Dear Friends,
Today we bring our exploration of the fire element into direct practice.
Over the past two days, we have been getting familiar with fire as warmth, energy, and transformation – how it activates, digests, and powers movement. Today’s practice offers a simple way to sense this element directly, as it is already present in the body.
I invite you to listen to a short guided meditation offered by Sebene Selassie, Jon Aaron, and a third teacher, recorded during a teaching on the fire element.
https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/61161/ (17 minutes)
This meditation begins by orienting to fire as energy – the activity of the nervous system, the warmth of the body, the vitality that allows movement and responsiveness. Attention is guided toward direct sensations: heat related to contact, temperature shifts, and the general sense of aliveness in the body.
Fire is also explored as something shared and relational. The energy in the body is linked with the energy of the sun, plants, and the wider world – highlighting fire as a natural process. At the same time, the meditation acknowledges fire’s volatility: how energy can surge, surprise, or intensify, both internally and externally.
Rather than trying to increase or decrease fire, the practice invites simple awareness. We are encouraged to notice what happens when attention rests with this element – whether it feels steady, lively, warm, or changeable – and how awareness itself relates to those qualities.
You are welcome to listen in whatever posture feels supportive, and to engage with the practice at a level that feels manageable today.
A brief alternative practice (3-5 minutes)
If you don’t have time for the full meditation, you might try this simple practice:
- Pause and notice any sense of warmth, temperature, or energy in the body
- Feel areas that seem more activated, and areas that feel quieter
- Let sensations change on their own, without directing them
You might gently reflect: This is the fire element at work – energy responding to conditions.
Even a few minutes of noticing can help ground today’s exploration.
I would love to hear what you discover. You can reply to the email or post a comment to share a brief reflection.
With good wishes,
Andrea