Dear Friends,
Today we bring our exploration of the water element into direct practice.
Over the past two days, we have been getting familiar with the water element as qualities of cohesion and flow – what allows things to bind together while remaining changeable. The practice today offers a way to experience these qualities directly, through embodied awareness.
I invite you to listen to a guided meditation by Kim Allen. This meditation invites awareness of wetness, softness, and cohesion in the body, while also sensing the natural movement and flow of experience.
https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/18460 (30 minutes)
The practice begins by settling into the body and sensing contact and support, allowing the body to soften and rest. From there, attention is guided to places where the water element is easily felt – such as the mouth, eyes, skin, or any sense of moisture or fluidity. The meditation also explores how water softens earth: how cohesion allows form to hold together without becoming rigid.
As the practice unfolds, flow becomes a central theme. Sensations, thoughts, and impressions are invited to move like a stream – passing through without needing to be stopped or directed. Stability is still present, like sitting on a riverbank, while experience flows by.
Throughout the meditation, there is an emphasis on lightness and friendliness toward the mind. Wandering is met with gentle humor rather than correction, and barriers are allowed to soften rather than be forced open. In this way, the water element becomes a teacher – not just of movement, but of ease.
You are welcome to listen to the meditation in whatever posture feels supportive, adapting as needed to support ease.
A brief alternative practice
If you don’t have time for the full meditation today, you might pause for a few minutes and notice where you sense flow or softness in the body. Let sensations change without directing them. Simply notice how experience binds together and moves.
As you practice, you might notice:
- Where sensations seem to blend or flow rather than remain fixed
- How cohesion allows experience to feel connected rather than fragmented
- What it’s like to let experience move without needing to manage it
You are welcome to reply to the email or add a comment below to share what you notice. Your reflections may help others recognize something similar in their own experience and keep us connected as we explore together.
With good wishes,
Andrea