WolfDreamer Masters the Four Elements

[WolfDreamer]

I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and I hope the end of 2019 and start of 2020 finds you well. I am excited to begin 2020 with a deep and transformative challenge that integrates new habits and strengthens some already existing habits. My goal is not so much to become a "new me" for the new year but rather to dig deeper into the work I have already done and hopefully build and grow as I go.

 

I had the idea to use the four elements to organize my goals, and what better theme to use than Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yeah, I know, I've used it before, and I'm sure it's been used umpteen billion times by other rebels, but what can I say? If it works...

 

Below, I will break down some goals relevant to each of the elements. Some goals are required daily, and others are optional ways to gain strength in that element. Each goal earns a point for that element. The ultimate goal by the end of the challenge is to get as close to a balanced score for each element as possible.

 

So, let's begin:

 

 

Water:

• cold shower (daily)
• drink at least 8 glasses of water (daily)
• continue going outside barefoot and shirtless in the morning regardless of temperature (daily)
• consider rain as an opportunity to energize your soul rather than a reason to stay inside; +5 bonus for barefoot run in the rain
• practice tai chi style movements/stretching
• practice qigong water element movements
• read a book/article, watch a video, or listen to a podcast about water
• meditate to water sounds or listen to a water-themed or sacral chakra guided meditation
• BONUS: +5 points if you soak in a cold stream or river

 

 

 

Earth:

• practice "earthing": stand barefoot on the ground and feel the earth's energy (daily)
• eat plenty of foods that come from the ground; +5 bonus points if you harvest it yourself
• lift something that comes from the earth (rocks, logs, etc.).
• hike/run/climb a mountain or hill; +5 bonus for rock climbing
• practice qigong earth element movements
• read a book/article, watch a video, or listen to a podcast about the earth
• get dirty on purpose; walk barefoot in the mud, dig a hole with your hands, harvest wild onions, roll around on the ground
• practice ground flow movements (Animal Flow, crawling, natural movement ground flow, Ido Portal style movements.)
• meditate to earth-themed or root chakra guided meditation

 

 

Fire:

• get sunlight on your skin (daily)
• do something that scares you, something that makes you feel flushed and causes that burning fear in the pit of your stomach
• practice sun salutation (+5 Bonus if this is completed just as the sun rises)
• practice qigong fire element movements
• complete a "power-based" workout (HIIT, movements that require power, such as lifting, pulling, jerking, sprinting, etc., anything that gets your heart beating quickly and your body temperature up)
• practice "breath of fire" breathing exercise
• eat foods that have ripened in the sun and/or carry a lot of "heat": citrus fruits, cinnamon, olives/olive oil, ginger, sunflower seeds/sunflower seed oil, cereals, tomatoes, peppers, chili etc., as well as foods that are prepared using fire (seared/grilled, etc.).
• read a book/article, watch a video, or listen to a podcast about fire
• build a campfire and meditate on its warmth and its light
• meditate to fire sounds or fire-themed or solar plexus chakra guided meditation (+5 bonus if you burn incense or a candle during meditation or meditate by a campfire)

 

 

Air: 

• continue WHM breathing exercises (daily)
• run at least three days/week, being mindful of how the air both assists and resists your movement
• complete a cardio-based workout
• practice qigong air element movements
• eat (in moderation) dry, light foods (legumes, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits and crunchy fruits, such as apples or pears)
• read a book/article, watch a video, or listen to a podcast about air/wind/breath
• meditate to sounds of wind/air or air-themed or heart chakra guided meditation

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I've heard rumors Monks sometimes use Element Bender themes.

 

[WolfDreamer]

7 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I've heard rumors Monks sometimes use Element Bender themes.

 

 

Are you saying I should move my challenge to the Monks this round? 😁

[WolfDreamer]

 

[WolfDreamer]

Hmm...

 

 

[annyshay]

50 minutes ago, WolfDreamer said:

Hmm...

 

I'm so glad you found this one. Challenge looks great!

[WolfDreamer]

2 hours ago, annyshay said:

I'm so glad you found this one. Challenge looks great!

 

It was a really beautiful look at Iroh's character. And thank you. I'm always happy to have you along.

[Sciread77]

Cool challenge! May the Force(s) be with you!

[Mad Hatter]

Ambitious challenge! But I love the format - my favourite goal is the "get dirty" one 😄

[WolfDreamer]

 

 

Wk1Dy1:

 

Water:

• took a 3 minute cold shower
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; it was frosty and cold
• drank 8 glasses of water
• read an article on Curiosity about why water feels colder than air even at the same temperature

Earth:

• stood barefoot at the top of the hill and felt the cool earth between my toes
• ate avocado on toast with an egg on top
• collected eggs from my mentor's chicken coop; I also turned the chickens out for a half hour, fed them, gave them fresh water, and then helped him put them back in the coop.
• spent a lot of time barefoot outside, my feet squishing in the muddy grass after recent rains

Fire

• spent some time outside shirtless because it was the first sunny day in about three days
• helped my mentor burn trash on his property
• topped my avocado toast and egg with Himalayan salt, crushed red pepper, salsa, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Air:

• snacked on raisins
• completed three rounds of WHM breathing (did not time)
• read an article on Curiosity about why water feels colder than air even at the same temperature

[BombshellBanshee]

I love your method of using the inspiration of the elements for your goals. I imagine it's very grounding and balancing! Very creative! This has inspired me to do something somewhat similar with organizing my routine in a spiritual sense! Thank you for sharing that!  

