Stress is a common concern among many people and it can disrupt the overall sense of well-being. While a certain degree of stress can motivate a person to work better, excessive pressure can become overwhelming and affect the normalcy of life.
Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine that originated in India thousands of years ago, is based on the idea that wellness depends on the balance between the mind, body and spirit.
Its holistic, as well as customized, approaches make it a relevant body of science in today’s world, Dr. Pallatheri Nambi Namboodiri, director of Nagarjuna Ayurveda hospital in the southern Indian state of Kerala, told Medical Daily.
“Ayurveda has a holistic, as well as customized approach to everything. This makes this science very important and relevant even in this present-day world. Since everyone is different and unique, why should we have a ‘one size fits all’ approach? Ayurveda focuses to fill that customized need,” he said.
Ayurvedic approach to stress
To tackle stress, it is important to understand what causes it. Stress comes from various sources such as work, relationships, health concerns and financial struggles.
According to Dr. Namboodiri, stress is a “pressure state” of mind when it faces trouble to handle certain life events. Another reason for stress is “raga” – the desire or want to have more in life.
“Ayurveda is the first health science to have included mental well-being for health. It says ‘prasanna atma-indriya-manasa’ as a major criterion for health apart from the physical aspects. This can be translated as health is a result of a happy or contented soul-senses-mind,” Dr. Namboodiri said.
Although Ayurveda uses a range of treatments for managing stress, the key lies in living in sync with nature.
“Ayurveda’s approach to stress is in three stages, in order of importance. The first is one’s ‘Ahara’ (food habits). The right kind of food, in moderate quantities and at the right time is the most important. Secondly, it is ‘Vihara’…
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