily, but the awareness of ether actually brought greater consciousness to the other elements. I could feel earth, water, fire and air in the space that I had created, and felt much more comfortable in a physical practice when I allowed myself to channel those elements.
There is an expression that “Nothing exists in a vacuum,” and yet it seems that ether can be just that. The vacuum. Or it can be full of life, movement, growth, sound and energy. Ether is so impartial, without judgment, the container for life. As I continue to think about and explore the elements, I hope to fill my ether with a balance of elements and energy.