There are various perspectives to look at the world with. One can look at it as advaita - everything is one, or in terms of duality - yin and yang, energy and mass from the scientific perspective, or as the trinity - creator, sustainer, destroyer or as the five elements.Chinese philosophy categorizes the five elements as earth, water, fire, metal, and wood, while the Indian Sankhya philosophy separates the world into earth, water, fire, air, and ether. We can try to reach a state of balance through any of these methods, and here I share how we can get there by understanding the role of the pancha (five) maha (great) bhuta (elements).Ultimately, the secret to good health - physically, mentally, emotionally and otherwise, is balance. It is a narrow path to tread since little things can send us out of balance. Understanding life from the perspective of the 5 elements helps us restore this balance more easily. For anyone on the spiritual pathway also, this understanding can be tremendously helpful. Looking at it from a Chakra point of view, the five elements rule the first 5 Chakras. It is only when these 5 Chakras are balanced and stable that one can truly open up to the power of the Third Eye and eventually the expansion of the Crown. Many of us have a tendency to get overzealous at some point or the other, overdo our sadhana and hurt ourselves. An understanding of the workings of the system can help us not only prevent this but also fix it if need be. The five elements that form our world are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether, going from the gross to the subtle. Too much of any of these elements can cause a spate of problems ranging from disease to brain fog to financial problems.