Traveling to southern Arizona over Thanksgiving, I was captivated by the vastness of the desert sky, the grasses blowing in the wind as they caught the golden yellow fire of the sun, a morning’s early shower that generated a most tremendous rainbow and the sturdiness of the saguaro cactus that were dotted throughout the landscape, their arms pointed every which way like signposts.

The building blocks of nature: space, wind, fire, water and earth were so well represented in that one breathtaking viewpoint. And, amazingly enough, what we see all around us exists deep within us too.

Its true. Our own bodies contain these same elemental building blocks: space, wind or air, fire, water and earth.

And what a natural progression to resume the discussion of Ayurveda. Last week, I introduced A for Ayurveda (the general concept of the practice) and today we will continue with the letter B for Building Blocks.

These individual building blocks generate their own unique qualities when they combine and transform. Space’s energetic particles create Air when those particles combine to form molecules and atoms. Space plus Air form hydrocarbons that create the components for Fire. Mixing Space, Air and Fire can eventually result in Water, and when all preceding elements combine there is form or Earth.

It is important to note that each of us contains specific combinations of these five elements which create our distinctive qualities – we each have our own unique element recipe!

Since it is the five elements that create us and make us the physical, emotional and mental beings that we are, then, it is with these five elements we can best balance ourselves.

Therefore, it behooves us to examine the details of the elements space, air, fire, water and earth to learn what they represent. In understanding the attributes of the elements, we can discover the best ways to harmonize our health.

For these details, tune into my new podcast, #3: What Are We Really Made Of? The Building Blocks of Ayurveda.

I hope you continue to join me on this journey into Ayurveda! Kim.