Vayu (Air
The second of the five great elements, the principle of movement that keeps the body in constant motion and manifests as electrical energy.
Air Element in the Body
Air is the element of movement. All movements involve Air as an element, because it alone moves everything. Within the human body, Air is present in the pulsations of the heart, the expansion and contraction of the lungs, and even at the cellular level where single cells can be seen to move under a microscope. Response to a stimulus — the movement of afferent and efferent nerve impulses — represents sensory and motor movements governed by the Air principle.
Air is related to the sense of touch, and the sensory organ of touch is the skin. The organ of action related to touch is the hand — the skin of the hand is especially sensitive and the hand is responsible for holding, giving, and receiving. Air emerges from shabda and sparsha tanmatras (sound and touch).
Source: Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles, Chapter Two: Universal Attributes and Doshic Theory
Air (Vayu): The Principle of Movement
The same Consciousness, when it moves in a particular direction, becomes Air (vayu). Air is the principle of movement necessary for keeping the body in constant motion. It manifests as electrical energy.
The qualities (gunas) of Air are: mobile, dry, light, cold, rough, and subtle. Its action (karma) is movement in a particular direction. Its tanmatras are sound and touch, and its type of energy is electrical energy. Air builds upon Ether — Ether provides the space, and Air introduces directed motion within that space.
Source: Textbook of Ayurveda: Fundamental Principles, Chapter One: Shad Darshan (Six Philosophies of Life)
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