Are You an Empath or an HSP? How to Know & What to Do!

Did you grow up being told over and over again that you’re “too sensitive”? If you did, you might be an empath, a highly sensitive person (HSP), or both. Being sensitive is often deemed as a bad or undesirable personality trait, but this isn’t true.

I grew up being told again and again that I was too sensitive, and for much of my life, I believed that this was my burden to bear. It wasn’t until I discovered that I was an empath that my sensitivities started to make sense and I began to love and cherish these qualities.

Being highly sensitive is a powerful skill that many don’t possess. It’s time to start celebrating it in one another, especially in our youth, rather than branding it as a negative trait. Today, I’m going to share what the differences are between HSPs and empaths, a checklist to help you determine if you might be one, and some next steps on your journey towards embracing your empathic abilities.

Are you an empath?

Do you identify with most of these statements? If you do, you may be an empath.

• I’m often told that I’m sensitive or an introvert.

• I feel drained by large groups of people.

• I struggle with anxiety.

• I prefer more intimate group settings.

• I have don’t have a lot of friends but am very close with the friends I do have.

• My body is sensitive to medication and caffeine.

• I absorb the emotions of others easily.

• I often get hunches about people before speaking to them.

• Loud sounds, bright lights, and strong scents agitate me.

• It takes me a long time to recover from spending time with large groups of people or people that are require a lot of my energy.

• I consider myself clairsentient. (Learn more about clairsentience on this blog post.)

• Strangers open up to me often.

• I tend to attract the same kinds of partners that aren’t healthy for me.

• I consider myself to be very intuitive.

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What’s the difference between being an empath and an HSP?

The term empath is often used in the spiritual community whereas highly sensitive person or HSP is a more clinical term used by therapists and counselors. Their meanings do overlap in many places but also have differences.

The primary difference between being an empath and an HSP is that HSPs don’t absorb the thoughts and emotions of others and don’t get the same hunches that empaths do. Most empaths fall into the category of HSP, but not all HSPs are empaths. Think of empaths as highly sensitive people with the ability to absorb or feel others' emotions.

What to do now

Being able to absorb the moods and feelings of others is a gift for sure, but it also comes with its challenges. Undiscovered empaths are an easy target for energy vampires and unhealthy relationships. If you find yourself exhausted and anxious regularly and don’t know why it might be time to learn some new tools for your empathic abilities.

The good news is, there are a variety of tools available to you to help you better understand what being an empath is, techniques for turning your energy absorbing abilities off, and how to better navigate the world with your sensitivities in mind.

Being an empath myself I’ve learned a lot about how to navigate this energy-packed realm and still thrive! This blog post covers a variety of techniques and tools to help you flourish as an empath.

Why being an Empath or HSP is awesome!

Before I leave you, I’d like to share a shortlist of why being a super-sensitive empath is such a gift! Here’s a shortlist of why you’re amazing:

• You can help people more easily because you understand them.

• You’re always motivated to bring more light to the world because you also feel its pain.

• You will excel as a healer of any kind.

• You are more connected to the spirit realm.

• You are intuitive by nature and can easily hone your psychic gifts.

• You’re a good listener.

Yes, being an empath comes with its challenges, but once you learn how to cultivate your empathic abilities, you’ll likely agree that it’s indeed a gift.

7 Tips for Psychic Protection

Once you open yourself up to working on your psychic abilities you’ll probably notice that you’re more in tune with subtle energies all around you. This is great most of the time but can also be troublesome when it’s negative or unwelcomed energy.

When you’re honing your psychic abilities it’s important that you learn ways to cleanse yourself after challenging psychic work, ground yourself, and protect yourself from unwanted energies.

In fact, you should perform some sort of psychic protection ritual anytime you perform an intuitive or psychic act. Leaving yourself so open may be seen as a welcome mat for negative energy and spirits.

I’m going to share simple and effective techniques with you so you’re able to protect yourself in a way that won’t block you off from all the positive effects of your newfound psychic abilities!

