How Yoga can Help with Headaches

by Bridget

Sunrise on the Yucatán Peninsula

The thing I like about headaches is this: once they’ve ended, everything in life seems good—better, easier. I have a history of headaches, and my mom's side of the family all gets them, too. As a child, I got migraines regularly. As an adult, I mainly suffer from what I believe are tension headaches, and luckily not as often. But last week I had a headache that lasted for three days. With pain this consuming, I find that it’s difficult to reach inside and find any useful knowledge for caring for myself. What I could manage last week was a body scan every hour or so to relax all of the tension that was building up from the pain, and some gentle shoulder and neck exercises that got the blood flowing and eased a little bit of discomfort. I slept on a slope of pillows, nearly sitting up. Also, I was careful throughout the day to keep my head above my heart (when I forgot this last one, I’d be reminded by a powerful throbbing deep behind my left eyebrow).

After the headache had passed, I googled “yoga for headaches” and found about 17 million results. The 20 or so I looked at had a similar focus. Mainly, aim to practice yoga as a preventative measure, and during a headache only do gentle poses that feel helpful. Some suggestions of poses were: Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukkha Svanasana), Child’s pose (Balasana), Reclining Cobbler’s pose (Suptha Baddha Konasana), Bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana), Legs up the Wall (Viparita Karani), and Corpse pose (Savasana). They also suggested eliminating triggering food and drink (chocolate, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and dairy were the most often mentioned), staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep.

I realized that Yoga for Healthy Aging has some excellent posts about headaches already, as Nina, Brad, and Baxter did a thorough exploration a number of years ago on different types of headaches (for basic information see Tension Headaches, Migraine Headaches, Menopause Headaches, for the science behind the headaches see Brad's Perspective on Headaches, and for suggestions for poses and preventive care see  Preventing Headaches, Part 1 & Part 2). 

Regular yoga practice adds ritual to routine, gives muscles a nice stretch, and encourages blood flow. It can also reduce stress, which can be one cause of headaches. But the main thing is to find what works for you—what comforts you when you experience pain—so that you are ready if and when that pain comes to just move into a routine care plan. Don't wait until you are in pain to seek help from yoga.

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