It's said that when we die, the four elements - earth, air, fire and water - dissolve one by one, each into the other, and finally just dissolve into space. But while we're living, we share the energy that makes everything, from a blade of grass to an elephant, grow and live and then inevitably wear out and die. This energy, this life force, creates the whole world.
Pema Chodron

The teachings on the elements predate the Buddha, but the Buddha integrated them into his teachings on Mindfulness of the Body and elsewhere in the suttas.

Added to the common four are also space and consciousness and together these six elements are one way of seeing the continually changing nature of this thing we call “Me”. The practices help us reconnect with the elements that we are in touch with at every moment of our existence. The “earth” element in me is not separate from the earth element in you, nor is it separate from the earth I step on.

In this day of practice, we will explore the practices on the six elements both through formal sitting, as well as walking in nature.