In general, stress is caused by over stimulation. Life without stimulus would be very dull and boring. We seek fun, enjoyment, fulfillment of desires, and choose to do pleasurable things such as watching television or going to a disco. Stimulation, up to a certain extent, is necessary for keeping a person healthy. However, too much stimulus may ultimately damage your health and well-being. Therefore, it is necessary to strike a balance.

Ayurveda describes how the optimal use of things - amount of food, sleep, sex indulgence, etc. - helps to maintain the required equilibrium with respect to mind, body, and soul.

Every individual has three types of basic energies or biological humors, which are referred to as "doshas". They are vata, pitta, and kapha. According to Ayurveda, stress is a state of imbalance, in which the normal flow of these energies in the body (tridoshas) is disrupted.

In simple words, "imbalance" means that which is not normal. A normal or healthy state is defined in Ayurveda as the balanced functioning of the doshas (vata, pitta and kapha), tissues (dhatus), metabolism (agni), enzymes, wastes (mala) and a contented state of senses (indriya), mind (manas) and soul (atma).

Samadosa samagnisca samadhatu malakriya/Prasannatmendriya mana swastha ityabhidiyate// Susruta Samhita Sutra 15/48

The healthy body enjoys a situation where it has high immunity, strength and resistance to disease. When a component of our body or internal systems (doshas, dhatus, agni, malas, indriyas, mana and atma) is in an unbalanced state, the environment for disease is established.

Charaka identified three main causes that can create an imbalance in the tridoshas and eventually lead to disease:

• Prajnaparadha - improper use of intellect, such as knowing what is right and wrong, remembering what happened the last time you did it and doing it anyway (i.e., eating hot, spicy food again even though it gave you heartburn last time)
• Asatmendriyartha samyoga - improper contact of the senses with their respective objects, such as listening to loud music that you don’t like
• Kala or parinama - seasonal variations, such as going outside without a wrap on a sunny day in the spring even though it is still cool outside

These three causes relate to mental, physical and environmental factors. Disease manifests when the causal factors become unbalanced due to any of the following three reasons: an action or situation that is excessive (atiyoga), such as too much thinking, exercise, sex, speaking, traveling; deficient (hinayoga), such as not making use of the mind, not speaking at all, too little exercise; or incorrect (mithyayoga), such as impolite or abusive speech, indulgence in fear, anger, greed and suppression of natural urges (yawning, urinating, etc.)

Reduction of stress can, therefore, be achieved by a focus on balance. If we choose to do pleasurable things that maintain and enhance health (eat according to our dosha, do the right thing – not the wrong thing again and again, and treat ourselves and others with kindness), we have a much better chance of obtaining balance, creating health and decreasing our level of stress.

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