The Elemental Practices
Enliven draws on a powerful set of inner and interpersonal practices that based on the five elements.
Each of our programs draws upon one or a combination of these five. When woven together these elements create a enriching sense of safety, transformation, and clarity in our groups.
Click on the "+" symbols below to learn more about each of them.
Earth, the most physical of all the elements, is about connection to our bodies and to the land itself. Earth involves yogic movement as well as transformative vision fast experiences where we spend extensive solo time on the land in deep contemplation.
- Movement (Yoga/Qi Gong)
- Vision Fast (3-day/3-night solos embedded in wilderness)
Water is about the flow of communication and relationship. In Water, we engage in interpersonal practices to hone our experience of creating coherence and presence in groups.
- Transparent Communication
- Triad / Dyad / Group process work
- Conflict Resolution
Space is about developing access to a quality of ease outside of the thinking mind. We work with foundational meditation training to access a quality of stability, presence, and spaciousness.
- Foundational meditation practices
- Advanced meditation training with guest teachers
Air is about expression. Especially during in-person retreats, we practice in the dimension of play through circlesinging and improv as a support for integrating our process.
- Circlesinging exercises
- Improv practices
Fire is about distillation, inspiration, and passion. Through philosophy and poetry, we engage directly with philosophical models for human development to guide us on our way.
- Domains of Human Development
- Integral Theory
- Guiding Poetry