This week we go on exploring the four elements. After the passion of Fire, it’s time for us to dive into the deep purification of Water.

When I feel stressed after a working day, or after simply being with too many people, I go and take a long shower. I love to see it as a special self care moment. I put some calm, but powerful music on, light a few candles, grab my favorite towel and I enter this quite meditative state. I set the water temperature to rather high, because to me, warm water is protective, loving, comforting. I am now ready to let Water do its magic. Let me share this practice with you. I call it my cleansing meditation.

As I let the water running from top to bottom, and I envision it washing all away. I focus on each part of my body. I am perfectly conscious that the water is only running on the outside of my body, but I try to envision each part of my body being cleansed too.

• I begin with my head, my thoughts, my mind, my meandering analysis… it takes me a while, because I stocked there everything that happens during the day, and it need to be ordered a bit. I acknowledge what needs to be acknowledge, release what is not required to stay. Until I am back to inner peace, to the calmness of thoughts.
• Then, I move to my shoulders, I acknowledge the weight I put on them during my day, piece by piece. I am now and here in a safe place, I don’t need to wear is anymore. I release it, washing it all away. I can feel my muscles relaxing under the action of the warm water, this waterfall of cleansing water coming from my shower head. My neck can move more easily, I don’t need to control anything anymore, I just go with the flow. I start breathing more easily, as I don’t feel this heaviness anymore.
• Next step is to focus on my lungs. I take deep breaths, envisioning clean fresh air coming in, filling my lungs, taking all the remaining particles of stress away, allowing my lungs to expand. I usually take deep inspirations, envisioning this clean fresh air, then hold it for 5 to 6 seconds, to allow it to do its job, and exhale through my mouths with strength, in order to let it go. I do it 3 to 4 times, until I feel my respiration is far easier. The water drops in the air bring this extra cleansing, in my mind anyway.
• Now is the time to focus on my heart. I can feel it pulsating calmly by now, and I can let all the emotions go too. I free it from everything I felt during my day. And I focus on the circulation of this clean stream of blood it sends through my whole body. This is when I usually let go of overwhelming emotions. In particularly tough days, I can let my tears go to. Connecting my inner water to the one cleaning my body from outside… I stay there, until I feel an harmony between my inner flow and the waterfall still flowing from above my head.
• I then move my attention to my stomach, to my bowel, to my lower abdomen… What do I need to digest from this day, from this event? I try to really be honest with myself… Once I found what really was difficult for me to digest, I let it go, I let it be washed away too. I acknowledge its reality, I don’t need it to bother me anymore. It can go away.
• Usually at that time of the meditation, I focus on my spine, moving slightly my body so that the warm water can massage it. I need to take care of my backbone, as it allows me to stand up, it brings me the solid structure to build my whole self from, being flexible when required, but strong. I try to have the water run on each of my vertebraes. They are part of a whole, they support each other and together they offer me a solid frame. I thank them for that.
• I move to my hips, my pubic area, contracting and release my perinea, center of my body. I like to envision the water going from the top of my head to my perinea, cleaning this pillar which is my spine. My perinea is the base of it.
• I then focus on my legs, making a stop by my knees, thanking them to support me. I release any tension I may feel there, focusing on these words in my head « I am fully supported, I support myself fully ».
• Now is the time to close the meditation, I envision a last time the water running through my whole body, and I let it go through my finger tips and my toes, joining the warm water running on my body, to be released and letting me be cleanse from inside out.
• And I take a last deep breath before stopping the water, wrapping my in my towel and going to make me a good up of my favorite tea of the moment. I feel at peace.

So here it is. I hope you can try it and enjoy this as much as I do.

You can also do it a sole meditation practice. You can go through the whole process without standing under a shower, just envisioning a waterfall going from the top of your head through your body.

Water is also the element of emotions, of cycles. I decided a while ago to go with the flow, to listen to what I feel and act accordingly. I feel in harmony with myself. And if I can’t, for whatever reason, I hold on, thinking about the good shower I will take when back home.

On my darkest days, I shut my emotions. It was a matter of survival, truly. I needed to get out of the place I was in my life, and I thought I wouldn’t be able to do so if I listen to everything I could feel. It was my way of dealing with those events and I learned a lot. I also actually got out and when time has come, I could open again to my emotions. It took me some time to align myself again with the intensity of some of them, but I embraced the process. I now welcome each of my emotions, as they are mine. They are part of my own life experience. They are landmarks of my journey. I don’t try to repress them or to judge them. They all have something to teach me. And each of them is valuable. The palette of my emotions is what makes me who I am. And I am thankful to be able to feel the way I do.

So this week, let Water guide you. Embrace your emotions, purify yourself inside out, and enjoy the cycle of life! Because you deserve it.

The card

Second one of the elemental card! I went with the idea of a soft wave, with some depth. it’s a simple design, but these cards are more about the essence than the representation. I hope you’ll like it.

My journey

Our journal

I wish you a good and beautiful week. Next week, we will explore Air!