When Juliana and I began dreaming up FloraSoma, we realized our practices were speaking the same language — just in different dialects. She, through Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement - Me, as a Holistic Practitioner, concentrating on the art of being fully present in the body.

Ikebana is not about decoration; it’s about relationship — the dialogue between earth, stem, and space.
Embodiment is similar. It’s how we listen to our internal landscape — breath, tension, stillness, motion — and bring it into harmony.

At the heart of both lies the Five Element Theory, an ancient framework that understands the world through the rhythms of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
Each one represents a movement, an emotion, a way of being.
When one element is in balance, the others flow more freely — in nature and within us.

And so FloraSoma grew from that insight:
What if flowers could become a bridge between the outer elements and our inner state?

A Small Practice for the Season

Here’s a simple way to experience the elements in your own body and space — a meeting of Juliana’s floral wisdom and my embodiment practice.

1. Gather a few stems

Choose one that reaches or curves upward (Wood), one that feels radiant or bright (Fire), one steady and grounded (Earth), one simple and spare (Metal), and one that moves or drapes gently (Water).
They don’t need to be perfect — just what calls to you.

2. Arrange them slowly

Let your body guide your hands.
Notice how you breathe as you move.
Give each stem space, as you would give yourself.

3. Breathe with the arrangement

As you sit with it, let the breath move through each element.

Wood – Rising
Inhale through your nose for four counts.
Feel your spine lengthen, your chest open, your awareness expanding upward.

Fire – Expanding
Hold the breath gently.
Notice warmth building — the heart brightening, the pulse steady and alive.

Earth – Settling
Exhale through your mouth for six counts.
Let the air release slowly, your body grounding and softening.

Metal – Refining
Pause at the end of your exhale.
Sense the quiet clarity that comes in stillness, like morning air.

Water – Flowing
When you’re ready, let the next inhale arrive naturally.
Feel how the cycle continues — steady, effortless, alive.

Repeat a few rounds.
Notice how the elements outside begin to echo inside.

Why It Matters

The Five Elements and Ikebana both remind us that wellness isn’t about control — it’s about participation.
Every season, both within and around us, asks for a different kind of attention.
FloraSoma is our way of exploring that cycle — where flowers, breath, and awareness meet to restore balance, not by striving, but by listening.

Try This Week

Make a small arrangement — even a single stem in a glass.
Breathe with it each morning.
Notice what element feels most alive in you right now — or which one you’re longing for.
That’s where your next layer of balance begins.

Join Us

If this practice spoke to you, you’ll love our upcoming FloraSoma Workshop, where we bring these principles to life through guided embodiment, reflection, and simple floral creation.

Join A Workshop Here

PS: We’d like to introduce you to: Flora Soma

(some people call this a “logo” we prefer to call her our little friend)

Written by Alecia Suzanne — Embodiment Advisor & Mentor, Co-founder of FloraSoma, and Guide in returning to the body’s quiet wisdom through nature, breath, and presence.

The Inspiration Behind FloraSoma