 

Wishing you the power of fire - for motivation and productivity🔥

Wishing you the power of earth - for groundedness and strength🌄

Wishing you the power of water - for fast recovery and healing🌊

Wishing you the power of air - for inspiration, wisdom, and perseverance🌌

Wishing you the power of spirit - to bring it all together in harmony 💞

[WolfDreamer]

7 minutes ago, BombshellBanshee said:

Wishing you the power of fire - for motivation and productivity🔥

Wishing you the power of earth - for groundedness and strength🌄

Wishing you the power of water - for fast recovery and healing🌊

Wishing you the power of air - for inspiration, wisdom, and perseverance🌌

Wishing you the power of spirit - to bring it all together in harmony 💞

 

What an awesome blessing! Thank you, and welcome!

[TheGreyJedi]

I love everything about this challenge (so much so, I am unashamedly saving it to reference later on...)

[WolfDreamer]

1 hour ago, TheGreyJedi said:

I love everything about this challenge (so much so, I am unashamedly saving it to reference later on...)

 

Welcome to my challenge, and thank you. Feel free to use any of my challenges as inspiration.

[WolfDreamer]

Wk1Dy2:

 

Water:

• took a 3 minute cold shower
• drank at least 8 glasses of water
• took the dogs outside while barefoot and shirtless
• worked through some fluid movements and stretches (not quite tai chi, but they felt good)
• read an article and watched this video of Eternal Flame Falls in New York:

 

 

Earth:

• walked around my yard barefoot and stood on the hillside while taking the dogs outside
• ate a sandwich on whole wheat bread with stone ground mustard, spinach, tomato slices, ham, turkey, and cheddar cheese
• watched the video below about DNA in dirt:

 

 

Fire

• spent some time shirtless outside while carrying trash to the dumpster
• lit a candle in my shed and relaxed by the dim light of its flame
• snacked on yellow and orange bell pepper slices
• read an article and watched an above-mentioned video about Eternal Flame Falls

 

 

Air:

• three rounds of WHM breathing (2:10, 2:25, 2:23)
• added spinach to my sandwich
• listened to a canyon soundscape track while taking my cold shower; this includes breeze sounds, as well as songbirds. 

[annyshay]

So many good things in here!

[WolfDreamer]

Sorry I haven't posted recently. It's been a busy weekend. Rather than post everything I did last week that is relevant to the elements, I will tally my Week 1 score for each element below:

 

Water: 18

Earth: 22

Fire: 17

Air: 18

 

Week 2 Monday:

 

Water:

• took the dogs out while barefoot and shirtless; the ground was covered in frost and there was a chilly fog in the air
• worked through a few fluid stretches and movements
• drank more than 8 glasses of water
• took a cold shower
• read a Curiosity.com article about how much of your body is water (TL;DR: it depends).
• drank from a natural stream during my trail run today

Earth:

• walked around my yard barefoot while taking the dogs outside and stood in mountain pose after a few stretches at the top of the hillside
• wore a new pair of "barefoot" trail running shoes during my trail run today; the trail was wet and muddy in a few spots after recent rains.
• ran a trail that climbed to just over 1,000 feet, and I deliberately went off trail to climb the highest point of the mountain
• ate a tomato basil wrap with spinach, avocado, jalapeno peppers, red onion, olives, turkey, and bacon drizzled with creamy sriracha
• watched the video below about "grounding/earthing"

 

Fire:

• stood outside shirtless at mountain pose facing sunset for five minutes to absorb some sunlight
• listened to five minutes of a meditation of fire sounds and binaural beats for the solar plexus chakra
• snacked on banana peppers, and I also added jalapenos and creamy Sriracha to my wrap
• read an article about The Door to Hell, a fiery pit in the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan that has been burning since 1971

Air:

• went for a trail run and felt the cold wind at the top of a mountain, as well as the rush of the wind as I ran back down the mountain
• ate raisin bran for breakfast and put fresh spinach on my wrap
• practiced deep breathing and was mindful of my breath during my trail run
• read an article about wind chill and that it's not what most people think it is.

[TheGreyJedi]

Thanks for the recap and links to further reading. Sounds like you're rocking this challenge!

[WolfDreamer]

45 minutes ago, TheGreyJedi said:

Thanks for the recap and links to further reading. Sounds like you're rocking this challenge!

