Are headaches or migraines sucking the life out of you? I hear ya sis! I admit I wasn’t interested in any type of yoga back in my triathlon glory days (that’s for hippies & it’s too slow!) – But when my competitive athletics took a back seat to chronic illness, I re-evaluated. And it turns out, practicing yoga can help these pesky migraine headaches!
Ease stress, muscle tension, and headache pain with these simple yoga moves
If you’re like me, you may want to consider taking it to the mat – the yoga mat that is! Yoga is often found to be beneficial for people with migraines and headaches and is considered a useful complement to their pain-fighting toolbox.
In a study, researchers found that medical migraine patients whose migraines had been treated by yoga experienced greater relief when they began using an assigned 5-week program.
In addition, they showed a reduction in physiological pressures & stress. WIN-WIN!
Yoga for headaches: My personal top 8 poses for relief
Take it from me, the last thing you want to do when feeling like crap is try to attend a full-on class to hone in on your yoga practice. No thanks, I’ll stay in bed.
But, a few of these poses on your own at home can make a big difference. They each help manage pain by getting blood flow and oxygen moving through the body (and brain!)
Let’s get to it!
1. Downward-facing dog:
The downward-facing dog position is one of the key yoga poses in any practice. It also helps provide more blood circulation to the head and usually relieves headaches and also helps with mood.
How to do it?
Starting at the knee. Put your hips forward while putting your hands in the V shape of an inverse body position. Take a deep breath while you practice the shakey pose. Take a moment to relax – inhale & exhale slowly.. You should feel a deep stretch all the way down the back of your body.
Downward dogs also help relieve pains in the lower back, hamstrings and chest, and lengthen the spine.
2. Forward fold
This posture can help relieve headaches by flooding your brain with blood and oxygen as you bend your body over itself.
How to do it?
Start by standing with your hands hip-width apart and bending your hips so that your head will extend down towards the floor. You can soften the knees and maintain the heel flat on the mat. Ensure you keep an eye on a certain point on your mat and stretch your arms down towards the ground.
Note: Your hands can rest on the mats and blocks if needed. And keep breathing!
3. Supine Twist
When head pain or a migraine hits the entire body tenses up and the nervous system goes into overdrive! The supine twist yoga pose helps ‘unravel’ the tension in your upper body, neck, and back.
How to do it?
Place your hands down under the floor on the knees, with your knees on your chest and your leg in an upright position. Hold your hips up and place your hands up on top, with your palms facing up and extending your arms out. Look at the opposite side and turn your hands in front of your knees.
Take five or six breaths on each side (or hold as long as you need!)
Photo by Miriam Alonso:
4. Legs up the wall
This is a yogi favorite! This pose helps by recirculating all the blood in your legs up through your entire body as your legs rest on the wall.
How to do it?
Simply place the buttocks as close as you can against the wall and walk your feet up the wall. Place your hands under your back or fold them together over your stomach.
Relax your back and shoulders with palms pointing towards the ceiling on your yoga mat. It’s a perfect time for meditation – slow down your breathing, try for about 10 breaths a minute.
Photo by Thirdman
5. Child’s Pose
This resting yoga pose is a repeat winner when practicing yoga. It gives the brain and body a break!
How to do it?
Face forward and tuck your legs under your bottom, and fold your torso over your knees with your legs squeezed together. Hold your hands forward on the mat and then rest your forehead in front of the mat. Keep your chin extended. Take about 8-10 breaths.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska:
6. Happy baby pose
This is another full-body relaxation stretch to support the migraine tension pent up. If you suffer from aching hips, neck, or aching spine you can do a quick relaxation pose. Instilling calm and rest is the key.
How to do it?
Place your hands in your lap on the floor with your knees raised up. You should be seated on a comfortable floor. Slow bending will help increase the stretch of your upper back or hip and also relax your mind.
7. Supine chest & shoulder stretch
This really is my favorite!! I’m habitually tight in my chest, neck and shoulders so I do this pose all the time!
How to do it?
Grab a bolster, rolled-up towel, or even a yoga block – while laying down place it under your back vertically. Then open your arms out to each side making a ‘T’ with your hands facing upwards. As you relax into the pose you’ll feel your arms slowly making it down to the floor as the body stretches… ah!
8. Cat-Cow pose
Another signature yoga pose to support headaches is known as the cat-cow. This is perfect for headache sufferers because it stretches out your neck and spine.
How to do it?
Get on all fours (hands & knees) and make a ‘table top’ with your back – keeping it as straight as possible in a neutral position from neck to tailbone. Go ahead and inhale slowly and push your stomach down towards the floor and shift your gaze to the ceiling. As you exhale go ahead and do the opposite – arch your spine up and bring your chin into your chest.
9. Savasana
The best for last! Everybody’s favorite 🙂 Also known as corpse pose, this one is super important– but oftentimes skipped the most! By relaxing your entire body during savasana meditation, your body can release negative energy, emotions, and feelings.
How to do it?
Go ahead and lie down completely – stretch out your feet straight and arms overhead, then place your hands down at your slides, palms up. Make sure to RELAX every single muscle in your body – most importantly your face and jaw muscles! Go ahead and breathe deeply for five minutes… and enjoy!
Photo by Elina Fairytale:
BONUS- What yoga pose helps most when a migraine headache hits?
Upper Body Seated Neck Release
As the neck can often trigger tension headaches, it is advisable to stretch the area with yoga exercises like this easy seated neck release when you feel a migraine headache coming…
How to do it?
Sit comfortably in an upright position, with your spine straightened. Hold your left palm on your back and tilt gently toward the left. Hold for an extended period of time then gently switch sides.
Repeating this several times can reduce pain on the other side as it becomes more intense. When the headache starts, try this pose and the steps above to help mitigate the pain.
Photo by KoolShooters:
What causes migraines anyway?
Despite some triggers and specific identifiers and every individual’s uniqueness, migraines are still not fully recognized and are sometimes untreated and even undiagnosed. The most common trigger for migraine symptoms is stress or hormone changes. This is likely why relaxation and yoga can benefit so many individuals.
It is true that virtually anything can induce migraine for those susceptible because of our overactive sensitive brains. So having these poses on hand can be extremely helpful.
Can yoga help with my headaches?
As mentioned, migraines are very individual-specific. However, yoga can help decrease the frequency of migraine attacks by helping reduce pain and inflammation. Gentle yoga postures encourage relaxation – ideal with poses that relax and stretch necks, and head and shoulder areas.
Studies show that yoga can reduce migraine symptoms if used as supplemental therapy with other treatments as well.
I know I found that gentle yoga poses provided much needed relaxation in my neck, face, and shoulders.
Can I do yoga if I have a headache or migraine?
Extensive research shows yoga may help reduce tension which can downgrade stress-causing headaches and migraine symptoms.
However, vigorous activities can cause headaches. Sometimes it’s best to skip power yoga classes, which can worsen your pain. And if you have nausea, worsening head pain, or visual disturbances, it’s obviously best to pass on exercise altogether!
The Wrap
Most current migraine treatment doesn’t offer much relief, although there are several treatment options available for the pain. Therefore, alternative headache remedies such as yoga can help calm down an anxious nervous system before head pain hits!
Start your yoga practice today and let me know what you think of each pose!
Namaste!
Xo,
jules