First, let’s cover some clues to know if you’ve ever experienced any negative side effects from doing psychic work. Keep reading for some common signs.

Have you experienced negative side effects from performing psychic work?

It’s true that there are many reasons you could experience the symptoms below. To be sure it was from practicing your psychic abilities, pay attention to your mood and emotional status on days you’ve been performing any psychic work.

• You feel anxious, nervous, or restless like you can’t focus on anything. This may indicate that you need to ground yourself more before practicing psychic work.

• You feel a heavy cloud of negativity for no reason at all that you can’t shake. This could mean that you picked up some negative energy from a lower-level spirit while performing psychic work.

• You feel a wave or attack of pessimistic thoughts about yourself. This might mean you’ve left yourself too open and receptive to others and are experiencing a psychic attack. People can knowingly or unknowingly psychically attack you.

• You’re receiving messages all the time and feel distracted and overwhelmed by them. This indicates that you need to learn techniques to better control when and how you receive psychic information. If you’re empathic, you likely identify with this!

How to protect yourself during psychic work

Shield Meditation

Create a psychic shield around yourself before practicing any psychic work or at the start of each day. If you’re very sensitive to the thoughts and energy of others you’ll find this tool very helpful! One popular meditation shielding technique is a white light meditation.To perform a white light shielding meditation, sit, close your eyes, get comfortable, and begin by focusing on your breath. Imagine your crown chakra (located right above your head) bright, white, and growing bigger with every breath. Next, imagine a cord of light stretching from your crown chakra out of your room, and out into the stars above you. With each inhale imagine light from this cord coming to your crown chakra and with each exhale visualize this white light creating a glowing white shield around your body. Continue this meditation until your shield is complete. You can visualize your shield anytime throughout the day as a reminder that you’re protected.

Crystals

There are a variety of protective stones available to you. The most effective are usually dark or black in color. Try having one near any time you practice psychic work or simply carry one around with you throughout your day for added protection. Here’s a short list of some of the most effective protective stones:

• Fire Agate: This stone is especially helpful at shielding you from negative thoughts from others and psychic attacks.

• Black Tourmaline: This stone is helpful at blocking negative energy of all kinds, it is also very grounding.

• Hematite: This stone is great for protecting and balancing your auric field. It is especially helpful for empaths and psychics who feel other people’s energy.

• Obsidian & snowflake obsidian: This stone does wonders for releasing and letting go of negative thoughts and energy. This stone will come in handy if you’ve picked up negative energy from a darker spirit and you’re having a hard time getting rid of it.

Salt

Cleanse, practice, repeat! Cleansing the energy of yourself and your workspace is key while doing psychic work and salt is a super simple and powerful protector and cleanser. Like I mentioned above, by opening yourself up, you may also be opening yourself up to some lower-level energy.Here are a few ways to use salt as a protective and cleansing tool:

• Create a mixture of salt and water to spray around the perimeter of your home and around yourself.

• You can also just sprinkle some salt around your house, this doesn’t work as well for cleansing yourself though!

• Cleanse your psychic tools (oracle cards, tarot cards, pendulum, etc.) in a bowl of salt (no water for this one!) every once in a while to keep them energetically sound.

• Take a salt bath! This is not only relaxing but will help wash away any negative vibes you’ve picked up.

Recruit the help of your favorite angels, guides & deities

This is a super powerful psychic protection technique that’s often overlooked. Your guides, angels, and beloved deities are always at the ready to help and protect you, but you have to ask! Place a picture or a reminder of some kind of your guides, favorite angles, or respected deities in your workspace, this will serve as a reminder to call upon them for assistance and protection during psychic work.

Ground yourself

One issue with honing your psychic abilities is that you may start to feel flighty and restless like you don’t belong here on the physical plane. Bad news, you’re still needed here and you can’t take off just yet! If you feel like your head is in the clouds call upon the nurturing and protective energy of Gaia after opening yourself up psychically. Click here to check out a previous blog post with lots of tips for getting grounded.