 

I'm working on it. 😁

[WolfDreamer]

Week 2, Tuesday:

 

Water:

• three minute cold shower
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; it has been unseasonably warm, but it rained the night before and was very foggy
• drank at least 8 cups of water
• worked through some fluid stretches and movements

Earth:

• walked around my yard barefoot
• stood barefoot at the top of the hillside in mountain pose while outside with the dogs
• watched the video below about the importance of soil health to the health of cattle

• for lunch I had a quinoa & veggie enchilada verde frozen meal from Luvo

 

Fire:

• not much opportunity for sunlight; it was a gloomy, gray day.
• added salsa to my quinoa & veggie enchilada
• dinner was with my wife and kids at a Mexican restaurant. I ordered the Tacos de Carne Asada, which are steak soft tacos with pico de gallo and house made hot sauce. I topped these with a bit of salsa and queso, as well.
• read the poem "Fire" by Anders Carlson-Wee

Air:

• snacked on wasabi peas and sunflower seeds
• practiced one WHM breath rotation; did not keep track of time
• read the poem "Exhaling" by Bob Hickock

[WolfDreamer]

Week 2, Thursday:

 

Water:

• 3 minute cold shower
• took the dogs outside while shirtless and shoeless; it wasn't cold, but it was very foggy, and the air was moist.
• drank at least 8 cups of water
• worked through some fluid movements and stretches

Earth:

• walked around my yard barefoot when I took the dogs out and stood at the top of the hill in mountain pose
• wore my barefoot minimalist shoes during my 5k run today
• took care of my mentor's chickens today: I turned them out, fed them pellets, gave them fresh water, and after a while I herded them back into the pen.
• shoveled pea gravel into buckets to be used in the chicken coop.
• for lunch I had another frozen dinner from Luvo: orange mango chicken

 

Fire:

• not much sunlight today because it was overcast, but there was a sunny moment this afternoon when I returned home to let the dogs out; I took my shirt off and tried to absorb as much sunlight as I could before it became overcast again.
• watched the video below about 5 benefits of getting sunlight other than vitamin 😧

• went to the gym on campus and completed a HIIT workout that included a warmup and three rounds of the following:
  • 40s of squat jacks (like a jumping jack, but you do a squat when you bring your arms down)
  • 20s rest
  • 40s push-up shoulder taps (do a pushup, tap your shoulder, do another pushup, tap your other shoulder, etc.)
  • 20s rest
  • 40s high knees
  • 20s rest
  • 40s low plank
  • 20s rest
  • 40s wall sit
• I also did some lifting: one round of bench press at 90 lbs until failure, one round of shoulder press at 80 lbs until failure, and one round of chest press at 80 lbs until failure
• for dinner I had tuna casserole, corn on the cob, and green beans with bacon, seasoned with pepper and Himalayan pink salt and drizzled with olive oil

Air:

• one rotation of WHM breathing (did not keep time)
• ran 5k at an easy pace, mindfully returning to my breathing if I felt tired
• some cardio was included in my warmup before my workout
• snacked on wasabi peas and dried mango
• listened to an NPR segment about an instrument designed by NASA to make oxygen on Mars.

[WolfDreamer]

Hello everyone. I am still here. I just haven't had time to post because graduate classes started. So anytime I am at my computer, I am usually doing schoolwork or teacher stuff. But I tallied my score for Week 2:

 

Water: 30

Earth: 33

Fire: 29

Air: 31

 

I appreciate everyone who has followed me this far. Things are going... okay this week. I've become aware of some bad diet habits that have crept back in (mostly snacking, meals are still good). And I have been resetting the alarm in the morning, mostly because my wife and I are doing really well, and I struggle to leave her side in the morning. I'm still running, still doing some bodyweight workouts.

 

For the first time ever last night I had to chase off a raccoon with a broom. He wasn't aggressive and never hissed at me, but I had to chase him off twice. One of my kids had tossed a back of trash onto our porch, so he was after food. Once I chased him off the second time, I took the trash to the dumpster and didn't see him again. I have lived in rural areas before, and I have seen plenty of raccoons but never on my front porch.

 

So, I'm doing well, just too busy to post every day. I hope everyone else is doing well. Feel free to drop in to talk or vent or share anything you wish.

[WolfDreamer]

ICYMI:

 

 

[WolfDreamer]

These past few weeks have been... active... that's putting a real positive spin on it. The good news is I stayed pretty close to being balanced most of the week, but as usual I tend to lean deeper into the Earth element. Here is a quick summary of my scores for each element:

 

Water: 20

Earth: 28

Fire: 21

Air: 20

 

I'm sorry I haven't posted more in my challenge, but my life really has been... active. Most of the time when I am at my computer I am either working on teacher stuff or doing schoolwork. So the good news is I'm being more productive. The downside is I miss you all. But... next challenge is a big one, so I'm going to do my best to me more present here, even if just briefly.

[WolfDreamer]

Weekly Update:

 

Air: 25

Earth: 30

Fire: 23

Water: 25

 

Excited for the 10th Anniversary challenge. I think I might dig up one of my earliest challenge themes. Or I may reboot this one. Even though I haven't posted much, it has been a mindful experience to consider what sorts of actions mesh with each of the four elements and to try to get a solid balance of all of them. I'm also eager to see what Steve Kamb has in mind for his own challenge. This is going to be big! I'm curious if he'll come back again after this challenge.