Cultivating the fire element.
The fire element is connecting with the beginning of summer.
And like most people associate it through different systems,
It's connected to the energy of the heart.
In the heart,
We connect with turning feelings of hope.
Anger or hate into love and compassion and a feeling of openness.
Openness to everything around us.
Openness to different friendships and people.
Openness to nature and to things that nurture us.
So as you notice in this practice,
I really want you to focus on we're going to be doing a lot of movements that kind of feel like they're opening up the heart center,
The chest,
The upper torso,
And really just get in the feeling of just being open,
Relaxing with the exhales.
First one we're gonna do is just kind of warm up as they say the kind of the whole torso with what they call spinal cord breathing so you're gonna tuck in your tailbone tuck in the chin round out the back make loose fists Then as you inhale,
Once again,
This feeling of just Expanding the chest,
Gentle arch of the back,
Opening to the sky.
Exhale,
Tuck in the tailbone,
Tuck in the chin,
Round out the back,
Make loose fists.
Inhale,
We push off the feet,
Do a bit of like a thrust through the hips.
Feeling of being closed off.
Being annoyed,
Angry.
Hating into opening.
Feeling joy.
Connection.
Creating space on a physical level.
On a psychological level.
Spiritual level.
Now let's move into some flowing practices.
Have like a small ball down by your lower abdomen below your navel as you're going to rise like you bring it up in front of you.
Then bring it out,
Palms up.
And then a transition between inhale and exhale,
Palms face out,
And you just gently bring it down.
Rise.
And relax.
Open the end of the exhale.
You want to feel very relaxed through the body.
At the end of this inhale,
A real feeling of opening through the upper torso.
Opening the heart center.
A couple more.
Now we're going to use a practice that's a little bit similar.
This time what's going to happen is you're going to bring both hands up,
Palms are down.
When he gets to shoulder height,
You just bring them out to the sides.
Transition,
Inhale and exhale,
Palms are up.
You drop.
Rise,
Back out.
And we'll come back down.
So we inhale.
And exhale.
And just relax.
Do this two more times.
Relax into your body.
One last one on this movement.
Next movement they call compressing the purl.
It's more like a feeling of.
.
.
Crane flying so you want to visualize as if it's a big wings of a bird flying.
We're just connecting it with the breath.
So once again,
It's this feeling of having a small ball.
As you inhale.
Arms come up and out.
And as you exhale,
They just bring it back in.
Connect with the feeling that the arms.
.
.
Just like the wings of a crane.
Slow motion whip.
Nice,
Loose,
And relaxed.
Once again,
This feeling of openness.
Open,
Connected.
A couple more.
Once again,
The next movement will feel a bit similar with a very small little.
.
.
Kind of change,
Bring the arms out in front of you.
As you inhale.
Let the arms come out as if you're just holding a humongous beach ball.
Expand the chest.
Exhale.
Bring it back.
Open.
And then once again kind of weightless quality to the arms,
Like the wings of a.
.
.
Large bird.
Calming that kind of fire quality of the heart.
Transforming anger and hatred.
Into joy.
Kindness.
Balancing your emotional energy.
These nice gentle flowing movements.
And relax.
Bringing the hands in now.
Once again,
As if you're.
.
.
Feel that connection between the hands.
You don't want them too close.
You don't want them too far apart.
Once again,
This feeling of like a small ball.
Small football,
Basketball.
Feel that connection with the heart center.
Once again,
It's not the physical heart.
It's what we call the heart center through the Eastern traditions.
Center of the chest.
So as you inhale.
It's like the body expands with the inhale and the ball expands like a balloon blowing up.
Exhale.
You close,
You compress the ball,
All while feeling your awareness is at the heart center.
Open and close.
And three more.
Last one.
And then bringing the hands down,
Relax.
And just to close off the practice.
Going to raise up.
Let the hands come above the head.
Just three times,
Keeping the mind with the hands,
Just relax the body on the way down,
Softening.
Connect to this feeling with yourself.
Opening the heart.
Transforming.
Kindness and compassion.
Whether it be for yourself,
Be for others.
They say opening that heart center.
Everything.
Other people in your life,
To nature.
To your higher self.
And bring the hands inside front of the heart.
And bring a sense of gratitude.
Gratitude for being alive,
Being healthy.
For the legs that carry you around.
For friends and family.
For nature.
And take this quality with you for the rest of the day.
And remember,
You could always connect with this practice whenever you feel needed.
Thanks for joining.