Cleansing Smoke

There are a variety of plants and herbs that can help cleanse your space and yourself. Bonus, some of them smell great too! Giving yourself a quick smoke bath in your favorite cleansing herb is a great way to “wash off” any residual negative energy from something you picked up while out or during a psychic reading. Click here to learn more about making your own cleansing smoke stick and which herbs are best suited for protection.

Prayer, mantra & positive affirmations

Super simple but very powerful, this is another protection technique that is often overlooked. The simple act of taking a few quiet moments to recite a prayer of protection can go a long way. Similar to asking your guides and angels for help, simply speaking it aloud and asking for what you need will help a lot. Here are some suggested mantras and positive affirmation to use during psychic work:

• I am safe and protected.

• I am surrounded by white protective light.

• I open myself up to only the highest beings of love and light.

• My guides and angels are always protecting me.

Try a variety of these tools out to know which ones work best for you. You might find that all seven bring some extra brightness into your day!

You are Psychic! How to Determine What Kind of Psychic Gift You Have

You have psychic abilities. We all do. Some of our psychic gifts are more pronounced than others, but we all have them. The best place to start when it comes to making your psychic gifts more effective is knowing what kind of psychic you are.

The way that we each receive psychic information varies. Just because you don’t see premonitions of the futures does not mean that you’re not psychic! Some of us intuit psychic information through touch, feel, sight, and even smell. Once you determine what kind of psychic you are, you’ll be able to perfect and hone your abilities.

Let’s find out what kind of psychic you are so you can start mastering your psychic abilities! I’ll break down signs to look for each psychic category and a few ways for you to sharpen your skills.

What kind of psychic are you?

As you read through this list, keep in mind that It is entirely possible that you contain gifts from more than just one of these psychic categories. Many of us have two to three that stand out, or, you may have one that is very prominent.

If you haven’t been practicing your psychic abilities you may not be receiving fully formed messages from the other side just yet, and that’s perfectly ok! Determine which of the psychic skills listed below pique your interest, start paying closer attention to that ability in yourself, try out some of the suggested “fine-tuning tips,” and see what happens! If you do have that psychic ability you’ll likely notice that you become more sensitive to it.

A little note: the Latin word “clair” translates to clear, which is why each of the psychic abilities starts the same. I’ve added the English translation to break each one down.

Clairvoyance // Clear Seeing

Clairvoyance is the most commonly referenced of the clairs and is likely one you’ve heard mentioned most often. Don’t be fooled by the term's popularity. It certainly isn’t the most common form of psychic ability!Clairvoyance is the ability to see things before they happen. If you’re clairvoyant, you may have intuitive hits that include seeing visions of future events or having dreams about future events.How to fine-tune your clairvoyant abilities:

• Write down any visions you have so you can cross-reference their accuracy if/when they happen.

• Keep a dream journal.

• Practice third eye meditations often with the help of crystals like amethyst to help open your third eye.

Clairaudience // Clear Hearing

If you fall into the clairaudient category, you’re likely very sensitive to sound and may even get different feelings from sounds. Practiced clairaudients may hear messages from loved ones who have passed on, music from the other side, or hear about the future. If you’ve ever heard voices or music when there are none to be heard you may be clairaudient.How to fine-tune your clairaudient abilities:

• Try sound healing with gongs or singing bowls.

• Keep a journal of how certain sounds make you feel or any messages you hear.

• Practice sound healing meditations often.

Clairsentience // Clear Feeling

If you’re clairsentient, you’re also likely an empath or consider yourself very empathic. Clairsentients can feel the energy of others with ease through their energetic field or aura. You may even have strong feelings about the well-being of plants and animals too. If you’re the type of person that knows that someone is no good immediately upon meeting them, you’re likely clairsentient.How to fine-tune your clairsentient abilities:

• Experience Reiki and consider learning more about Reiki and the auric field.

• Keep a journal to record any intuitive hits you receive about people you come in contact with.

• Practice aura and energy meditations often.

