Ways To Connect With The 4 Elements Of Nature To Heal Yourself

There are many reasons why there is an increase in scientific research to try and prove the many advantages of getting us reconnected to nature. Forest bathing and Grounding techniques are as old as the hills, but science is starting to back them up.

They are beginning to prove that just simply by getting outside anyone can reap the benefits. One route that often gets overlooked is the act of embracing the elements. By elements I do not solely mean weather, although that's part of it too, I am talking in fact about air, water, earth, and fire.

There are three basic ways we can actively connect with the elements of wind, water, air, and fire:

• through mindfulness,
• through play, and
• through creativity. 

These four elements wind, water, air, and fire - do help contribute to our weather patterns. Although that is not the focus of this article, it is worth noting. Many of us use the weather as an excuse to not do something we have planned. What if we did it anyway? Are our activities truly weather-dependent?

The answer is, in reality, yes some of them are, but I truly believe we do use weather as a crutch to get out of things sometimes when that isn't always the case. Weather is unpredictable, it can teach us to be resilient and be in the flow, roll with the punches so to speak.

Just think if we could embrace it, what might we be opening ourselves up to in life? By knowing the elements more intimately we have a better chance of weathering the storms, the droughts, the floods, etc.

One could argue creating connections to the elements brings another level of natural healing in its own right. When looking across the different world cultures, historically speaking the elements have many associations.

The four elements are present in many ancient healing modalities; The native American medicine wheel, the ancient Greek s medicine system of the four humors, and the Ayurvedic tradition in India to mention a few.

I have learned the various components associated with each element, through my training as a soul coach, and just how each of those elements can be healing in their own way. 

The element of Air is associated with sound, music, and vibrations. It is the wind, smoke, feathers flying on the breeze. 

The element of Water is linked with emotions, with fluidity and flow, and the ebbs and tides of life. Water is rain, rivers, lakes, and oceans and our blood, our tears, and our sweat.

The element of Earth is the food we eat, the mud and sand between our toes, the flowers, and the trees that blanket it. It is the representation of our physical bodies.

The element of Fire is our spirit, our determination, courage, and creativity center. It is Roasting marshmallows by a campfire, snuggling under a blanket sipping hot cocoa, and reading a book, it is the colors you see in Fall, and the fires the burn in the heat of the summer. 

I just finished implementing a day camp program I designed for children ages six to eight, solely around ways we can embrace and engage in connection with the elements. So the suggestions I'm about to make are not exclusive to any age or gender. They can be done as a family as well as an individual practice.

Connecting to the Elements through Mindfulness

Mindful connection involves getting still, being acutely aware of what's happening at the moment, and maintaining a peaceful presence.

Practice these when you need a break from the business of everyday life when you need a time out from your family gathering.

They take mere seconds for some of them and can calm your nervous system if it's feeling overloaded. 

Mindful activities to connect with air

• Hum
• Breathwork
• Listening to the breeze
• Sing out loud
• Learn and listen to the different bird calls around you

Mindful activities to connect with water 

• Meditate on the water while having a shower or bath
• Just practice floating in a bathtub or pool
• Rain therapy
• Fall asleep listening to rain and thunderstorms real or recorded
• Have a good releasing cry allow your emotions to flow freely, in a safe space
• Drink flavored waters of your own making

Mindful activities to connect with Earth

• Learn the art of grounding
• Take a walk in the forest and listen to the leaves quiver and the trees creak
• Lie on the ground and listen for the earth's heartbeat
• Walk barefoot, on the sand or the grass, even mud and dirt
• Connect with crystals and earth gems
• Harvest your garden

Mindful activities to connect with Fire

• Sit and watch flames flicker from a candle
• Lie and sunbathe
• Meditate on your creative center or belly (womb) space
• Daydream about your future

Connecting to the Elements through Play

Allowing yourself to get playful is the only requirement. As adults, we forget the power of play, but it is so liberating when we can engage unapologetically in playful ways.

Playful activities to connect with air

• Go sailing, windsurfing, hang gliding, or parasailing
• Make music eg; Blow on empty bottles or blades of grass in between your thumbs
• Grab straws and a ping pong ball there are many games you can play with those two things.
• Sit in a circle and pass a feather using only your breath

Playful activities to connect to water

• Go swimming or visit a local splash or waterslide park
• Jump through the sprinkler
• Have a water balloon or water gunfight
• Go rafting down a river or wading in the ocean
• Go boating
• Play pooh sticks

Playful activities to connect to Earth

• Mudbath anyone? Go on get dirty
• Go to a local u pick
• Go make friends with a tree, hug it, climb it, sit with its roots underneath you and trunk supporting your back
• Plant a garden as a family
• Go on a nature scavenger hunt

Playful activities to connect to Fire

• Roast marshmallows
• Try and make rainbows with water and mirrors or use prisms
• Use different objects to make shadows and put on shadow plays in shadow theatres
• Build a bonfire
• Have a backyard campfire night
• Find fireflies

Connecting to the Elements through Creativity

Creativity is using your imagination, exploration, and following your sense of wonder. Creativity crosses over into both mindfulness and play and is closely aligned in some ways. Creativity can be active and loud like play, or it can be quiet and thought-provoking like mindfulness.

Creative projects to connect with air

• Change the way you talk by changing your tone, whisper, or sing instead of using your everyday voice.
• Make Wind catchers, kites, wind chimes, streamers, or flags
• Use items such as feathers, streamers or ribbons, balloons, and bubbles in your crafting

Creative activities to connect with water

• Paint with bubbles
• Add food coloring to the water and use eyedroppers to drop it into coffee filters
• Make your own boats and rave them
• Make a rain stick
• Make a water feature in your yard or for a tabletop

Creative activities to connect with Earth

• Create a flower arrangement
• Plant some seeds
• Press flowers
• Create and get messy with clay
• Paint with mud
• Make fairy houses and gardens
• Bake bread
• Make your own herbal tea

Creative activities to connect with Fire

• Make sun catchers
• Create art with photosensitive paper
• Make things Glow sticks, or use glow in the dark paints
• Watch the sunset
• Make homemade torches from mullein or cattails

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Once you get started the possibilities are endless. Reconnecting with nature through the elements is healing and you can have fun along the way.

Whether you are mindful, playful, or creative there are many options for incorporating more time to connect with the elements. You will find yourself gradually living in tune with each season as it comes, and perhaps even welcoming the storms.