How I Move Like Nature Intended
My Four-Element Practice for Moving with Intuition, Not Obligation
We were designed to move.
And not solely under unforgiving fluorescent gym lights for 30 minutes, or only when our Apple Watches remind us we have yet to “close our rings.” Movement is elemental to our spiritual experience in our bodies. Full stop, and said with my full chest.
My relationship with movement has always been strong, unwavering, and downright necessary. I find it to be my number one form of energetic release and the greatest support for my overall well-being, and definitely supportive of my work as an intuitive reader.
But it wasn’t always stable or comforting. In college, I received treatment for an eating disorder, diagnosed as anorexia, but I was also deeply entrenched in overexercising and obsessive patterns with movement. Nothing about my workout regime at the time was intuitive. It took years of unpacking, relearning, and redesigning a relationship with movement to get to where I am today.
The words intuitive movement (and intuitive eating) get thrown around often. Many of us crave that truly natural, easeful, simplified relationship with our bodies and the practices that nourish them. But how?
That’s what I’m realizing as I continue writing this Substack: I want to bring the ease that was always supposed to be a part of our daily rituals — and break these practices down into thoughtful, tangible ways to implement and actually experience the effects.
So, I got to thinking about intuitive movement.
I started to look at the ebbs and flows of my exercise routines, the classes and workouts I tend to choose week after week.
I thought about the random one-off exercises or movement experiences I have less frequently — maybe once a week, or even once a month. I thought about the spontaneous things I do, like mobility exercises in the evenings while my husband watches anime (no offense to anime lovers, but that’s a surefire way to get me off my ass and looking for something new to do).
And I realized: I have a few categories, or “types,” of movement that work together to create harmony, and consistency — but not redundancy.
Now, the idea of linking movement to the four elements — Earth, Water, Fire, and Air — could come from my natural comfort with these themes. I’ve taught them countless times to tarot students in the past, relating them to the four suits of the tarot deck. I even have an entire section in my book, The Inner Tarot, dedicated to the differences between each elemental energy and the gift each one offers. If you’re a former student of mine from my online tarot class days, you might be thinking, “There she goes talking about the elements again.”
But beyond tarot, the four elements are simply within us.
We know this from ancient Ayurvedic practices — and from our obvious need to hydrate, get sunlight, and breathe deeply. Because it seems we’ve become really advanced houseplants who somehow need reminders like, “touch grass.”
Before I help you break this down further, here’s a reminder:
Movement is the language our bodies have always spoken.
We were fluent in it long before we learned how to silence, schedule, or profit off of it.
And yet, for so many of us, reconnecting with truly satisfying forms of movement feels...hard. Or incongruent with what we know our bodies might need (like bone density support and strength training for women!) versus what we want to do (a walk with friends, a hike with your dog, a Zumba class at the YMCA where nobody knows you, and you can just do your thing).
It’s challenging not because we’ve lost our ability, but because we’ve lost our trust.
Or perhaps...the time.
When I started shaping my movement practice around the elements — Earth, Water, Fire, and Air — everything softened. Because there was absolutely no sacrifice. There was more variety and harmony.
If you’ve been craving a new way to move — and a relationship with exercises that feels like it was designed for your body, not somebody else’s idea of it — this unofficial, totally non-dogmatic, completely free-will-driven guide to moving naturally might serve you.
EARTH: For Strength + Stability
Earth-centered movement is your foundation. It’s the exercise where you finish feeling solid, proud, and deeply connected to yourself. It’s the steady pulse that builds not through quick wins, but through patience, commitment, and showing up when it would be easier not to.
For me, Earth exercise shows up through strength training: slow, deliberate work with weights that reminds me how much power my body has always held.
And let me make one thing clear: Each Element will look different for you. It’s not about the type of movement but the intention you bring to it and the support you wish to gain from it.
Maybe your movement definition of the earth element isn’t lifting. Maybe it’s running, hiking or long, grounding walks that stitch you back into your body. What matters is the grounding frequency it brings. It’s steady, rooted, resilient.
