Week 3 - Fire
Reading Goal: Read and share your thoughts and questions on the Fire chapter of the book
Extra Credit: Do the exercises at the end of the chapter
In this section we explore the Fire element.
While all Five Elements are important in Elemental Yin Yang theory, Fire holds the honoured position of Empress.
In the Chinese Medicine system, Fire governs not just 2 organs but 4, including the Heart which is of vital importance.
Fire corresponds to summer, the sun, love, connection and communication and is by far one of the easiest Elements to grasp.
The emotion most connected to Fire is Joy, but it may be more helpful to call it "Over Joy".
Of all the Five Emotions, joy seems to be the most positive and sought after, but there is certainly a shadow side to this experience.
As I mention in the book, pleasure seeking and grasping for joy in every area of our lives at all times can be highly problematic.
When I think about my own relationship to joy, I can reflect on many times when "doing what brings me pleasure and happiness" was not the healthiest or wisest decision.
This is true for many people I speak with on this topic and for many of us the striving for perpetual states of happiness has been ingrained in us from a young age.
With my own daughter I am faced with small moments of this on a daily basis.
Do I feed her bananas at every meal because they make her happy and avoid a meltdown?
Do I let her stay up as late as she wants instead of facing the discomfort of her protests?
These are of course more mundane examples, but those little decisions do add up and while I am far from perfect, I want her to have the skills to know when to do what is healthy (and possibly uncomfortable) over doing what makes you feel good with negative consequences.
In the book, I speak about this in the context of Fire constitutions who may be more prone to struggling with addiction than the other Elements.
It is important to note that addictive tendencies are not exclusive to Fire disharmony, but when the root cause is pleasure seeking, Fire is one of the elements that most Acupuncturists would work with in their treatments.
One of the jewels of Fire is connection.
As a yogi you have no doubt heard your teachers talk about opening the heart. While sacred love and bliss can be part of that experience, people who live from a place of open heartedness are deeply rooted in the connection they share with the world.
The Heart beats from birth to death.
It gets no day off and it's work touches every part of the body. Thus the heart is symbolic for connection in a world full of people who often feel isolated and misunderstood.
On the yoga mat, we spend time recognizing the connection we have to the universe we are swimming in and Fire energy reminds us that we don't need to "plug back in" but rather open our eyes in the face of the illusion that we are separate. The practice itself is one that teaches us to be "openhearted".
Fire Questions and Discussion Ideas
1) Is this element one you personally resonate with? Any questions about the season, theme, organs or constitution?
2) Do you know any people who might be a Fire constitution? What qualities make you think so?
3) How are the themes of Fire present in your life right now? Where could you use this energy?
4) Try the Fire morning ritual for a week. Any interesting insights to share?
Share your thoughts on any of these points OR ask questions you have from this section in the comments below.
