Is this a substitute for therapy or psychiatric medication?

No. It runs alongside them and many of our patients are doing both. If you are on psychiatric medication, bring the prescription — and do not change it without the doctor who prescribed it.

I only have weekends. Is that enough?

A weekends-only course works but takes longer to build. If you can manage two weekday evenings as well, the effect comes sooner.

Will I feel different after one session?

Most people feel deeply relaxed after a single Shirodhara. The change that lasts comes from the course, not the session — which is why we plan one rather than selling sessions individually.

Ayurvedic treatment for stress, anxiety and burnout in Chennai

Tired but wired — the state where rest no longer restores anything.

What it looks like: A chest that feels tight for no reason you can point to; Exhausted at the end of the day but unable to switch off; Short temper over things that used not to matter; Appetite and digestion gone irregular; Physical symptoms with normal test results.

The texts do not separate mind and body the way a referral system does. Sustained stress is described as disturbing Vata first — hence the restlessness, the irregular digestion and the broken sleep arriving together — and then Pitta, which brings the heat, the irritability and the acidity. Treating them as one picture is the point.

Shirodhara and Shiro Abhyangam for the nervous system, Shareera Abhyangam for the physical holding that goes with it, and internal medicines chosen for the dominant pattern. Sessions are usually spaced across two weeks rather than compressed, because the effect accumulates. Nothing here replaces treatment for a diagnosed psychiatric condition, and we will say so directly when that is what is in front of us.

Typical course: 7 to 14 sessions across two to three weeks.

When to see a doctor first, not us: Thoughts of harming yourself, panic attacks that are escalating, or an inability to function at work or home need a mental-health professional now. Ayurvedic therapy can run alongside that care; it is not a substitute for it.

Assessed at Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe, a government-certified Ayurveda hospital at Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131 — reachable from Sholinganallur, Medavakkam, OMR, Velachery, Pallikaranai and Tambaram. Open every day, 10 AM to 8 PM.

Common questions

Is this a substitute for therapy or psychiatric medication?: No. It runs alongside them and many of our patients are doing both. If you are on psychiatric medication, bring the prescription — and do not change it without the doctor who prescribed it.
I only have weekends. Is that enough?: A weekends-only course works but takes longer to build. If you can manage two weekday evenings as well, the effect comes sooner.
Will I feel different after one session?: Most people feel deeply relaxed after a single Shirodhara. The change that lasts comes from the course, not the session — which is why we plan one rather than selling sessions individually.

Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe — 12/597, Main Road, Nethaji Nagar Main Rd, Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131. Phone: +91 81229 39197.