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Stress Management in Ayurveda: Natural Healing For A Balanced Mind & Body

Stress, an integral part of modern lifestyle. What is stress? And why do we get entrapped with stress? So anything unusual to the body is a stress; a change of diet, a change of seasons, and even overexcitement can be stress. From homemakers to students and from working professionals to entrepreneurs, you all are required to multitask at your respective levels. We live in a world where multitasking is glorified, and that is one thing that is expected out of everyone. But is our body made for this and equipped to normalize this constant drive? Well, the answer is no. The constant effort to multitask and get entrapped into decision-making every second is a deterrent to health and leads to stress and a further rise in cortisol levels in the body.

Ayurveda Stress Management

All You Need To Know About Stress

Whenever our environment is altered or there is a change in our lifestyle conditions—biological, psychological, or maybe physiological—our body responds to the stimuli and gets into stress. Now, how to manage this stress and why is there a need to manage this stress? What will happen if we are under constant stress and do not try to manage it or work against it? In stressful situations or environments, our autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are impacted and lead to the release of adrenaline and cortisol. These changes impact the body physically and mentally.

  • The most common impact observed by us is the muscle pain or stiffness in the muscles. This stiffness and muscle pain, if left unaddressed, can gradually aggravate to give rise to fibromyalgia or arthritis.
  • Chronic stress can also alter the immune system and make the body more susceptible to diseases.
  • Another major impact we get to observe frequently is on gut health leading to IBS, weight loss, or weight gain owing to insulin resistance.
  • Skin, our largest organ, also responds by increasing the sweat gland activity and flaring the autoimmune response on skin and hair, leading to psoriasis, eczema, or alopecia aggravation.

How To Manage Stress?

Managing stress with Ayurveda is more inclined towards working on the doshas, because according to Ayurveda, stress and anxiety start impacting our physiology and become pathological when the vata, pitta, and kapha get disbalanced.

  • The easiest option to manage stress is engaging in other activities that interest you, and if possible, change the environment. But every time changing the environment is not possible, so work on building inner strength by doing yoga and meditation. Start your day on a positive note and take care of the nutrition.
  • If your vata dosha is affecting you, the best treatment is offered by abhyangam therapy with a special oil that helps in pacifying this specific dosha. Follow this therapy with a sound, undisturbed sleep. Remember, to manage this dosha, you need to focus on your circadian rhythm and balance it by trying to sleep at the same time every day and sleep for at least 8 to 9 hours.
  • For guests with deranged pitta and stress, short shamana therapy, which is taking a bath in ice-cold water and immersing in a drum full of ice, is the best option to relieve stress. Enhance the benefits by doing pranayama and yoga daily.
  • For deranged kaph, the best way to manage stress is panchkarma with padabhyangam and the ashwagandha herb infused in your drinks twice or thrice a day.

Science Behind Stress Management Through Ayurveda

Stress management in Ayurveda is done through restorative therapies like abhyangam, which detoxifies the body and relieves muscle tension, and shirodhara, which helps in calming down the nervous system and is executed with the help of oil poured on the forehead with a specific technical method. The stress in Ayurveda is also referred to as SAHASA. Although avoiding stress factors is the best management possible, attenuating the chakras and balancing all doshas with different ayurvedic therapies offers a more sustainable and holistic improvement. Shirodhara, shiroabhyanga, shirobasti, and abhyangam are some amazing therapies that have been helping mankind for ages and are true even in the modern-day scenario. Even the head massage known as shiro pichu is a wonderful relaxation procedure for the management of both acute and chronic stress.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ayurveda Stress Management

The number of therapies required depends on the impact of the problem on the body and the type of stress, whether it’s an acute episode or chronic stress; the requirement will depend on this. Also, external stress and internal stress both define and suggest the number of sessions required. So on your visit, the doctor is going to assess your condition and understand the requirements and accordingly plan a road map for you.

The relaxation and feeling of well-being are immediate. However, for a sustained result, it is imperative to avoid the stressor and causative factors. Because while improving the condition, if we are not focusing on the cause and the cause is continuous, the results will be transient and not long-term. So though the results are quick and help in restoring tranquility, a holistic approach is required to enhance the outcome and offer a long-term result.

No, not at all; all these therapies are super safe and have no downtime or side effects. The ingredients used in procedures are completely organic and herbal. The oils, lepas, and powders used for the therapy are procured from their native origins and processed in the form required for the best outcome.

You can come every day to once a week, depending on the therapy suggested and the time availability you can give. Ensure consistency and regularity for the best performance of the therapy. Because when we follow a rhythm for the treatment, the body responds better and faster.

Yes, it will work in all conditions, be they acute or chronic, external or internal. It's just that we need to understand the reason and accordingly plan the management.