Thursday, June 20, 2013

6
Eastern philosophy extends back for
thousands of years. These philosophies have
been developed by sages, seers and
meditators. Through their spiritual insights,
they have come to their understanding of
how the body and nature work together and
medical practices have been brought forth
using these insights. These simple
philosophies are easy to understand.
Eastern thought believes that in the beginning of time there
was only God, a pure consciousness, the Supreme Being. It was out
of this consciousness that the element of space came about. It was
from the element of space that air formed. As air started moving
around, the friction from the wind created heat. This heat created
moisture, and this moisture later turned into a more dense
substance called earth. It is from these 5 basic elements (Space,
Air, Fire, Water, and Earth) that all things are made, whether living
or non-living. The sun, trees, plants and the human body all come
from these elements. It is the combination of these elements that
makes one object different from the other.
Although the body does not literally contain fire as you would
see on a candle, or air swirling around like it is outside, these 5
elements have qualities that can be seen in the body when they are
out of balance. For example, air has the qualities of dryness, and it
when the air element in the body is more dominant than the water
element, a person may experience dry skin. If fire is in excess in the
body, a person may experience heart burn. When the water
element is dominant in the body, one may suffer from sinus

congestion or have excess mucus in the lungs when a cough is
present.
To demonstrate examples of how these elements can be
seen in the body in the forms of their characteristics, here is an
overview:
Everything in existence needs a ‘space’ for it to exist. Space
in the body are seen in examples of how there is space in the
mouth, in the internal tracks of the digestive system where food
passes and space in veins and arteries where the blood flows.
Air has the qualities of movement and speed. The air
element is responsible for all movements of the body whether it is
the movement of muscles and joints, the pumping of the heart or
the movement of the nervous system which sends and receives
information from nerves and senses.
The fire element governs the digestive system providing
stomach acids (a burning substance) and can be seen in Western
terms as the metabolism. It is responsible for the transformation of
turning food into a usable energy source for the body. Fire also
manifests in the body providing intelligence (having a “bright”
mind), it activates the retina which interprets light so you can see
and body temperature is regulated by the fire element.
The element of water manifests itself in the body as liquids
such as saliva, mucus, and joint fluids. The water element also
governs the immune system which involves the lymphatic system.
It is the lymphatic fluid that flows throughout the entire body which
cleanses the body of toxins, similar to water cleaning a dirty cloth.
Earth is a solid element and it is seen in
the body as solid structures like bones,
cartilage, nails, muscles, tendons and
hair.

To make things simpler to understand, these 5 elements are
reduced into 3 categories. Because Space and Air are similar in
qualities, they are considered to be in a group of their own. The
elements of water and earth, because they are heavier and have
similar qualities, are looked at as being in one group as well. Fire is
in a group of its own.
In Sanskrit (the language of ancient civilizations), these 3
subgroups are called Doshas, and each dosha has a name. The
space and air dosha is called Vatta, the fire element is known as the
Pitta dosha and the water and earth elements combine to make the
kapha dosha.
Between the 3 doshas, there are usually one or two
elements that will dominate in a body.
There Are 3 Main Body Types
When the air element dominates in the body that person will
tend to be super skinny; they are usually taller or shorter than
most people. They do not gain weight easily; in fact they have a hard
time keeping weight on.
When the fire element dominates in the body, the body is
usually medium range in height and has a slender body frame.
These body types have a moderate amount of muscle. They have a
strong metabolism (since dominated by the fire element), and may
have an athletic tone.
When the water element dominates in the body, the body
will have a more developed frame than most. They have big bones,
broad shoulders, and well developed muscle. These body types gain
weight easily.
Being overweight is a sign that the water element is way
more dominant in the body than the air and fire elements.

Metaphorically speaking, much like how water can put out a fire in
real life, when there is an excess amount of the water element in
the body, it will put out the ‘fire’ of the digestive system, resulting in
a slow metabolism.
In order to lose weight, these
elements in the body must
become balanced. This is done
by eating foods that have a dominance
of the air and fire elements and avoiding
foods that have a dominance of the
water element. This will make the body
become lighter (air) , have a higher
metabolism (fire) and reduce fat (water).


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