Elemental Nidra

Total Yoga Nidrā Practices to honour each of the five elements

Recorded live at waterside and hearth by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli PhD

This set of recordings is intended to encourage a welcome reconnection to the presence of the Five Elements (earth, water, fire, air and space) in the human body. The practices stand alone as powerful Yoga Elemental Nidra meditations for the restoration of rhythmic cycles, and for that reason were recorded live in nature, to communicate a lived experience of proximity to and immersion in each element.

The relationship between each element and each sense (earth/smell, water/taste, fire/sight, air/touch and space/hearing) is a fundamental understanding of the Samkhyan philosophical world view which underpins both yoga and ayurveda.

The sounds you can hear on the tracks are neither fabricated nor synthesised, but instead are the real live sounds of fire and water. All instruments were also played live at the time of the recording, which was created in a meditative state of awareness in the context of teaching a Total Yoga Nidrā Immersion course and Facilitator Training involving the practice of twenty different yoga Nidrā practices in two days. I hope you enjoy the result!

1. Introductory Invocation, from Uma – An introduction to the five elements, explaining the interface between the five bodies (kośas), the five senses and the structure of Total Yoga Nidrā. Uma presents an integrated view of Total Yoga Elemental Nidra in relation to elemental qualities, sensory input and the five dimensions of being. (06:38)
2. Earth Nidrā – recorded in the garden Mahavidya Sanctuary with singing bowls and wind chimes (27.24)
3. Water Nidrā – recorded by the Heaven’s Wood waterfall in a rainstorm, with handpan (17.57)
4. Fire Nidrā – recorded by a roaring fire with wind chimes (22.04)
5. Air Nidrā – recorded in the garden Mahavidya Sanctuary with wind chimes (20.33)
6. Space Nidrā – recorded in the garden Mahavidya Sanctuary with sansula and wind chimes (22.35)
7. Embodying All Five Elements – recorded in the garden Mahavidya Sanctuary with singing bowls and wind chimes (23.41)
8. Reflections On Five Elements And Five Bodies (16.06)