Clairtangency // Clear Touching

Clairtangency is also referred to as psychometry and is the ability to receive intuitive hits from holding different objects. Many people that are clairsentient are also clairtangent, not always, but there are many overlaps between the two. The objects that clairtangents read carry the same energy that clairsentients pick up on. You may receive intuitive hits from holding objects through feeling or visions. Think about the last time you were in an antique store or someone’s home with a lot of older items, how did it feel? If you’ve ever had a strong sense or vision from holding an object, you may be clairtangent.How to fine-tune your clairtangent abilities:

• Keep a journal with any intuitive hits you receive from touch.

• Have friends or family test you by giving you different objects to hold, check with them to see if any intuitive hits you receive are accurate.

• Practice meditations while holding different stones and objects and be aware of how each meditation feels different based on the object.

Claircognizance // Clear Knowing

This psychic ability is a little tougher to pin down and to describe. Claircognizants know things, from either the past or the future, and may not understand why or how they have the information. Unlike clairvoyants, claircognizants may not see a vision, they simply know. If you’ve ever had a strong feeling of knowing something to be true without anyone having told you, you may be claircognizant.How to fine-tune your claircognizant abilities:

• Keep a journal for anything you know all of a sudden, so you can cross-reference it for accuracy later.

• Begin to trust your instincts more rather than questioning them.

• Practice crown chakra and third eye meditations often.

Clairalience // Clear Smelling

Smells are powerful and one of our strongest ties to our memories. Though this psychic ability may seem strange, it’s not surprising that scent can invoke a strong intuitive hit. Seasoned clairaliences receive messages through smells, even if there are no actual smells present. If you’ve ever become overcome with the scent of a loved one that has passed on this not only may indicate that you’re clairalient but that your loved one is nearby.How to fine-tune your clairalient abilities:

• Keep a journal to record any intuitive hits you have that include smell, be sure to include where you were and what you were doing at the time too as this may have something to do with the intuitive hit.

• Surround yourself with scents you enjoy like, herbs, plants, flowers, or essential oils. Record how they make you feel.

• Practice third eye meditations often with the intention set to receive intuitive hits through scent.

Clairgustance // Clear Tasting

Like clairalience, clairgustance involves one of your senses, taste. Not always one of the most pleasant psychic abilities, if you fall into the clairgustance category, you may taste things when you don’t have anything in your mouth. Odd as it may seem, these mystery tastes may be related to intuitive hits. For example, if you’ve ever experienced a familiar taste that took you back to childhood and you weren’t eating anything, you may be clairgustant. How to fine-tune your clairgustant abilities:

• Practice mindful eating to become more in tune with your palette and any feelings you receive from different tastes.

• Keep a journal to record any intuitive hits you receive through taste. Remember, you may not actually be eating anything when you receive a hit of this nature!

• Practice third eye meditations often with the goal in mind to receive intuitive hits through taste.

If you love visuals, below you can find an infographic with some of the psychic abilities that we went through:

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Opening your third eye will help to hone any psychic ability listed above!

The Best Crystals For Each Zodiac Sign

Your astrological sign comes with a variety of good qualities. Your zodiac sign also comes with some, let’s call them, growth opportunities. Working with the right gemstones for your sign will make you feel right at home, honing in on your best qualities while bringing balance to some of your pitfalls.

The gemstones associated with your astrological sign are not the same as your birthstone, though some do overlap. These are all crystals with specific properties to help bring tailored healing for your astrological sun sign. Think of them as your crystal “glass slipper,” they should energetically feel like a perfect fit!

To incorporate these crystals into your daily life, you can place them on your altar or nightstand, carry them in your pocket, or you can wear them. Keep scrolling for a couple of crystal suggestions for each zodiac sign.

Capricorn ♥ Dec 22 - Jan 20

Hardworking Capricorns will feel comfortable and empowered with the aid of grounding stones like these.

Obsidian

This grounding gemstone will make you feel comfortable and at home with Capricorn being an Earth sign. If you’re overworked, like Capricorns often are, obsidian can help strengthen your energy and auric field, bringing you back to balance.

