Water teaches us that nothing is ever truly static. We’re always in motion, breath to breath, moment to moment. Just as rivers carve their own path and oceans shift with the tides, our yoga practice can become an exploration of this constant flow within.
We love embracing water embodiment within our yoga practice, as it’s an invitation to move with more fluidity, to listen deeply to your body, and to let your time on your mat mirror the gentle, powerful nature of water.
THE POWER OF FLUIDITY IN YOUR YOGA PRACTICE:
Water embodies adaptability and transformation. When we bring this essence onto the mat, we soften the edges of our movements and allow for more intuitive expression. In yoga, this can look like flowing seamlessly from pose to pose, tuning into how your body wants to move, rather than rigidly following shapes.
Why it matters: Fluid, wave-like movements not only feel soothing, they also support the health of your fascia, which is the web of connective tissue that surrounds your muscles and organs. Like water flowing around rocks, fluid movement in yoga helps release tension and create space within the body.
✨ Try this: In your next practice, let your breath be the current that guides you. Soften transitions, and imagine moving like water - undulating, swirling, never forced.
THE WATER ELEMENT AND THE SACRAL CHAKRA
In the yogic tradition, water is connected to the Svadhisthana Chakra, also known as the sacral chakra, located in the lower belly and pelvis. This energy centre governs creativity, sensuality, and emotional flow. It’s also intimately linked to the hip space - often referenced as the emotional storage centre of the body - where we tend to hold unprocessed feelings. When we cultivate the water element in our practice, we’re not just supporting the sacral chakra, we’re also working with the hips to release stored emotions and find greater fluidity in both movement and life.
We explored this deep connection in our previous blog, The Connection Between Our Hips and Emotions.
If you’d like to explore this theme even further, you can enjoy our 7-day Into the Hips course for a deep dive into how the hips hold, release, and transform energy.
✨ Try our Svadhisthana Mandala class on the membership to invite this chakra’s watery energy to flow more and our 7-Day ‘Into The Hips’ Course.
MANDALA YOGA AND THE MAYAN WATER ELEMENT:
This month’s calendar features our Spicy Hips Mandala class - a perfect way to embody the water element in yoga, alongside many other Water Mandala practices available in the library.
Mandala yoga draws inspiration from circular, spiral patterns, reflecting the cyclical flow of water. These sequences often revolve around the mat, inviting you to move in all directions, just like the swirling currents of a river. In these mandala-inspired classes, you’ll find a beautiful balance of strength and surrender, supporting you to move fluidly and intuitively.
In Mayan cosmology, the water element is represented in the Tzolk'in calendar as a day sign known as Muluc (or “Offering”), symbolising purification, emotional flow, and the ever-shifting cycles of life. Muluc is directly associated with water and emotional purification, symbolising the flows of energy, both internal and external, and the ability to cleanse and renew. Just as water is a vital part of the natural cycle (rising, falling, changing course) so too is our own energy in practice. By moving in this circular, mandala-inspired way, we’re not just building strength and flexibility; we’re inviting an emotional cleansing, washing away what’s ready to go and making space for new currents to flow.
You can read more about Mandala Yoga in a previous blog post > HERE
SOUND HEALING AND THE WATER WITHIN
Another practice that perfectly embodies the water element is sound healing. The human body is more than 60% water, which means vibrations from sound can move through us like ripples in a pond.
When we settle into a sound bath (like the Resonant Waters Meditation with Sadé on the Membership this month), these vibrations resonate deeply within, shifting our internal waters and supporting emotional release.
✨ Why it matters: Sound healing isn’t just relaxing - it taps into the natural resonance of water within us, helping to balance our nervous system and bring a sense of deep calm and restoration.
YOUR INVITATION TO FLOW
Throughout July, you’ll find classes that honour the water element - dynamic flows to awaken your inner currents, yin-inspired shapes that let you soften and release, and moments of stillness that invite you to listen deeply (plus our top 6 recommended water element practices below).
Here’s a gentle invitation to bring water’s wisdom into your own practice:
💧 Let go of the need to “perfect” the shape. Instead, feel the movement, like a wave, always shifting.
💧 Take time to sit near water - whether it’s a river, the sea, or a quiet pond - and watch how it moves.
💧 Reflect on what’s stirring beneath your own surface. What’s ready to flow? What’s ready to be released?
A short water meditation to save:
Find a quiet moment to ground near water. Let your breath settle, and observe the water’s dance - soft ripples, gentle currents. Notice how it moves effortlessly, yet always finds its way.
Reflect:
🔸 What can the water teach me about letting go?
🔸 Where can I soften, flow, and trust more deeply?
🔸 How can I honour the water element in my practice this month?
When you’re ready, take that feeling back to the mat, let your body be the water, flowing, feeling, and free.
Wherever you are, may you move like water - soft yet strong, grounded yet fluid, always flowing forward.
Explore our suggested calendar this month to see multiple practices and styles of movement and meditation that encourage the embodiment of water within your yoga practice:
