Philosophers from all across the globe have classified the composition of nature or the human body into 5 elements.

The 5 Elements of nature are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space/ Ether. These five elements help us understand the laws of nature better.

Space/ Ether is the mother of the other elements. It is the foundation or base to acquire higher spiritual experiences.

Space/ Ether element is the subtlest form of all five elements.

A vibration is formed long before it takes the form of sound in the ear. “Primordial Ether” or ” Primordial Space” are vibrations.  Hence, sound and the/space cannot be separated.

The ear is considered to be the sense organ of the element Space/Ether and the mouth is the organ of action.

An imbalance or disturbance in the element Ether/ Space in the body leads to hearing loss and loss of voice.

Ether/Space is the emptiness present between the cells in our body. This element is also present in the hollowness of the bladder, blood vessels, empty intestines and the lungs.

Space/ Ether Element and the Human Body

Studies show that the “Medieval Alchemists” were captivated by the element Ether/ Space. They believed that ether/space could turn lead into gold and could even prolong life.

They used the term ‘quintessence’ to describe ether/space. “Quintessence” means ‘heavenly bodies’ such as stars and galaxies.

Even the ancient Greeks considered Ether/ Space as a god-like element, which helped and is still helping humans to connect to intuition and spirituality.

Ancient yogis also described ether/space as liberated, universal and full of potentiality.

Space / Ether is present in the hollow cavities of the human body in the form of light radiation, radio frequencies, cosmic rays etc.

A Balanced Healthy Body: “Stability of elements of Nature”:

• The flow of element Water

• The passion of the element Fire

• The lightness of the element of Air

• The stillness of the element Ether/ Space is responsible for all body movements and makes life possible.

Ether / Space is referred to as ‘Akasha’ in Sanskrit, which means “Sky or Space”.

Ether/ Space or “nothingness” or “emptiness” is the first element of Yogic and Ayurvedic philosophy.

Ether/ Space doesn’t have the firmness of earth, the coolness of the water, the heat of fire or the movement of the wind. It’s the very essence of “emptiness” or “nothingness”.

The space element is the subtlest form of the 5 elements. The space element is the space in the sinus cavities that allows our voices to resonate. The space in the lungs that fills up with air and space in the stomach before a meal is the element Ether/ Space.

Ether is related to the Throat Chakra

Ether/ Space element is directly connected to the “Vishuddhi Chakra’ or “Throat Chakra”.

“Throat Chakra” is the chakra related to knowledge and purification.

The throat chakra is situated at the base of the throat, along with the larynx or the ‘voice box’.

Throat chakra gives us the ability to speak, to be heard and truly listen. Hence, this chakra is all about self-expression, speaking openly and honestly and knowing that our voice matters.

Ether is immobile because it lacks the propellant nature of air.

Ether lacks the profound presence of the more obvious elements, hence it is subtle and also omnipresent. Everywhere there is space.

Ether/ Space is the base from which all other elements are derived. Ether is present in all other elements. Ether is present and /or required in any aspect of creation.

Ether is the most expansive form and has no limits. Due to this expansive quality, ether is the cause of differentiation and similarity.

Ether/ Space element needs a propulsive force to move outwards from the centre of oneness. Through this element, you will realize the oneness in wholeness.

In the mother’s womb, the formation of the embryo takes place. Ether is the first element responsible for allowing change and growth to take place.

Ether creates the space for the other 4 elements of nature to fill in to provide nourishment to the baby.

Ether is the subtlest and the most difficult element to observe.

Even our mind needs the presence of ether, hence more knowledge can be gained. The way knowledge is formless and nearly impossible to contain the same is the quality of ether.

Ether represents the substratum of the mind upon which the thoughts and emotions ride like waves upon the ocean. Hence the mind gets easily disturbed, to achieve an undisturbed state of mind one needs to expand their ether element. This can be achieved by meditation, which is about connecting with your ether/space element.

Ether and Ayurveda

Both ether and air elements are responsible for the “Vata Dosha”. When this dosha is in proper balance our body becomes robust and active. All the involuntary muscle activities take place smoothly.

When “Vita Dosha” is not in balance, then the negative aspects like fear, anxiety, fatigue and boredom fill up the body spaces and slow down the body’s energy.

One of the methods of controlling “Vata Dosha” is by nourishing our bodies physically and emotionally.

Proper nourishment acts as an ampule for ether and the “Vata Dosha”. Moist food, heavy food and satisfying foods soothe the ether element as the space of the digestive system become full.

Love is the highest form of emotional nourishment. By taking in and coordinating with the other 4 elements the natural tendencies of ether/space are pacified.

Ether/ Space by itself is tasteless but it is bitter when in our diet. The bitter taste comes from both ether and air, and it is the air that brings in the unique bitter taste.

So by adding bitter foods into your diet you can increase the influence of the ether element. This is great for a person who is overly constricted and driven by his/her routines. An excess of ether in the diet, especially the diet of the individual with a “Vata Dosha”, can result in the dosha becoming too large. This will lead to an increase in the creativity levels but it also leads to becoming ungrounded or unbalanced. As a healthy body requires balance proper intake of food is required.

The season of ether element is “Winter”. In the season of ether in winter the leaves begin to fall and the earth turns into barren land.

Winter seems like the nature gods are trying to tell us to become lighter like the trees without leaves, if we go through our human evolution we will see that, human beings have always prepared for the winter season by storing up food and other supplies to see them through this period of emptiness.

If winter is the “Season of Ether”, then death is the “Time of Ether”. The body breaks down and all the elements of nature flee into their boundaries. All that remains are the lightness of the spirit.

Imbalance of the Elements

The source of all diseases is the impurities or unbalanced forms of any of the elements of nature.

1.    Imbalance of Water elements:

An imbalance in water elements will lead to excess blood thinning or blood clotting, cold, mucus, sinusitis, swelling of glands and tissue-related diseases.

2.    Imbalance of Earth elements:

Imbalance in earth elements will lead to loss of calcium from bones, cholesterol, general weakness in the body, obesity, weight loss and /or weight gain and muscular diseases.

3.    Imbalance of Fire element:

The imbalance of fire elements will lead to increased coldness or heat in the body, excessive sweating, hyperacidity, slow digestion and slow absorption of nutrients, increase of toxins in the body, diabetes, fever and skin diseases like inflammation.

4.    Imbalance of Air element:

The imbalance of air elements leads to blood pressure problems, bloating, constipation, dry cough, lethargy, lung disorders, insomnia, muscular spasms, depression and skin dryness.

5.    Imbalance of Space element:

The imbalance of space/ether elements is visible in epilepsy, ear diseases, madness, thyroid disorders, throat problems and speech disorders.

How do we balance the 5 elements of Nature?

1. Yoga

All the yoga poses help us purify the 5 elements of nature.

Yoga also helps restore health and balances the body by balancing the 5 elements of nature.

Cleansing techniques of yoga are known as “Bhuta Shuddhis”. These techniques help us unfold the inner powers and abilities contained in each element.

“Bhuta Siddhi” is a part of yoga that offers techniques to master all the 5 elements of nature.

2. Meditation

Meditation helps to clean the thoughts and body impurities.

Through meditation, you can calm and cleanse the body parts which are diseased due to the impurities/imbalances of the elements of nature.

Through meditation, you can tap into the moistest important element of nature – Ether/ Space.

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe,

to match your nature with Nature.”

― Joseph Campbell.