The ayurvedic guide for a stress-free life

Stress has become an inseparable part of our daily life. Our routine is very hectic, we ignore the right diet, we ignore the right exercise, we ignore our health just to be workaholic! Working is good but wearing out our mental health is not a right choice. There are several ways Ayurveda explains to cater our mental wellbeing. Stress is just not a mental state, it is a root cause that leads to various emotional and physical problems. Taking over the counter stress relieving pills can make you habitual and can affect the body and other organs adversary! Therefore, we have brought you an easy Ayurvedic Guide to lead a stress-free lifestyle.

Stress- From Ayurveda’s Point of View

Ayurveda has its own principles which are based on the ancient wisdom of different health issues, be it physical, emotional, or mental. Ayurveda says that stress is caused by many factors:

• Sedentary lifestyle with no holistic breaks 
• Poor food habits
• Lack of adequate sleep 
• Too much screen time
• Lack of hydration 
• Excessive caffeine 
• Dosha Imbalance 
• ‘AMA’ or Toxin accumulation 
• Lack of exercise 

These are some of the major reasons that lead to  stress. Dosha Imbalance means when any of our doshas ( energies  that rule our traits and regulate our body) gets out of balance due to poor lifestyle. There are three Doshas- Vata, Pitta, and the last one, Kapha!

These Doshas regulate our body, therefore any imbalance can lead to problems like stress. Similarly with no natural detox, toxins get piled up in our body. These accumulated toxins push away our body’s  natural goodness and weaken our internal system, leading to low energy, nerves weakness, muscle weakness leading to poor mental health. Such factors highly regulate the level of stress. 

In this blog we will study some ways to cure stress just by adopting some easy Ayurveda Practices.

Type of Stress- Ayurveda’s Principles

Ayurveda states the different types of stress that a person deals with in the lifetime.

1- Vata-related Stress

When our Vata Dosha is out of balance then we will feel stress that feels like restless and recurring panicking thoughts, something that is rushing so hard, anxiety, erratic response and skin dryness. These are the symptoms that actually are the responses to imbalanced Vata Dosha. 

2- Kapha-related Dosha

If you feel that your body is feeling unnecessarily heavy, you are always sleepy, feeling lethargic all the time, feel like munching to an extent of overeating to feel relaxed and feel emotionally numb, then this kind of stress is due to imbalanced Kapha Dosha! 

3- Pitta-related Dosha

Pitta has a tendency of heat! When Pitta is very high and out of balance in our body, it give signs like excessive body heat, irritation, skin inflammation, heartburn, etc. This kind of stress response can be treated by balancing Pitta Dosha

Now Ayurveda works by finding the root cause of stress. How? An Ayurvedic Practitioner will diagnose the disturbance in doshas and will plan a treatment for correcting the doshas, hence, curing the problem from the origin to avoid reoccurrence of symptoms.

The Mind Tattvas- ‘Gunas’

Ayurveda explains three mind tattvas that regulate stress:

1- Rajas: This tattva represents the activity going on in the mind.

2- Tamas: Tamas means ‘inertia’ within the mind.

3- Sattva: Sattva means clarity or a guna that creates calmness. 

When there is a disturbance between Rajas and Tama. For example- Excess Rajas or Tamas that are low and dull can cause stress. This situation in Ayurveda is corrected by taming these two hyper sensitive gunas and enhancing Sattva to bring calmness in mind. 

This helps in achieving a stress free mental state! 

No The Prakriti’s Diagnostic 

When we are conceived in our mother’s womb, we get some traits, physical features, our internal systems, and others, it is mostly genetic or a combination of genes of our mother and father. These features which nature gives us by birth are known as ‘Prakriti’. It greatly determines our health throughout life greatly. Thus, Prakriti matters a lot in dealing with stress. An Ayurvedic practitioner will check the prakriti and will take it into account before dealing with your stress! 

The concept of ‘Vikriti’

Now we are born with some traits, but there are several changes in our body, soul, and mind as we grow up. This is mostly due to our lifestyles, our response to the climate, or emotional situations.

