The five elements are the basis of all life: space, earth, wind, fire and water. Our planet is made up of them, our bodies are made up of them, and our minds also function on the basis of the five elements. An imbalance leads to disturbances and thus to illness and mental problems such as stress, anxiety or depression. With the practices of the five elements, we rebalance our elements.
Everything is based on the five elements, including our bodies and our emotions. If there is too much fire, anger increases. Without earth, we lack grounding. Too much earth makes us lethargic or proud. Tibetan medicine is based on knowledge of the connection between the elements, the body, the mind and the environment. In Tibetan five-element practices, as the name suggests, everything revolves around bringing the five elements within us into balance. The Tibetan doctor and high teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche, has put together a small series of exercises that help us do just that.
The five element movements of Lu Jong are undoubtedly at the heart of this practice: exercises with beautiful names such as ‘How the yak rubs its shoulder’, ‘How the falcon turns in the wind’ or ‘How a new mountain arises between four continents’ bring peace to body and mind. With additional exercises such as deep breathing, five-element (self-)massage, five-element-based mindfulness meditation and five relaxation positions – one for each element – we relax more and more and enter into inner stillness and clarity.
A simple and very effective practice.
