The physical, psychic, and cosmic language of the body resonates from the cyclic rhythm of the universe set in motion some billions of years ago, when the five great elements were born.
Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, the root substances of life, compose all phenomena and are all present in any phenomena. They represent the five states of matter known in nature (Space, Gas, Energy, Liquid, and Solid) and their combination in different quantities manifests as phenomena.
The five elements create our perceived reality. Each element can be perceived by its respective sense organ. All the substances of the world are made up of these five elements with their different qualitative and quantitative permutations and combinations.
Space:
It is Subtle, Light, unobstructed and has the capacity to enter everywhere. It is Soft and Smooth and creates these qualities in the substances having dominance of space element. Porosity and division are also due to Space. In the human body many spaces are aspects of the space element, the mouth, nose, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, abdomen, thorax, capillaries are all examples of space. Space is perceived by sound through the ear.
Air:
It is Dry, Light, Rough, Subtle, Cold and Mobile. It is shapeless, invisible and unstable. Air element is responsible for all the movements and governs all the actions. Any time there is motion it means Air is present. Within the human body, Air is present in the pulsation of the heart, the expansion and contraction of the lungs and the movement of the nervous system impulses. Under a microscope, even a single cell can be seen to move.
Fire:
It is Hot, Sharp, Penetrating, Subtle, Light, Dry, and gives color and form. The source of fire and light in the solar system is the Sun. In the human body, the source of fire is metabolism. It is responsible for digestion and assimilation at both physical and mental levels, responsible for intelligence and the thinking process, body temperature, all metabolism and enzyme systems. Fire element is perceived by light through the eyes.
Water:
It is Cold, Heavy, Unctuous, Dull and Liquid in nature. It gives Softness, Unctuousness, and moisture to the body and binds the body constituents. Water manifests in the body as the secretions of the digestive juices, in the mucous membranes an in plasma and cytoplasm. Water is perceived by taste through the tongue.
Earth:
It is Heavy, Stable, Rough, Dull, Dense and gross in nature. It gives compactness and stability to the body. It is responsible for nourishment, growth and repair. In the body all solid structures are derived from Earth and is perceived by smell through the nose.