Hematite

Many responsible Capricorns find themselves in management and leadership roles. If you’re one of these lucky Capricorns, hematite is here to help! Hematite is a powerful stone for shielding yourself from negative energy so you can stand your ground and shield your energy.

Aquarius ♥ Jan 21 - Feb 19

Airy Aquarians can find balance with mentally clarifying stones.

Garnet

This stone is the ultimate balancing gemstone for air signs like Aquarius. If you’re an independent and sometimes temperamental Aquarius, garnet can bring you some much-needed stability.

Labradorite

Aquarians tend to have very active minds, always thinking ahead and trying to figure things out. Let labradorite hone your mental chatter so you can put it to better use. Labradorite can help your psychic abilities while stifling some of your negative traits.

Pisces ♥ Feb 20 - Mar 20

Intuitive Pisces will find a needed mental escape with these healing gemstones.

Amethyst

This sign is susceptible to taking on the woes and sadness of others. Retreat to the healing power of amethyst to transmute your sadness into love.

Fluorite

Escape your Earthly troubles with this stone. If you’re a Pisces, you may feel a desire to escape reality, or like you don’t belong here, fluorite can give you a safe place to relax and temporarily withdraw too.

Aries ♥ Mar 21 - Apr 19

Fiery Aries always on the go will find much-needed recharge in these stones.

Red Jasper

Aries can be quick to anger, but red jasper is here to help! The grounding and protective energy of this stone can help quench your temper before you react to a situation.

Ruby

This stone has intense energy and is perfect for a quick recharge. Aries tend to be continually going and love a good physical challenge. If you’ve overdone it and need a boost, ruby can help with this too.

Taurus ♥ Apr 20 - May 20

Practical Taurus will find flexibility and motivation with these stones.

Jade

Taurus signs are masters at completing their goals, and jade will make it even easier! Jade offers support for moving through challenges, tasks, and accomplishing your dreams. This stone will amplify your best traits, making attaining your desires a breeze.

Amber

Sometimes stubborn Taurus signs can find balance with this stone. Amber is excellent for releasing negativity and finding more flexibility in their unmovable personalities. This stone is also great for manifesting, which is a favorite hobby of Taurus signs.

Gemini ♥ May 21 - June 21

Gentle Gemini signs will find balance in the duality of their personalities with these stones.

Agate

If you’re feeling unstable or nervous from your dueling personality traits, agate can bring you a needed self-confidence boost and a sense of stability.

Sapphire

This stone can help you find focus if your mind is flipping back and forth. If you’re feeling indecisive about something, as Gemini’s often do, sapphire can help you follow through with decision making.

Cancer ♥ Jun 22 - Jul 23

Emotional and imaginative Cancer signs will be able to get their water fix with these stones.

Moonstone

Cancer is ruled by the moon and is also a water sign, making moonstone an ideal fit. Moonstone has a special relationship with both the moon and water. Moonstone can help you get in touch with the best parts of your personality. If you’re feeling insecure, like many Cancer signs can, this stone is also very nurturing.

Abalone

Cancer’s often long for the water. Even though Abalone isn't a true crystal, it's often found used in jewelry or as an altar tool. If you’re feeling called to the ocean but are landlocked, abalone can offer some serious water vibes to help you get your fix.

Leo ♥ Jul 24 - Aug 23

Sunny Leo will feel right at home with these radiant stones!

Carnelian

Though Leo’s are loved by many, this can make them lazy. If everything has come easily to you and you don’t feel like trying when the going gets tough, carnelian can give you the boost you need.

Sunstone

Let your best qualities shine brightly with this cheerful stone. Leo is ruled by the Sun and a fire sign, so this gemstone will help bring out all of your best qualities. This is also an excellent stone for Leo’s that happen to live in a cloudy or cold climate.

Virgo ♥ Aug 24 - Sept 22

Kind and cautious Virgo’s can find the confidence they need to speak their truth with these stones.

Blue Topaz

Earthy Virgo’s can have a difficult time connecting to their higher-self. Blue Topaz can help you tune into higher realms and boost your confidence in this area. Taking a less practical path might give you the perspective you need!

