5 ways to manage stress with Ayurveda

What is stress? I am sure you would not disagree that stress is undeniably indefinable. One way to understand stress is a psycho-physiological response within the body to some physical, emotional or environmental stimulus.

The Ayurvedic approach to stress and most health concerns is based on an imbalance in our energetic properties – the doshas (vata, pitta, kapha). Stress in Ayurveda is seen predominantly as a disturbance to our vata dosha, the energy of movement that is formed from the space and air elements. The vata dosha is intrinsically related to the nervous system and while a little stress can be felt as beneficial in bursts over the short term, it wreaks havoc on the mind and body over prolonged periods. This is the negative and undesired impact that we commonly know as stress.

Continuously fine-tuning the balance of vata is the key focus of managing stress in the body and mind as well as support wellness and longevity. What’s more there is no single solution or a one-size fits all to managing stress. Here are some key areas we can focus on self-managing our stress.

1.   Spend time in nature

Vata is the energy of movement and is composed of the air and space element. On the premise that like increases like and opposites bring balance we want to invoke the qualities of water and earth that can bring balance. Take a walk in the woods, up the mountains, by a lake or the sea. Kick back your shoes and really immerse with nature by walking bare foot. This was also very popular in the 1800s as a concept called ‘earthing’.

2.   Pranayama

Pranayama is literally translated as breath control. Why is it that when we feel panicked we immediately turn to the breath? The breath is our life force energy and by deepening and elongating the breath we can increase prana and calmness within our mind and body. Yoga and Ayurveda has an array of breathing tehniques available, but my favourites for calming rebalancing vata down are ujjaya, nadi shodhana and brahmari. You can check them out in my book: ‘Ayurveda – Ancient wisdom for modern wellbeing’. For me when we engage with pranayama practices it really lends itself as a bridge to deepening our meditation practice.

3.   Self abhyanga

As humans, we are designed for social interaction and touch both of which have very therapeutic effects on our endorphins (our happy hormones) whilst having an impact on reducing the cortisol that gets stimulated in stressful circumstances. What’s more when we use oil externally through self massage we can really rebalance any vata aggravation. Traditionally self massage is done before the shower with warm oil starting at the top of the head and working your way down to the toes. It is not only nourishing and nurturing but also very hydrating for the skin. There are some gorgeous blended herbal oils for vata, pitta and kapha as well as traditional medicated oil such as ashwagandha, mahanarayana, dashamoola and dhanwantaram.

4.   Ashwagandha

This is by far my favourite adaptogenic herb and no wonder its called the king of herbs because it has just a fantastic auto-balancing impact on the body and mind. It encourages the parasympathetic (rest) and calm down the sympathetic (fight or flight) response. What makes ashwagandha so unique is that is has the ability to both calm the mind and energise the body at the same time. It’s a perfect option to bring balance to vata and impactful on reducing stress when taken on a regular basis.

Read my recent blog post on the benefits and uses of ashwagandha.

5.   Regularity & routine

The single most important balancing factor for vata is maintaining routine and regularity in our daily patterns and this is especially critical around sleep and eating habits. I recommend aiming to sleep around 10pm when the body is naturally feels drowsy due the kapha energy. Give yourself 60-90 minutes time to prepare for bed, by avoiding screen and industrial lights and anything that stimulates or aggravates the mind and body. Dim the lights, put on a few candles, gentle music, give yourself a foot massage and take your ashwagandha with some hot milk. It’s also a great idea to indulge in warm bath.

We can certainly try to adopt as much of the above as we can and this of course is not an extensive program for managing stress. I highly recommend consulting with a practitioner to understand the root cause of your imbalances so that you can gain long term health benefits from a personalised wellness plan.