Two Core Practices to Begin Living from Your Inner Flame
An insert from Shantree’s forthcoming book: Elemental Wisdom: Living on Life-Force
Shantree Kacera, RH, DN, Ph.D.
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
~Rumi
Much like the translucent wings of a dragonfly revealing hidden colours in the sun, these two core practices help you step into the luminous steadiness of your inner flame. This is the essence of Elemental Wisdom: Listening to the Life-Force. It is the realization that the inner flame is always present and always waiting to be awakened through the elements of Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Ether. For decades, I have listened with the body, with the nervous system, and 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 and 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, followed by a sense of ease when I walked barefoot in the soil or sat quietly and attended to my breath. I would notice tension in the shoulders or spine dissolve after allowing the body to move in gentle waves, not from effort but from a simple surrender to the intelligence of Water. The flame of focus or insight would appear after a few intentional exhalations, the inner Fire offering a spark of clarity that arrived without strain or fatigue. These small attentions became markers of alignment for me, signs that revealed where life-force was flowing and where it had been blocked.
Over the years, observing my own patterns revealed a profound truth. Vitality is not created through willpower or external effort. It is allowed. It is cultivated by returning to the rhythms and intelligence that the body, the mind, and the environment naturally provide. It is strengthened through a quiet dialogue between the elements within and the elements outside. The soil underfoot, the quality of light, the shifting temperature of the air, and the turning of the seasons all shape the way life-force moves.
I have witnessed this same truth in the people I work with. Many arrive carrying an exhaustion that cannot be resolved through caffeine, discipline, or more demanding schedules. Their bodies and minds are overloaded, yet beneath that depletion lies a deep capacity for restoration. When attention is directed toward elemental alignment, Air begins to circulate, Fire begins to clarify, Water begins to soften, Earth begins to ground, and Space begins to hold. The system remembers its own intelligence. The inner flame brightens. Vitality returns in a way that is unmistakably regenerative, subtle at first and then undeniable 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.
Fire-in-the-Belly Breathing: A Flowing Step-by-Step Practice
Begin by finding a comfortable seat, either on the floor or in a chair, with your spine long and your feet or sit-bones grounded. Let your shoulders soften and place one or both hands over your lower belly. Take a moment to settle, letting the body arrive before the breath deepens.
Gently notice your natural breathing. Feel where the breath moves without trying to change it — the chest rising, the ribs expanding, or the belly shifting under your hands. This simple awareness begins the transition inward.
Now inhale slowly through the nose, guiding the breath down into the belly so your hands rise with each expansion. Imagine this inhale feeding a warm, steady flame deep in your core. Let the warmth spread without force.
On the exhale, release the breath smoothly through the nose or softly parted lips. As the breath leaves, draw the navel slightly inward, as though you’re gathering the strength and focus of that inner flame. Keep it gentle and natural.
Continue this breathing — warm, expansive inhale; focused, steady exhale — for two to five minutes. Let the rhythm become wave-like, each breath stoking your inner fire while grounding you more deeply in your center.
As the minutes pass, notice any sense of heat, clarity, or quiet power building in the belly. If the breath feels strained, soften the inhale and lengthen the exhale just a bit. Aim for ease, not effort.
When you’re ready to close, release the technique and return to natural breathing. Keep your hands on the belly for a few final moments and feel the presence of that steady inner warmth. Let it inform the way you stand, speak, and move into the rest of your day.
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.
