How has the 4th of July week been for you? 

Has it been a little frenetic? Or calm and peaceful?

For me, four nights straight with fireworks disrupting my sleep and a Tuesday holiday that interrupted my workflow has me a little (really, a LOT) ungrounded.

In fact, yesterday I had to email a few of my students a message entitled “I messed up!” because I taught an EMYoga class one hour early on Zoom (I taught it at my Saturday time and not my Wednesday time, on Wednesday.) 

Those students had all patiently waited for me on Zoom at the time I was supposed to teach.

Even funnier, another student actually showed up at that same (wrong) time so I just figured it was a holiday week, and therefore just a one person class.

In Chinese Five Element Theory, this time of year is Fire and I currently have the classic symptoms of Fire imbalance.

So, what can I do to help myself?

I can bring the element of Water into my energies because Water controls Fire.

Do you need to cool your Fire too?

Here are my top “watery activities” that help me ground, center and feel more calm when my blaze is too hot.

Seek Water:

Literally spending more time in or near water is a remedy!

Soak in the tub, go swimming, walk along the shore, go to the beach, have a session in a float tank; anything to do with water is good for us.

Practice Nonlinear Living:

Water is about ease and flow; in nature, water moves in curves, not straight lines.  For us, that means freeing ourselves from a linear structured lifestyle, as much as possible.

If you go for a walk, don’t have any particular destination in mind.

Maybe explore a new neighborhood or wander through a local park. 

Also you could look for opportunities to escape from a strict, regimented schedule in your daily life. As much as you can, give yourself more freedom rather than adhering to a rigid calendar.

Choose Downtime:

Probably the single most important thing we can do to boost our water element is daily downtime.

In our culture, hardly anyone takes true downtime. This does not mean hanging out on social media or zoning out, watching videos.

You may think these are helping you relax, but they’re not actually replenishing your energy.

Downtime is when every cell in your body relaxes with a deep grateful sigh!

It’s a long soak in the tub and a nap, a massage, meditation, or simply just gazing out the window and daydreaming.

Find Solitude:
Water symbolizes the time before birth and after death, when we’re not connected to other human beings. 

Find space each day for quiet solitude, where you’re all alone. You get extra points for doing something watery during that time, such as meditating, listening to music, bathing, etc.

Do watery activities sound good to you? 

For the next several days, I’m planning some solitude in a daily bath.

That way, I’ll show up to teach this Saturday’s EMYoga class ON TIME.