A Single Practice to Begin Living on Life-Force

An insert from Shantree’s forthcoming book: Elemental Wisdom: Living on Life-Force

Shantree Kacera, RH, DN, Ph.D.

I have spent decades listening with the body, with the nervous system, with the subtle intelligence that whispers through every breath and every sensation. It was in this listening that I first became aware of the elements as living, guiding forces within me. Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Ether were companions, shaping my energy, my mood, my clarity, and my vitality long before I had words for them.

My earliest experiences of life-force were subtle, often invisible to the untrained eye, yet unmistakable in my own body. I would feel a heaviness that was stagnation, and a subsequent ease when I walked barefoot in the soil or sat quietly, attending to my breath. I would notice tension in the shoulders or spine dissolve after allowing the body to move in gentle waves, not in effort, but in surrender to the intelligence of Water. The flame of focus or insight would appear after just a few intentional exhalations, a spark of Fire that carried clarity without fatigue. These small attentions became the markers of alignment for me, signposts that revealed where life-force flowed and where it had been blocked.

Over the years, observing my own patterns revealed a profound truth: vitality is not produced by willpower or external effort. It is allowed. It is cultivated by returning to the rhythms and intelligence that the body, mind, and environment naturally provide. It is reinforced by a subtle dialogue between the elements within and the elements outside, the soil underfoot, the light that enters the eyes, the temperature of the air, and the rhythm of seasons.

I have also witnessed this truth in the people I work with. Often, they arrive carrying exhaustion that cannot be remedied by caffeine, willpower, or schedules. Their bodies and minds are overloaded, and yet beneath that exhaustion lies a deep capacity for self-restoration. When attention is redirected toward elemental alignment, Air to circulate, Fire to clarify, Water to softenEarth to ground, Space to hold, the system remembers its own intelligence. Vitality returns in a way that is unmistakably regenerative, subtle at first, and then unmistakable in its presence.

One Practice

There is one practice I return to every day, a practice that can shift everything: conscious grounding and breath alignment. It takes only a few minutes, yet it is a doorway into the living current of life-force. Before the world stirs, before fully rising, I place my hands on my lower abdomen. I draw the inhale deep into the belly, and with the exhale, I sink downward—into the support of the Earth beneath me. I feel the weight of my body, the quiet pulse of vitality flowing through every cell, the subtle rise and fall of breath like a secret rhythm that has always been here. In these moments, the nervous system softens, awareness centers, and the day’s natural flow begins to align with my body.

From this grounded place, Water moves. I notice where tension clings, where the body resists, and I allow it to spiral gently, to soften, to release. The spine stretches subtly, shoulders melt, joints lubricate. At first, the gestures are nearly imperceptible—but within them is a profound fluidity, a liberation of energy, thought, and feeling. Fire emerges through breath and focus, igniting clarity, drive, and purpose without strain. Air circulates freely, carried by movement and attention, clearing stagnation, opening perception. Space is held intentionally, in pauses and moments of reflection, giving the other elements room to dance and harmonize.

I have watched countless students and clients begin with just this one practice. Day after day, morning after morning, they return to the body with presence. Over weeks, their energy transforms: tension softens, thought sharpens, and a natural vitality arises. This is the doorway to elemental living: deceptively simple, yet profoundly transformative. One practice, a few minutes a day, can awaken the body, illuminate the mind, and connect the spirit to the living pulse of life itself.

Your Invitation

As the seasons turn and a new year approaches, I feel the cycle calling for renewal and alignment. This is why Lorenna and I created the 8-Week Immersion into Elemental Living, Eco-Somatic Intelligence, and Regenerative Vitality. It is a living, embodied laboratory for exploring the principles of elemental alignment together. In this space, you will practice listening to your body, moving with the intelligence of the elements, and cultivating the subtle, regenerative energy that is always available when you attend to it.

The immersion is designed as a pathway from this single practice of grounding and breath alignment into a broader, integrated way of living. You will learn to weave Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Space into daily life, to cultivate eco-somatic intelligence, and to enter the new cycle with clarity, coherence, and renewed vitality. It is an invitation to step into a rhythm of life that regenerates rather than depletes, to return to the intelligence that has always been within you, and to begin the year aligned with life-force as a living reality.

I invite you to join us. To return to yourself. To experience the subtle yet profound effects of elemental living in the company of others who are walking the same path. The journey is about remembering, reclaiming, and living from the vitality that has always been yours. From a single morning breath to a full immersion in life-force, the path is open. All that is required is willingness, attention, and the courage to notice.

Start here. Breathe. Ground. Listen. And allow the elements to guide the way. The rest of the journey will unfold naturally, and the invitation to explore it with Lorenna and me stands ready for anyone who wishes to step into alignment with their own life-force in the new year.