When I first started lifting weights in 2020, I was flooded with judgements. Telling myself “don’t get too bulky.” As if my own strength was something dangerous to carry. I was intimidated by the weights, the machines, the whole process, sure. But underneath that fear, something else flickered: a feeling of power.
It turns out, I was strong. I had always been strong.
Now, strength training is where I go to ground myself when everything else feels chaotic. Headphones in (with jazz usually playing, I’m not kidding), and I’m in a different headspace when working with this element, and my body carries me calmly through the challenge.
I choose strength training for:
Building deep, unshakable trust with my body and its strength
Supporting my bone density, metabolism, and hormonal health (essential for women’s longevity, especially with age)
Feeling rooted and "in control" when life feels messy
Honoring slow, steady transformation — progressive overload has taught me how to be patient with myself (and the weights) over years, not weeks
It brings me:
A powerful sense of safety in my own skin
Quiet, steady confidence
Proof that consistency does actually pay off
EARTH movement in my weekly routine:
1–2 lower body lifts per week
1 upper body session
1 full-body strength day when time allows
Long walks or steady-state cardio to complement lifting days
A mix of gym sessions and home workouts with dumbbells — having a quiet, flexible home setup helps me honor my energy on lower-stimulation days
To find your Earth practice, ask yourself:
Where in my life (and body) do I need more support?
What kind of movement helps me feel anchored and rooted in myself?
What type of exercise requires commitment — but leaves me feeling proud every single time I complete it?
WATER: For the love of movement
Water-influenced movement blends your heart and body into one current.
It’s the practice that feels like a gift to your body, like a moving meditation, or a quiet thank you whispered through motion.
For me, Water shows up through yoga. I can honestly say: yoga healed my relationship with movement.
In 2016, I walked into my first Ashtanga yoga class. I was curious, nervous, and still rebuilding after my long battle with disordered eating. I was well into recovery by then, but hadn’t quite cracked the code of what mindful, compassionate movement could actually look like for me long-term.
I remember there were no mirrors at that first studio. We opened with chanting.
I don’t think they played any music. There was just breath, movement, and a mat.
And it was enough. More than enough.
Since then, I’ve explored so many forms of yoga. Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, heated sweaty classes where the sweat poured off me as easily as the movements themselves. I even went on to get certified as a yoga instructor, although that’s not my calling. But I was enamored with the creativity of an amazing sequence, where your body and breath seem to take over.
Water-based movement is where you come to feel something, and enjoy the practice, not try to accomplish something. It can still be challenging — sometimes fiercely so — but you leave feeling entranced by the love of it. Like last night, when I found myself giddy walking into a class with a new instructor, buzzing with anticipation for the sequence my teacher had dreamed up. She didn’t disappoint.
In yoga classes, I also give myself permission to modify, to adjust, to make the practice my own. Even when the flow moves one way, I sometimes choose another — and that, to me, is the purest form of honoring my body’s wisdom in motion and moving like the water element.
I choose Water movement for:
Reconnecting to movement as a joyful, emotional expression
Giving myself permission to move intuitively, not perfectly
Releasing stored emotions and stress through my body
Feeling immersed in the experience of moving, not the outcome
It brings me:
A profound sense of freedom and inner spaciousness
Creative inspiration that spills into other areas of my life
Emotional release without needing to intellectualize it
WATER movement in my weekly routine:
Regular Heated Vinyasa classes (for creativity, flow, and sweat) - 2-3x a week
Yin yoga sessions when I crave more stillness and softness
Dancing in my living room or kitchen, silly and free
Occasional intuitive stretching or moving meditations on my mat
Other ideas to connect to your Water energy:
Swimming, surfing, or any water sports
Ecstatic dance classes
Gentle flow-based movement like tai chi or qigong
Moving to music without a plan — letting your body lead
To find your Water practice, ask yourself:
Where am I craving more softness and surrender?
What kind of movement lets me feel emotional or inspired?
How would I move if I gave myself permission to flow, rather than force?
FIRE: Movement to resist the rut
Sometimes we all need to shake it up.
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