Autism, Yoga + The Five Elements

Individuals with Autism practice yoga with PYR Ambassador Dan Weiseman in partnership with Freehorse Arts.

Earlier this year I had the privilege and honor to teach a series for FreeHorse Arts in my capacity as a Project Yoga Richmond Ambassador.

I have long held PYR’s mission near and dear to my heart, but FreeHorse Arts was a nonprofit organization unfamiliar to me. After becoming acquainted with them, I saw they had similar objectives as PYR: building community through online classes that included art programs and creative equine experiences for people with a diverse range of abilities. With the support of the Autism Society of Central Virginia, they invited us to offer an online yoga series. What a thrill it was to be a part of this exciting collaboration!

After speaking with Alex Ginsberg, Creative Director of FreeHorse Arts, I realized they were looking for a yoga experience that embodied the full nature of yoga. Not merely a class of stretches and poses, but something that would help students embrace their unique essence and be empowered by it, all while feeling a deeper connection to the world around them.

I consider this to be one of the fundamental lessons of yoga. We are all unique individuals with special talents and different life experiences, and yet we’re all here, sharing the same time and place, with common hopes and dreams, and a desire for a more easeful world. In yoga, the illusion of separation is considered the root of many of our individual and societal ills.

I crafted a series on the elements of yoga: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The ancient yogis believed we are comprised of these five elements, the composition of which was the recipe of who we are as individuals. While the advantage of modern science may make this belief seem antiquated, I believe looking at ourselves through this lens can offer a unique way of understanding ourselves and offers strategies for helping us find equanimity and our true nature.

At the beginning and end of each class, students were invited to share thoughts or feelings. This was always my favorite part of the class, to see their bright faces and hear their enthusiastic voices.

During the series, we used the tools of yoga, poses, pranayama, mudra, and meditation to explore each element:

• We found the space within ourselves to be ourselves with Ether.

• We played with the Air element, finding a lightness in our being and an openness to embracing joy.

• We stoked our inner Fire as a motivating force and practiced ways to raise it if we thought it needed a boost, or lower it if our fires were burning too high.

• We found fluidity within ourselves with the Water element to help find fluidity in our lives.

• We Earthed it out (bet you didn’t know earth was a verb) with a grounding class, to find a safe home within ourselves, and to replenish ourselves in rest and stillness.

Gosh I’m ready for shivasana now just writing that, so we’ll leave it here!

I want to thank everyone at PYR, FreeHorse Arts, and the Autism Society of Central VA for making it all happen. And of course, many thanks to the students, such bright lights and my teacher’s all.

Dan Weiseman, PYR Ambassador