understanding the air element

of the five elements, air and space are most alike. in ayurveda, air is space with movement. the movement might be very slight, or it might be a big movement. we can experience this in a gentle breeze or in a gust of wind. we feel air when something large moves past us. these currents of movement carry nourishment to all living beings, whether it be in the scattering of seeds on the wind, or the carrying of oxygen to the blood. 

the basic qualities of air are that it’s mobile, dry, light, cold, rough, and subtle, and associated with electrical energy. air also carries things with it, and this can change its properties. for example, the air might mix with the elements of fire, water, and earth in varying degrees and be experienced as hot, damp, dusty. we know that in general, that unlike with water or fire, we can rely on air to dry our laundry, even indoors. this is how we know that air has a dry quality.

easy ways to demonstrate the air element to children are by noticing wind, fans, draughts, the shape of smoke from burning a stick of incense, or the direction of smoke from a campfire. air in the body can be experienced by yawning, sneezing, farting, burping, snoring, singing, laughing, speaking, and blowing. if we place our hands in front of our mouth or nose, we can feel the current of energy moving gently in and out. when the air is clean we cannot see or smell or taste it, but we can feel it and hear it.