Amazonite

If you’ve found yourself consumed by worry or overthinking a situation, as Virgos tend to do, amazonite can help you separate your emotions from the situation so you can gain a sense of clarity.

Libra ♥ Sept 23 - Oct 22

Peace-seeking Libra will find just that in these gemstones.

Peridot

Libra loves to be in relationships but hates conflict. Unfortunately, conflict will show up at some point even in the best of relationships. This master heart healer will help you stay balanced and help you release grudges more easily.

Bloodstone

Libra is an air sign, so grounding energy is always a bonus! Bloodstone will not only help you stay grounded but help you keep your emotions balanced as well

Scorpio ♥ Oct 23-Nov 22

Passionate and intense Scorpio's will find a sea of respite and love in these crystals.

Aquamarine

Scorpio’s can come across as very assertive, which is an excellent quality in leadership roles but might sometimes need tempering when dealing with friends and family. As a water sign, you’ll find aquamarine to be soothing and cooling to your intensities. Aquamarine is also masterful at stabilizing fear and anger.

Rhodochrosite

Scorpio’s have strong emotions that can sometimes be expressed as jealousy and an unwillingness to trust others. This gemstone can balance your powerful feelings and help you understand and accept the actions of others more readily.

Sagittarius ♥ Nov 23 - Dec 21

Positive Sagittarius signs will find needed protection and communication aid in these stones.

Turquoise

Sagittarius loves adventure. Don’t forget to bring some energetic protection along with you as you’re traveling the world. Turquoise is a powerful stone of protection that can also help keep your throat chakra in check.

Lapis Lazuli

Though Sagittarius leans towards optimism, they are fire signs. If you’ve been known to sling some hurtful words at your loved ones, this stone can help balance and restore your throat chakra for optimal communication.These are just some of the stones that will benefit each zodiac sign. Want to find more crystals to balance your zodiac sign? The best way to find more gemstones for your sun or moon sign is to research your signs. Check out blog posts dedicated to each zodiac sign here.

6 Signs Your Shadow Work Practice Is Working

We’re often encouraged to ignore our darkness. To pretend that we don’t have inner demons, that we can be all love and light, that we can be “healed” without diving into our wounds.

The truth is that we can’t, and that’s where shadow work comes in.

Shadow work is the conscious practice of exploring your dark feelings, often ignored in your subconscious, that you feel ashamed and afraid of.

The aim of shadow work is to bring that darkness to the light and integrate it into your whole self. So that you can heal and become whole.

Click to learn more about what shadow work is and 4 simple steps to get started with it.

But once you start working with your shadow, how do you know that it’s really working?

This post will share 6 signs that your shadow work practice is working, moving you towards being a more healed, whole human being.

1. Other people’s behaviors don’t trigger you like they used to. They no longer create intense emotional responses or cause you to go into your head. You notice their behaviors, of course, but no longer feel a need to react or respond.

2. You drop blame and denial. When a shadow aspect of yourself shows up, you don’t deny it and you no longer blame yourself or the person who may have triggered you. You’re learning to acknowledge and accept your shadow, so you may even feel grateful to those who have helped shine a light on it so that it can be transformed and healed.

3. You judge other people (and yourself) less. When you’ve gone into the depths of your own darkness and learned to offer yourself complete acceptance and forgiveness, it’s so much easier to offer that to other people, as well.

You’re able to be much more accepting and compassionate towards others because you realize that your judgments of others stem from your own unhealed places. Once you heal those wounds, other people’s behaviors don’t phase you.

4. You recognize that you have become part of someone’s shadow. According to shadow work expert Jessi Huntenberg, the shadow work journey starts as what was done to you— all the conditioning and fear and wounds you have from your family, your childhood, from society— and slowly you get to a point where you realize that you are someone else’s shadow, too.

When you can realize this and offer yourself forgiveness for the people that you hurt when you were operating from a place of your own wounds, you know that your shadow work is working.

