The Medicine Wheel of Yoga

Native Americans, Celts, Druids, African and South American Shamans, and Tibetan monks all acknowledge and make use of some version of the Medicine Wheel. In a yoga practice aligned with Earthly energies, the Medicine Wheel is a means of framing connections between directions, chakras, elements, ayurveda, and, of course, asana.

The Earth element corresponds to North, the color red, the winter season, and the full moon; it is the dimension of manifestation and grounding. Earth is embodied in the root chakra and root bandha.  

The Water element lives in the West, corresponds to vibrant orange, the season of autumn, and the waxing moon. Water is creativity, flexibility, and spontaneity concentrated in the sacral chakra.

Fire is the Southern, yellow element that is most pronounced during the summer months. Corresponding to the new moon and solar plexus, fire is uddiyana bandha and surya namaskar in yoga.

Air is emerald green and hails from the East. In the spring season, air is created by the space between winter's heaviness and summer's fire. Air is breath and heart-opening asana, fueled by lightness and intangibility.

Finally, ether exists above, below, and all around. It is in all seasons, and corresponds to blues and violets. In yoga practice, ether is throat-opening chants, third-eye opening visualization, and crown-opening meditation.

Similar to Ayurvedic philosophy's contention that a complete meal contains all flavors, a complete, universe-aligned yoga practice contains all five elements. The practitioner seeks and finds elemental balance on and off the mat by engaging in the Living Mandala [of] Yoga.