The Elements

When seeking to understand the body one must first become acquainted with the five elements. All physical matter in the universe is made up of the five elements: water, air, earth, fire and ether. Earth represents a solid state; water the liquid state; air the gaseous state; fire the power to transform; and ether is the space that holds matter.

Ether is unique in the fact that it is the source of all other elements and is the creative energy of the universe. It does not interact with the other elements in the same way as it is a sound that is penetrated by all vibration such as microwave, ultraviolet, infrared, X-rays, etc. Only the lowest of vibrations can pass through earth yet, all vibration passes through ether.

The Chakra system is an assemblage of the five elements plus spirit. Earth is represented as the firm, hard physical body, water is represented as moisture in the body, fire by heat caused by emotion, action and digestion, air by breath, ether by the indwelling spirit.

The five elements existing within the microcosm to the macrocosm interact with the human organism in three distinct ways: as food for nourishment, medicine for balancing or as poison, disturbing the system.

Depending on how one is designed astrologically and how the elements are employed in day-to-day activities determines how the elements impact one’s body and psychological nature.

Earth can provide stability or it can petrify and block. Water may bring a “juicy” quality to life or it can make things “sticky”, “gooey” and attached. The condition of juicy versus sticky is mostly dependent upon how the body is digesting food or dealing with toxins. Fire can be used to bring clarity and acute mental abilities or it can be used to selfishly manipulate others. Air can bring vigor and exaltation or it can exhaust the body according to how it is flowing in the body. If one is not receiving enough oxygen, then tiredness and exhaustion set in. Ether brings a silent mind or a depressed, hollow feeling, depending on the state of one’s constitution and health.

Environment has a big impact on how the elements are operating and influencing inside the body through likeness or unlikeness. If there is resonance and like-minded individuals who share same goal and state of spiritual maturation then there is abundance and increase. If there is unlikeness between people in an environment then there is decrease, which decreases the body’s harmony and health. Likeness combines, gathers and brings together while unlikeness differentiates and identifies differences; likeness agrees and unlikeness disagrees. This is the basic principle and nature of existence and greatly impacts the ability to thrive, maintain good health and dictates the success of any venture.

In the same way, standing in the sunlight warms the body, standing in the cold makes the body cool, everything experienced increases like parts and decreases unlike parts. Likewise, beneficial habits create more health and positive experiences while bad habits reinforce unhealthy and unpleasant experiences.

Through the senses the elements express as space relates to hearing, air relates to touch, fire to sight, water to taste and earth to smell. With these five elements working through the senses, the body and mind translate or determine environment, experiences, allies and navigate their direction in life.

For this reason, it is imperative to work with the chemistry of the body, mind and senses using the dosha method provided by the Ayurvedic science. 

Ayurvedic science is a tool to identify a person’s chemistry quotient of all five elements. Most people have an imbalance in at least one element. Through identifying the ratio and extremes or lack of elements, formulas are used to bring the body and mind into balance. 

Using Ayurveda, humans are divided into 3 distinct, major categories known as “DOSHAS”: Pitta, Vata, and Kapha. There are also variations of those three categories creating 7 types of humans consisting of variations of these three major types, such as Pitta-Vata, or Kapha-Vata and so on. 

Each of these three major types of humans have distinct skin type, hair type, teeth and eyes, likes and dislikes in food, weather, activity and similarities in movement, reaction to events and in conversations. It is easy to dial in the type of DOSHA through a simple questionnaire, checking the items that most resonate with what you see or experience. 

When taking working through the checklist, you may find that you have tendencies in more than one DOSHA. It is common for an individual to have two DOSHAS with dominance in one DOSHA. 

 Using the questionnaire provided on this website to determine your type, 

You can select the products that best resonate with your DOSHA to support bringing your constitution, your character, your emotional nature and physical health into balance. 

Bodycare products assist with types of skin, hair and subtle chemistries of the body while the essential oils used in the products subtly impact emotions and mind. Incense used for atmosphere enhancement assists with psychological and emotional management bringing quiet mind and soothing sensations, while clearing environment and settling new, relaxing energy into the space.

The DOSHA incense sets, Vata, Kapha and Pitta are great tools for using throughout the day as it provides maximum ability to manage the changing energies that occur in one twenty-four hour period. 

Throughout the day, DOSHA forces change as they stream through the cosmos. In early morning hours KAPHA energies wave through the atmosphere. Burning the soft fragrances of the Kapha incense set maximizes the positive qualities of that DOSHA for enhancing meditation and quiet relaxation in preparation for the days activities. Incense fragrances such as Lavender, Kasturi, Indian Cedar, and more, add to creating a calm, quiet, soothing morning atmosphere.

Using PITTA incense set during late morning and evening calms and balances strong, fiery, fast energies through applying the fragrances of Rose, Jasmine and Sandal and more.  

Burning VATA incenses during mid-afternoon assists with maintaining a state of grounded-ness and balance as one is moving, sometimes quickly and abruptly.  Fragrances used in Vata incenses, such as Sandalwood, Costel, Myrrh and more, tend to calm the mind and body, stimulate a sense of patient, content, centered state of being while moving through the various activities of the day.

See DOSHA incense sets here

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