Mixing of Elements Leads To Three Doshas

The five elements earth, fire, air, water and space are a code for shapes of intelligence that make up man's mind and the world he perceives through that mind.

By mixing different pairs of the five elements one arrives at the three doshas:

Vata is composed of air and space.
Pitta is composed of fire and water.
Kapha is composed of earth and water.

The connection between Vata imbalance and cold, windy weather is clearer now, because Vata is the "airy" dosha and too much air, in the form of wind, creates too much Vata.

A Vata person typically complains of gas in the intestines, showing that Vata and air are linked in another way. Air is subtle, penetrating and light as is Vata.

A Pitta person generally feels warm, showing his fire and may be prone to sweating, showing the wateriness that is also in Pitta. Fire is aggressive, energetic, and mobile, as is Pitta.

A Kapha person is typically "down to earth' and prone to chest congestion, blocked sinuses, and other mucous problems, which are directly related to too much water. Together, water and earth are sluggish, viscous, and half-solid, half-liquid, as is the Kapha dosha.

The element of space, which seems odd in the company of the four elements you can see and feel, plays a unique role in the Ayurvedic system, because it allows the existence of sound, which needs space in order to travel.

Sound is the basis of all existing things, according to Ayurveda, not audible sound like thunder but subtler vibrations that resonate in our silent awareness. Ayurveda uses such sounds to heal the body by moving its "vibrations" in various ways.

All 25 gunas can be contacted by sight, touch, taste and other senses. The same cannot be said for enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and the other building who can tell you the basic properties of insulin, but with an hour you can easily learn the qualities of kapha, the dosha which is most involved in balancing insulin.