Ayurveda and 5 elements - How Nature Manifests in our bodies?

Ayurveda teaches us the science behind being. It uses the 5 elements theory to do so. You might have heard of them before: Air, Space, Fire, Water, Earth. Its the idea that everything in nature is composed of these 5 elements. And everything in our body is represented by these qualities as well. 

So we use nature to explain what is happening within us, while we also use nature and its natural rhythms to bring balance into our lives. 

From these 5 elements, 3 groups are forms - we call them Doshas - maybe you have heard of them before as well? They are called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. 

Vata Dosha is mostly composed of air, and space. In our body it represents the things that move. Our Nervous system and our Digestion system for example. 

Pitta Dosha is mostly composed of fire, and some water. In our bodies it represents things that are being transformed - like a fire does. So your metabolism, and digestion in the sense of the acute digestion happening vs the whole digestive system and its movement. Pita is more in charge of breaking down the foods and transforming them into nutrition in our bodies. 

Kapha Dosha is mostly composed of water and earth. I feel heavy just writing these words. It's the solidity and structure of our bodies. Also our viability, strength, and immune system. Things that sustain and compose us. 

While these doshas represent the underlying activities within our bodies, they also explain to us when things are “out of sorts” or “out of whack”. Aka when we feel anxious, it's the nervous system that is most likely out of balance. We would say, its a vata imbalance. So what do you do? The qualities of vata are air and space. So you use the  opposite qualities of heaviness and grounding to bring balance to the nervous system. Think heavier foods, oil massages, meditation, less screen time (movement) etc. 

So Ayurveda can teach us about our bodies and minds and the functions within it, taking into consideration nature and how it operates. I think its pretty cool. What do you think?