5. You’re no longer afraid to be seen. So many of us have wounds around visibility. We’re afraid to be seen. We feel like if people knew this or that about us, they wouldn’t love us. They would see how “unworthy” we really are.

When your shadow work is really working, that shame around the darkest parts of you begins to dissipate. It gets transformed into acceptance and love. And so you’re no longer afraid to be seen as you really are because you accept and love yourself fully and wholly.

6. Your life has become more peaceful. This is what we all want, right? Shadow work can get you there. Your life becomes more peaceful when you fully embrace and love ALL parts of yourself— the parts that are easy to love and the parts that are really difficult. Your interactions with others, your relationships with others, and your relationship with yourself all become a lot more positive.

What is your relationship with shadow work? Which of these signs are you experiencing?

Yoga for the 4 Elements

Fire, water, earth, and air are the four elements of the Universe. They make up all that is, everything we see around us, and everything we are.

None of them are either good or bad, and they each have specific, different properties.

Fire, associated with your solar plexus chakra, is connected with passion and inspiration. Water, associated with your sacral chakra, is all about emotion and intuition. Air, associated with your heart and throat chakras, is about communication. Earth, associated with your root chakra, is connected with grounding and stability.

There are many different ways to connect with and balance the four elements in your body and life: eating certain foods, meditation, visualization, spending time with the elements in nature, such as the ocean, connecting with crystals associated with each element, and more.

But one of my favorite ways to connect with the elements is through using yoga.

There are two ways to use yoga for the elements:

1. To create more of an element you desire.

• For example, if you want to feel more grounded you’ll want to connect with the Earth. If you want to stimulate your creativity or get out of your comfort zone, you’ll want to connect with fire.

2. To balance an element you feel you have too much of.

• For example, if you’re feeling overly emotional, you may want to balance the water element by working with its opposite, fire. If you’re feeling materialistic or too stuck in your ways you’ll want to balance the Earth element by working with its opposite, air.

Scroll down to get ideas for different styles of yoga, poses, and some breathwork to connect with each of the four elements of the universe.

Yoga for Fire

To connect with the element of fire, you’ll want to do a power or vinyasa-style yoga flow focused on stimulating your core, where your solar plexus resides.

Suraya Namaskar. For a fire practice, you’ll want to start off with a series of sun salutations. There are several different variations, but I recommend this one:

• Mountain pose at the top of your mat

• Arms lifted over head

• Hand to foot pose

• High lunge on your left side

• Plank pose

• Chaturanga

• Upward-facing dog

• Downward-facing dog

• High lunge on your right side

• Hand to foot pose

• Arms lifted over head

• Mountain pose

That’s one sequence. Do as many as you’d like! And remember that you can always modify your high lunge by lowering your back knee for a less intense version.

Plank pose. Nothing lights a fire in your belly like a plank pose. Try keeping a slight micro bend in your elbow and lifting from the back of your heart space so you really get into your belly.

Boat pose. There are two variations you can take: knees bent (gentler) or legs straight. Try starting with your knees bent and then straighten your legs after a few breaths if you feel strong and steady.

Chair pose. In this pose, tuck your tailbone and really focus on your core. Bring your awareness to those muscles, and see how the posture changes for you. If you feel like adding a little detoxifying in, take a twisted chair variation.

Agni Sara pranayama. You’ll look weird, but you’ll literally feel yourself getting hot. Start in a standing position with your knees gently bent and your hands on your knees. As you inhale, fill your belly with breath. As you exhale, draw in your lower and upper core muscles, hollowing out your stomach.

Yoga for Water

A hip-opening slow-flow style yoga practice will connect you with the element of water. As you move through each pose, imagine that you are moving through water. What would that feel like? What would that look like?

Low crescent lunge. Keep your back knee lowered to keep this pose a little more gentle, and work on finding a little more balance in your hips. If you’re lunging on the left side, try pulling your left hip back and right hip forward to get you there.

