Flowing through the seasons
With Zen Yoga and the Five Elements
“The east Asian energetic system that underpins Zen proposes that different seasonal conditions are mirrored via different energetic conditions in the body. Through making acquaintance with these, you tend to become aware of your constitutional strengths and weakness. As you practise mindfully with these conditions, you begin to correct imbalances, and boost your health and vitality.”
Practical Zen Yoga, Seasons of Transformation, Julian Daizan Skinner
Over the years I have explored the various landscapes of yoga practices. I have taken a journey through a variety of styles, at different stages in my life. Yoga has provided me with the time and space I needed and helped me through some challenging times. It has been my guide on this pilgrimage through life and shown me how to take better care of myself.
In my 20’s yoga classes provided a refuge from daily life and offered me a place of acceptance for a while.
In my 30’s Iyenger Yoga helped to clear my mind and begin to settle stressful feelings. This lead me to learn Hatha Yoga, which guided me through some difficult emotions.
In my 40’s I trained in Zen Yoga and Restorative Yoga, where it all came together. I understood the process of yoga and life a lot better. All the ups and downs I had experienced, the constant changes in my life were reflected in these seasonal practices and in the mindful awareness of body, mind, breath and energy.
In my 50’s I am learning to go with the flow of my intuition and to move through the seasons of my life more easily, accepting the changes and adapting my practise with each season, each day, each moment.
When I teach yoga, I share this sense of transformation and flow, encouraging others to listen within, so they too can flow through the seasons of their life with more ease, happiness and health.
Zen Yoga is a unique practice, that is all about embodied awareness — using the body, breath and mindful awareness as a gateway to stillness, clarity, and insight. It is a gentle practice that blends the physical postures and energy awareness of yoga with the mindfulness and meditative presence of Zen Buddhism.
Essence of Zen Yoga
Zen Yoga provides a way to unify body, breath, and mind into the present moment.
It draws from:
Traditional Yoga (India) — physical postures (āsana), breath control (prāṇāyāma), and inner awareness.
Zen Buddhism (Japan/China) — meditation (zazen), simplicity, and direct experience of being.
Combining these traditions with the five elements can guide us through the transitions of our life, helping us flow from one season into the next with more ease and awareness.
Various traditions use the philosophy of the five elements, so I’m sharing them here, so you can see how they can boost our body, mind and energy levels, and how they can work alongside our Zen Yoga practice.
Chinese — 五行 (Wǔxíng, The Five Elements)
Wood (木 · Mù): Growth, renewal and vitality - Spring
Fire (火 · Huǒ): Passion, transformation and warmth - Summer
Earth (土 · Tǔ): Nourishment, stability and balance - Late Summer
Metal (金 · Jīn): Strength, resilience and release - Autumn
Water (水 · Shuǐ): Flow, adaptability and depth - Winter
Indian — पंचमहाभूत (Panchamahabhuta, The Five Great Elements)
Aether/Space (Akasha ): Openness, sound and spirit
Fire (Agni): Energy, digestion and illumination
Earth (Prithvi): Strength, foundation and endurance
Air (Vayu): Movement, freedom and vitality
Water (Ap): Cohesion, adaptability and emotion
Greek — The Classical Elements
Aether (Aithēr): Purity, light, and the celestial realm
Fire (Pyr): Heat, passion, and transformation
Earth (Gē or Gaia): Stability, grounding and resilience
Air (Aēr): Motion, thought, and change
Water (Hydōr): Adaptability, emotion, and renewal
Japanese — 五大 (Godai, The Five Great Elements)
Void (空 · Kū): Spirit, creativity and essence
Fire (火 · Ka): Energy, creation and desire
Earth (地 · Chi): Solidity, strength and roots
Wind (風 · Fū): Freedom, growth and change
Water (水 · Sui): Flow, transformation and adaptability
Tibetan (’Byung-ba lnga)
Space (Namkha): Openness, awareness and possibility
Fire (Me): Energy, transformation and passion
Earth (Sa): Stability, structure and grounding
Air/Wind (Rlung): Movement, breath and communication
Water (Chu): Flow, flexibility and connection
Overview: Five Traditions, One Cosmos
In summary
Across all traditions, the primary focus of the five-elements is:
To describe how all things arise, interact, and transform — and how harmony or imbalance in those elements can explain the cosmos, nature and our own human experience. They are a guide in our understanding of balance, change, and interconnectedness.
In Zen Yoga we explore how the Five Elements can work together to help us find more ease, flow and awareness within this ever changing world. They can guide us through the movements of our body, mind and spirit as we navigate change and transformation, allowing us to relax into the flow of the seasons of our life.
Flow Through the Seasons with Ease
If you’d like to explore more about Zen Yoga, the Five Elements, and how to align your practice with the seasons, there are several ways to deepen your journey:
🌱 Read: Practical Zen Yoga: Seasons of Transformation by Julia Daizan Skinner — my teacher’s inspiring guide to working with the natural cycles of change through yoga and meditation.
🌿 Practice: Join me for Zen Yoga, Restorative Yoga or Meditation classes at Create Harmony — spaces designed to help you reconnect, rebalance, and restore.
🍃 Connect: Become part of the Soulful Seedlings community on Substack, where I offer seasonal guided meditations, mindfulness practices, and reflections to nurture your wellbeing. Or try my Mindful Living Membership with guided meditations, inspiration and ideas - free to regular students until end of Dec 2025.
🌳 Special offers: Enjoy £5 to 50% off!
£5 off two New Year workshops: Gentle Yoga For Deep Rest – Wednesday 31 Dec & 7 Jan 11am – 12.30pm £15 each or £25 for both
£5 off 1-1’s with Anne - enjoy a personalised teaching or coaching session for less
50% off my Mindful Living Membership - join for a year for just £25 - from 1 Jan 2026
20% off my Soulful Seedlings community - join for a month or a year
Thank you for reading, may you flow through the seasons with ease, adapt to change with calm, and settle into the transformations of your life with clarity and awareness.