The Fire Element Series

Fire is the element of the Heart -- of joy, warmth and connection. In the Five Elements, Fire relates to the Heart and Small Intestine, which govern the quality of our inner life, the clarity of our perception, and the warmth we extend to ourselves and others.

When Fire moves freely, we feel alive, joy comes naturally, relationships carry a level of ease and the heart knows what truly matters. When it is depleted or scattered, we feel disconnected, restless, or unable to find our center.

In these four sessions, we open the heart, cultivate joy as a practice , and teach the body to radiate and receive with ease.

WHAT WE WILL EXPLORE TOGETHER

JUNE 2 

Igniting the Heart

Opening the door to a new element

We arrive at Fire from the rising energy of Wood - from roots and courage into warmth and openness. Before the heart can fully express, it needs safety. This session opens the pericardium, the heart's protector, creating the conditions for genuine connection to emerge.

Five Element Transition: From Wood to Fire, spring to summer, liver and gall bladder into heart and small intestine. 

Begin Again at the Root: Revisit the Standing Like a Tree posture and the meditative qualities of deep abdominal breathing.

Grasp Sparrow's Tail: Returning to the Wood Element sequence with fresh eyes and settled roots. Exploring the sequence.

Heart and Pericardium meridians: Pathways of Fire energy in the body.

Opening the Pericardium:  Qigong to open the heart protector, creating safety and ease around the heart center.

JUNE 16

The Open Heart

Joy as a practice, not a destination

Fire Element teaches that joy is not something that happens to us; it is a quality we cultivate. This session works directly with the heart, calming and nourishing before expanding.  The Ha sound - the voice Fire - is introduced.

Explore the Fire Element and the Heart System. Learn how Qigong theory sees the heart and the heart system. Explore its qualities.

Calm the Heart: Qigong to settle, soothe, and create spaciousness in the heart center.

The Ha Sound: The sound of Fire, taught as a practice to open joy, release tension, and awaken the heart.

Threading the Needle: Learn a Taiji/Qigong Silk Reeling exercise that combines and unites Wood and Fire Elements, cultivating the root and rising to the sky.

JULY 7

Nourishing the Heart and Shen

The spirit that lives in the heart

The Shen - the spirit that resides in the heart - is the most profound aspect of Fire Element. When the Shen is nourished, the eyes are bright, the mind is clear, presence flows naturally. This session goes deeper, tending the heart not just as an organ but as the home of your spirit.

Nourishing the Heart and Shen: Qigong to deepen heart health, brighten the spirit and restore the quality of presence.

Small Intestine: The gift of knowing what nourishes and what does not, sorting the pure from the impure.

Deepening the Taiji Sequence: Revisit Grasp Sparrow's Tail and Threading the Needle. Finding the heart center within the movement.

Fire Element and the Nervous System: The neuroscience of joy, social connection, and the open heart.

JULY 21

Heart & Kidneys - Fire and Water

The great conversation at the center of the body

Fire and Water are the great balancing forces -- Heart and Kidney in continuous dialogue, warmth and depth in dynamic harmony. This closing session of the Fire Element weaves all four sessions into one continuous practice that honors the elemental balance that sustains us.

Heart and Kidneys: Balance Heart Fire and Kidney Water, the foundational axis of health in Chinese medicine.

Review Fire Element practice: Weaving the practice together.

Closing Meditation: Standing Posture, the essence of Fire, gratitude for the season.