Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Yoga For Headache Relief - 3 Easy Poses To Conquer Headaches Forever

By Jennifer Bradshaw

Do you suffer from headaches on an almost daily basis? Perhaps you are taking medications to relieve the pain but you find it just isn't working. Would you like to find out how to alleviate headaches naturally without relying on pain killers all the time? It may surprise you to find out that you can practice yoga for headache relief and start feeling better right away. Don't worry if you aren't very flexible right now-the poses I'll show you are easy enough for beginners to do. Plus, the more you practice the more limber you'll be and the poses will become easier.

So how exactly does yoga help to ease headaches? Most headaches are caused by muscle tension, usually due to stress or bad posture (or more often both). This tension is what constricts the blood flow to the head and causes pain. The pills you may take to relieve your headache help to ease this tension and restore normal blood flow. Certain yoga postures have the same relaxing effect on the body. Inverted poses in which all or part of your body is upside down help to increase blood circulation to the head and neck which helps to relax the muscles and relieve pain. Also, poses that help stretch your back and neck will relieve the tension as well. Lastly, doing yoga will help improve your posture, and when you are standing and sitting straighter you put less strain on your neck and back which means less frequent headaches.

You might be wondering now which poses would be the best to try first. There are many poses and it can be quite difficult to figure out which ones are the best for headaches and which can make them worse. I've narrowed the list down to these three:

* Downward Facing Dog - Kneel down on your hands and knees, then lift up onto the balls of your feet. You should look like a triangle from the side. Hold for about 10 breaths.

* Bridge Pose - Lie on your back with your knees bent upwards. Slowly lift your back up and place your palms under your hips for support. Your body should make a slightly arched diagonal from the knees to the neck. Hold for about 10 breaths or as long as comfortable.

* Half Shoulder Stand - Lie on your back, and slowly bring your knees to your chest. Straighten your legs and lift your lower back up, putting your hands under your back for support. Keep your legs stretched out an a 45 degree angle. Hold for 30 breaths then slowly come back down.

Don't worry if the poses sound daunting, they actually aren't very complicated. However, if you do have any concerns, be sure to talk with your doctor first before trying them.

If you are interested in practicing yoga for headache relief and would like further instructions on these poses as well as pictures and a video of the Half Shoulder Stand, check out my web page here: Yoga For Headache Relief. If you are interested in doing a full yoga practice to get maximum benefits for your mind and body in only 30 minutes, check out this site: https://www.yogaforhealth101.com. It's a great program for beginners and you don't have to be limber or athletic in order to use it!

Yoga exercises for migraine: Scientifically migraine is said to be a neurological disorder, causes due to inflammation and irritation of nerves ending. This condition results in bouts of headaches at one side or at one half of brain and the person will experience pain attacks ranging from moderate to intense level, last from 2 hours or long duration of time.

The migraine sufferer will become extremely sensitive to light, noise, tunnel vision or dizziness whereas intensity of pain varies according to each individual and triggered by stress, change in weather, change in sleeping habits, some specific food, odors, medication and hormonal imbalances. According to scientific research problem of migraine is also occur due to fluctuation of brain chemicals Serotonin and Magnesium, especially by imbalance production of estrogen and progesterone in women.

This type of headache is temporarily treated by using pain reliever and stress reducing medicines, medical practitioners and health experts recommend aerobic exercises or other physical activity along with avoidance of factors that are responsible for triggering attack. It is reported in a study published by International Journal of Yoga that patients suffering from migraine when performed yoga exercises regularly for 30 minutes five days a week will notice significant reduction in attacks and symptoms of pain.

The ancient therapy of yoga is a gentle and permanent alternative treatment that helps to cure occurrence of pain attacks by calming mind and relaxing whole nervous system naturally without any side effect. The practice of yoga promotes holistic way of living life by performing different techniques in combination.

Practicing some of the basic yoga poses are suggested as best for treating this problem and preventing an individual from migraine attacks. These exercises will also effectively lessen down the impact of pain and later on permanently stop these attacks. The yoga postures are mentioned as follows,

• Standing forward bend: The standing forward bend revitalizes the complete nervous system by increasing adequate supply of blood and helpful for calming mind also.
• Bridge pose: The pose helps to keep blood pressure in control, relaxes mind and aids in reducing anxiety. By practicing bridge pose the blood rushes towards brain and offers relief from pain.
• Child’s pose: It is a perfect resting posture that acts as a great stress buster. It calms down nervous system, reduces headache and offers gentle stretch to hips, thighs, ankles for releasing fatigue.
• Cat stretch: This stretch posture helps to improve circulation of blood responsible for relaxing mind, burst out stress and promotes supply of oxygen in brain cells to relax tense muscles. The asana is an effective method to cure pain.
• Two legged forward bend: This seated bend helps to calm brain, alleviates stress and offers relief from headache.
• Downward facing dog pose: The posture is a complete body stretch that increases circulation of blood to brain and helpful in reducing severe headaches.
• Lotus pose: This pose helps to relax mind and alleviates pain from head.

Corpse pose: The pose is an essential body posture performed in the end of each session to attain relaxation and tranquility. Corpse pose helps to rejuvenate body by bringing all body parts especially brain into a deep state of meditative silence.