The Five Senses Relate to Six Tastes

We are made of the same five Elements as everything else, so our sensory impressions are considered crucial to health in Ayurveda. Just as the food that we select via our Senses creates our bodily tissues, our hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell also determine the quality of our thoughts and emotions. We can therefore use our five Senses: hearing (ears), touch (skin), sight (eyes), taste (mouth) and smell (nose) – which directly correspond to the five Elements of Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth – to bring balance to ourselves and our three Doshas. We can sense Qualities through our five Senses, to make choices that bring balance to our health.