Incorporating a mudra into this pose can be really nice, too. Try flowing through Padma, or Lotus, mudra by bringing your hands to lotus mudra at the heart center, inhaling to lift your hands overhead, and exhaling to cascade your arms down and back to your heart center.

Lizard pose. Time to really get into the hips. Be gentle with your body here and use props like blocks or a bolster as needed! Ask yourself: what do I need to feel good in this pose? And listen to your body’s wisdom.

Child’s pose into cobra flow. Start in child’s pose with your legs parallel instead of knees wide. As you inhale, shift all the way forward onto your belly and into cobra pose. Your exhale brings you back to the child’s pose. Keep flowing with your breath, trying to move as slowly and mindfully as possible.

Wide-legged forward fold. Start standing with your legs wide and hangs to your hips. Inhale to open your chest, and exhale to fold, releasing your palms to your mat, ankles, or to a yogi toe hold. After a few breaths here, you might like to add in a side body stretch by walking both hands to the left side of your mat, and then to the right side.

Reclining cobbler’s pose. Bring one palm to the heart and one palm to the belly, and visualize your breath flowing up and down your spine like water with each inhale and exhale. Connect with your heart space and notice any places that your breath feels shallow or stuck. See if you can make your breath deep, smooth, and fluid.

Yoga for Earth

A grounding yin yoga practice will connect you with the Earth. As you settle in each pose, notice the Earth below you. Notice how it grounds you, supports you, and nurtures you. Spend at least five minutes in each of these poses, connecting with your breath.

Malasana seated on a block. As you sit in a yogi squat with your palms at the heart center, visualize your breath running all the way down your spine and out your tailbone, grounding you and rooting you to the Earth a little bit deeper with each inhale.

Caterpillar pose. Place a block on your thighs at whatever height you need to allow your body to completely relax and round forward over your legs. Instead of trying to stretch your hands to meet your feet, let them fall to your sides wherever they naturally do.

Half frog variation on belly. This is one of my favorite poses. Lying on your belly, turn onto your right cheek and stretch your arms out to a T. Bend your left knee and open your hip out to your left side. Take five minutes on this side, and then switch to your right side.

Thread the needle. Try to completely relax through the hips, spine, and shoulders here as you rest on your shoulder and head. For the gentlest variation, walk your other arm out in front of you and release it completely to your mat. You also have the option to wrap that arm around the lower back for a gentle bind. Just find what feels good for you, and return to your breath.

Seated straddle. Sit up on a block for extra support as you take your legs wide. First turn your torso to your left leg and round your spine over that leg, bringing your forehead to a block or to your knee. Then turn to your right leg, and then walk your palms out in front of you and round in the center.

Yoga for Air

A heart-opening, throat-opening Hatha flow style yoga practice will connect you with the element of Air. As you move through these poses, visualize green light beaming out of your heart chakra, opening you up to a flow of unconditional love, and blue light beaming out of your throat chakra, opening you up to speak your truth freely.

Camel pose. Camel pose opens up both of these chakras beautifully when you allow your neck to drop back. Focus on pressing your pelvis forward and opening the front side of your body rather than bending your back body. Breathe into your heart space, and see that green wheel of energy softening, opening, and expanding.

Bow pose. Bow pose opens both your throat and your heart chakras as well. Notice how your breath sinks you lower onto your mat with each inhale and takes you deeper into the pose with each exhale.

Upward-facing dog. Open your throat chakra with the upward-facing dog. You can try it as part of a flow from plank to chaturanga to upward-facing dog to downward-facing dog to really connect with the element of air.

Heart bench. Set up your blocks on whatever setting feels best for you, and make the block supporting your head lower than the block running along your spine for extra throat chakra opening.

Plow pose. Skip this one if you have any back or neck problems. But if not, it’s a beautiful opener for your throat, heart, and solar plexus (bonus!) chakras. Start with the legs straight behind you (and if you can’t reach your toes to the floor, try reaching them to a chair or another piece of furniture behind you), and feel free to bend your legs around your head as you get deeper into the pose.

Which element do you need to balance or call in more of right now?