For example- Losing a loved one is not Prakriti, but it is a life’s event, thus the remorse this incident gives adds on to one’s Vikriti! Therefore, lifetime events are also determined and can contribute to stress. Ayurveda heals this too! 

Ayurvedic Routines for Stress- Free Life

Ayurvedic Herbs

Foremost remedy can be intake of some mystic herbs that cure stress, like ‘Jatamansi’, one spoonful ‘ashwagandha churna’ at night with warm water, ‘Brahmi’, etc. These herbs are known for calming the mind, removing stress, curing brain-fog and ensuring mental wellbeing. However, introduce such herbs under the guidance of an experienced Ayurvedic Practitioner.

Ayurvedic Routines

Follow these small routines to go stress-free:

1- Wake up early in the morning.

2- Start your day with a full glass of warm water.

3- Sit in ‘Malasana’ for a clear bowel.

4- Do oil pulling by keeping some sesame or other oil in mouth and swishing it all around and then gargling,

5- You can also practice Neti pot sinus rinse under proper guidance for better mental health. 

6- Meditate for 5 minutes. Guided one will work!

7- Do a series of some basic pranayama in which you exhale and inhale consciously for a minute.

8- Eat a sattvic breakfast and other sattvic meals which includes vegetarian meals that are light on your stomach.

9- Cut down the caffeine intake throughout the day slowly. 

10- Stop screen time at least one hour before hitting the bed. 

11- Practice self body massage- Abhyanga, which includes body massage with warm herbal oils or sesame oil.

12- You can also take Panchakarma Therapies to detox your body naturally, Shirdhara works well in detoxing your mind and helping with good stress-free living!

Ayurvedic Routines help to remove stress from the mind and body. Just by small corrections in our daily habits, we can attain a stress-free lifestyle. Do not take up these routines as medicines, but be consistent to blend these helpful practices in your lifestyle. Oil therapies, Ayurvedic Massages, Self- Foot Massage with warm oil before going to bed, oil pulling, nasal rinse, brushing before bed are some of the easy small steps that can help you achieve good health. These practices not only helps your mental wellbeing but also ensures overall health benefits. Ayurveda cures stress by working on the root cause, i.e. by balancing doshas, by determining prakriti and vikriti and balancing them, by detoxifying you herbally and naturally! The great part of Ayurveda is that the components of the treatment plan are pain-free and non-invasive. Unlike any modern medicine, Ayurveda doesn’t make you addicted to sleeping pills or medicines, it heals holistically! Therefore, for a great life- Choose Ayurveda!

But if you want to take professional help then always visit a reputed centre of Ayurveda. India is famous for best Ayurvedic treatments and experiences. Haritha Ayurveda and Panchakaram situated in Rishikesh, India offers Best Ayurvedic Retreats and Ayurvedic Treatment plan to fight stress naturally. The best part of such famous Ayurvedic centres is that they offer quality medicines and well-experienced Ayurvedic Practitioners. Everything is as per the international standards. Thus, choose the best Ayurveda for the best benefits! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Ques 1- Is the Ayurvedic Treatment for stress safe?

Ans- Yes, Ayurvedic Treatments for stress are considered the safest stress treatments in the world.

Ques 2- Can I practice Panchakarma for stress on my own?

Ans- No, Panchakarma Treatments are complex and need expertise, thus always take such treatments from reputed centres like Haritha Ayurveda and Panchakarma in Rishikesh, India.

Ques 3- Can I drink herbal teas?

Ans- Yes, many herbal teas like green tea and chamomile tea are known for reducing stress naturally!

Ques 4- Does food habit affect mental health?

Ans- Yes, to curb stress naturally through Ayurveda you need to include a warm, sattvic and purely veg diet.

Ques 5- How much Jatamansi can I take?

Ans- Jatamansi churna or any other herbs should be taken only as per prescribed by an experienced Ayurvedic Practitioner.