AYURVEDA AGAINST STRESS


Ayurveda believes that all disease, including stress, emanates from lack of balance in a person's energies. " says Vaidya Mishra. " There are three points from where stress emanates--the body, the mind and the emotions. Let me go over the cause and cure of each

Physical Stress
The triggers here are obvious - too much exercise, too little exercise, not enough rest. Together, physical stressors combine to throw skin moisture off-balance. The joints fall short of lubricant. The circulation cries for a boost. The stretched nerves scream for help. Also, both too much and too little activity cause "ama" or digestive impurities to collect in the body. Toxic "ama" clogs the body's micro-circulatory channels, impairing cell function and leading to all sorts of physical and psychological imbalances. If the rooms are shaky, can the apartment be solid? If your very cells are tired, how fit can you expect to be," queries Vaidya Mishra.

To beat back physical tiredness, Vaidya Mishra recommends certain foods that Ayurveda recognizes as natural stress-busters. Walnuts, almonds, coconut, lightly cooked juicy fruits like pears and apples, milk, low-fat yogurt, ghee(clarified butter), and fresh cheeses such as Indian-style home-made "paneer"(cottage cheese) or ricotta have excellent healing properties, says Vaidya Mishra.

Also, Ayurveda believes in the principle of "balaardh", or using half of your energy and conserving the rest. Which simply means don't exercise below or beyond the capacity of your body. This will keep you in good shape as well as good spirits," explains Vaidya Mishra.

Mental Stress
Ayurveda believes that the mind functions beautifully if these three co-ordinates are in harmony:

Dhi or Acquisition of knowledge
Dhriti or retention of knowledge and
Smriti or recall of that knowledge.

To keep these functions at peak level, the mind should ideally be rested and recharged often. But daily stress does not allow that to happen. We know only too well what that results in: you think all the time but without clarity, you work hard but without enthusiasm, you lie in bed without sleep. "All these are classic symptoms of a badly vitiated Prana Vata, the life-force that governs creative energy," reveals Vaidya Mishra.

As an immediate anti-stress measure, vaidya Mishra suggests slowing down."Don't work long hours at the computer, don't stress over a niggling problem,and do get up and take a walk in between jobs. Change coffee-breaks into herbal-tea breaks. Massage your body with warm oil every morning. Treat it to the relaxing aroma of an essential oil at bedtime. Further, eat less of astringent, bitter and pungent foods.Get more of salty, sweet and sour tastes on your plate. Warm milk, ghee (clarified butter) and light dairy products are excellent stress-calmers.

Emotional Stress
Deep-seeted stress is always related to emotions. The commonest among them are marital problems or the loss of a loved one. Because the situation that creates emotional stress is generally traumatic, it is also more devastating than any other kind of stress. People going through emotional turmoil can suffer from chronic depression, highly toxic bottled-up anger, nightmares, and terrible insecurity. "When that happens," says Dr Mishra, "it is time to pacify the Sadhak Pitta, the vital force that is responsible for the functioning fo the heart and the hormones."

The vaidya recommends sweet, bitter and astringent foods to calm chronic stress. He says it helps to increase your consumption of sweet juicy fruits, delicately flavored sweet lassi (churned yogurt) in the afternoon, and warm milk at night. Mishra suggests cooking with cooling spices like cardamom, cilantro, and mint.

Ayurveda places tremendous importance on the value of good sleep as a remedy for stress. "Sleep is one of the three pillars of Ayurvedic healing-the other two being diet and lifestyle. However stressed you are, try going to bed by 10. p.m.", says Vaidya Mishra. "Massaging your body with a cooling oil like coconut helps. Or try a relaxing aroma oil to invite blissful sleep.," he advises.

"Stress is here to stay," reflects Dr Bloomfield. "But if you decide to stay and play, you are a winner. Manage stress. Heal it holistically-using your body, mind and spirit. And you will find that the strings of your violin are stretched just-right. Then close your eyes and enjoy the music that flows spontaneously in your veins."