Find the best practices for your sign • Yoga Basics

Your zodiac sign can tell a lot about your temperament, your preferences, even how you react to stress and stimuli. So it’s no wonder that so many people believe that you can maximize the potential of your body and mind by tailoring your workouts, including yoga and meditation, to your zodiac sign. We find it most helpful to focus on the qualities of the four astrological elements to help refine, support and deepen your yoga practice and create a peaceful and happy life.
what is your sign
Almost everyone is familiar with the Western astrological system and knows which sign they belong to. There are twelve astrological signs and your zodiac is determined by your birthday. If you’re not sure about your birth sign, you can find tons of information about astrology and horoscopes online and even create your own birth chart.
Vedic astrology
Although we focus our guidance on the Western astrological system, we cannot ignore the importance of Vedic astrology, which is based on ancient Hindu scriptures. Vedic astrology (also known as Jyotish) has been practiced in India for thousands of years and has recently gained popularity. This system places great emphasis on the positions of the planets at the time of a person’s birth and their influence on a person’s life and personality.
If you are interested in combining Vedic astrology with the practice of yoga, it is important to consult with a practitioner who specializes in this system. They will be able to provide you with personalized recommendations based on your birth chart and specific needs.
Four elements
Each sign of the Zodiac corresponds to one of the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Although the elements are a major part of your horoscope, they can tell you a lot about yourself and how you react to people and events. By learning more about your guiding element, you can create a yoga program that best suits your mind, spirit, and body.
The element of fire
Fire signs are very energetic, competitive, independent, passionate and full of enthusiasm. Fire signs include Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Fire signs love to be challenged because they are very competitive, so a dynamic, active, energetic and advanced yoga practice is best for this element. They love to work up a sweat doing hot yoga, but struggle in a meditation class and have trouble sitting still. Lighted candles and meditation based on compassion will be most helpful for fire signs.
The element of fire is associated with the energy center of the third chakra. This chakra governs our personal power, will, transformation and self-esteem. Check out our list of all the asanas that activate and balance the third chakra.
Water
Water signs are emotional, creative, fluid, intuitive and responsive. Although they are great at meditating, they tend to be sensitive and easily overwhelmed. Signs associated with water are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Water signs are uniquely receptive, so mindfulness and meditation are great mood boosters. Water signs like to be challenged, but they like to take things slow, so a long 90-minute Yin or Hatha yoga class with long poses is perfect for this group. Water signs are very go-with-the-flow, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be driven and focused! Water signs can quickly reach a meditative state when they’re near a body of water, so going on a yoga retreat by the ocean or lake would be fantastic.
The water element is associated with the energy center of the second chakra. This chakra governs our emotions, creativity, sensuality and intuition. Check out our list of all the asanas that activate and balance the second chakra.
Earth element
Earth signs are deeply connected to mother earth, loyal, stable, reliable and rooted in the present moment. Earth signs include Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. They are the most down-to-earth representatives of the Zodiac, but they can be rigid, stubborn and inflexible when under pressure. Use grounding poses like Mountain, Squat, and Triangle to bring some stability to your life and yoga practice. Focusing on the weight of your feet during yoga will help you stay grounded and focused, and avoid the stress of a more rigid view of the world. Earth signs are best suited to a style of yoga with a structured and consistent sequence, such as Ashtanga Yoga or Sivananda Yoga. Standing or walking meditation will be most nourishing for this element.
The earth element is associated with the energy center of the first chakra. This chakra governs our sense of safety, security, groundedness and stability in our lives. Check out our list of all the asanas that activate and balance the first chakra.
Air element
Air signs, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, flighty, creative, expansive, and never tend to fixate on one thing. If you find it difficult to calm down during meditation and find it boring to stick to a daily routine, your zodiac sign may be to blame. Combine this with many different styles in your yoga practice. Instead of buying a lot of gear you won’t use, take online classes and challenge yourself to do a new pose every week to keep things interesting. The best practices for this element will be pranayama and vinyasa or flow yoga. The most useful for this element will be meditation outside or in a room with open windows to let in fresh air.
The element of air is associated with the energy center of the seventh chakra. This chakra governs our spirituality, intuition, nervous system and brain. Check out our list of all the asanas that activate and balance the seventh chakra.
Yoga practices for your sign
Once you have a general idea of how your astrological element affects your yoga practice, you can fine-tune your approach to your specific sign using the chart below. Although the chakra centers of certain zodiac signs overlap, we have listed the main chakra centers associated with each sign. In addition, these recommendations are general and may not be suitable for everyone. It is important to listen to your body and choose the practices that suit you.
Western zodiac sign | Earth element | Chakra center | Personal traits | Recommended yoga/meditation practices |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aries | Fire | Solar plexus | Confident, assertive, energetic | Kundalini yoga, breathing work, dynamic meditation |
Taurus | Earth | Root | Patient, grounded, practical | Hatha yoga, Yin yoga, Walking meditation |
twins | air | throat | Inquisitive, communicative, adaptive | Pranayama, chanting, mantra meditation |
Cancer | water | Sacred | Intuitive, educated, emotional | Restorative yoga, mindfulness meditation, love and kindness meditation |
Leo | Fire | Heart | Brave, generous, creative | Bhakti yoga, guided visualization, self-compassion meditation |
Virgo | Earth | Solar plexus | Detail-oriented, analytical, practical | Iyengar yoga, mindfulness meditation, yoga nidra |
Balance | air | heart | Diplomatic, Harmonious, Social | Partner yoga, love and kindness meditation, gratitude practice |
Scorpio | water | Sacred | Intense, passionate, transformative | Kundalini yoga, tantric meditation, shadow work |
Sagittarius | Fire | The third eye | Adventurous, philosophical, optimistic | Vinyasa yoga, guided visualization, mindfulness meditation |
Ibex | Earth | Root/solar plexus | Ambitious, disciplined, responsible | Yin yoga, pranayama, conscious movement |
Aquarius | air | The third eye | Independent, innovative, humanitarian | Kundalini yoga, breathing work, mantra meditation |
Pisces | water | Crown | Creative, intuitive, compassionate | Gentle yoga, yoga nidra, visualization meditation |
Conclusion
Whatever your guiding element, yoga offers a great workout for your body as well as peace of mind. Combining practices that work best for your element with yoga is a great way to challenge yourself and see yourself in a whole new light. However, it is important to understand that we are affected by all four elements. While you should adapt the main element of your yoga practice into your chart, that doesn’t mean that using the above techniques for other elements can’t be beneficial.