Intermezzo 1: Space

Abstract

Of the five natural elements, space is the most subtle. In yogic and Ayurvedic teaching, the other four elements are said to telescope out from space. Space gives rise to wind, which gives rise to fire, and so on. The element of space, sometimes called aether, is the place where everything happens. In its most subtle form, it is the place before everything happens. The qualities of space reflect that. It is still because it lacks the movement of wind. It is cold because it lacks the heat of fire. It is dry because it lacks the moistness of water, and it is light because it lacks the weight of earth. It is the place that is nowhere and so it is expansive and pervasive and has no centre. All of the ‘spaces’ in the body are predominantly the space element in nature, from the intestines to the most delicate nadis (channels). An un-cramped space element has no preferences and can host everything just as it is. When you express an unfettered space element, you accept your own and others’ situations. You feel flexible and open-minded. You accommodate changes and challenges with a natural ease because you do not hold too tightly to the way you would like things to be.