Simple Yoga for Headache Relief

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Wouldn’t it be bad timing when a headache strikes you in the middle of your workday? Or when you are planning to enjoy a break, but the pain bothers you. You can follow techniques on yoga for headaches if this happens. But, let’s talk about why a headache occurs first. Several factors are causing the headache, including:

1. Stress (physical and emotional)
2. Sensitivity (light, loud music, irritating odor, smoke)
3. Beverages (alcohol, some fruit juices, caffeinated drinks)
4. MSG and nitrates (meat preservatives)

There are some unnoticed triggers too. Being in front of the computer for a long time is one. You could be dehydrated or have an ineffective breathing pattern. Some may have underlying health issues that may have caused the headache.

Many of us would go straight to the medicine box and get relief from the pain. According to experts, most pain relievers cause rebound pain. This means that they reduce the pain temporarily but promote drug cycle dependency. The good news is, there are alternative but effective ways to address the pain. Simple poses on Yoga for headaches can be performed to help ease the tension and relieve the pain.

How Yoga Cures Headaches

Yoga brings a lot of benefits to the body. When it comes to curing headaches, simple yoga poses can be done to:

• Promote proper breathing
• Increase blood circulation to the head
• Relax the body and reduce muscle tension
• Clear the thoughts and allow you to stay calm

Simple Yoga for Headache Poses

The featured video at the top of this post showed simple yoga for headache poses. Some of the methods can be done easily even when you are seated at work. The techniques are best done to relieve headache right when it attacks. The great thing with yoga for headache is the fact that it doesn’t not only treat the pain, but it also helps prevent it.

Here are some simple poses you can do with yoga for headaches, with an easy guide on how to do each pose.

Seated Neck Release

It releases the tension from the neck that often triggers headaches.

What to do:

• Sit on your yoga mat in a comfortable position. You may also do this comfortably as you are seated on a chair.
• Place your right hand on the left side of your head and tilt your head gently to the right.
• Keep the position for 10 seconds as you breathe normally.
• Switch sides slowly. Tilt your head to the left. Place your left hand just above your right ear.
• You can repeat the procedure a few times, switching on each side.

Corpse Pose or Savasana

It brings total relaxation, which eases the tension in your body. Thus, relieving headaches as well.

What to do:

• Lay flat on the mat with your legs spread slightly apart.
• Avoid overarching your neck. Bring your chin low until you feel your throat relax and soft.
• Bring your arms to the sides with your palms flat on the surface.
• Focus your attention on the way you breathe and focus on relaxation.
• Keep the pose for 3 – 5 minutes.

Relaxed Quarter Dog

This type of yoga for headaches is a relaxed version of the Downward Facing Dog pose.  It places pressure on the forearms instead of the wrists and the hands. It helps promote blood circulation in the head and relieve headaches. It calms the brain, relieves stress and mild depression, promotes sleep and reduces fatigue.

What to do:

• From a plank pose, bring your feet forward so that your knees are lifted away from the floor.
• Raise your tailbone as you support your body with your forearms parallel on the floor.
• With your forearms pressed on the floor, let your head gently hang between your shoulders.
• Take deep breaths as you do the pose for 5 counts

Supported Child Pose

This yoga for headache pose rests the upper back area and releases the tension on your neck.

What to do:

• From a kneeling position, sit on your heels with thighs slightly apart.
• Bend your body forward, resting your chest on your thighs.
• Put your weight on your knees as you stretch out your arms and with one side of your head resting on a pillow.
• Remember to breathe slowly as you keep the pose for five counts.

Legs Up the Wall

This yoga for headaches is a total restorative yoga. This helps improve blood circulation from the legs to the head. It is known to be good for the heart. After this yoga pose is done, you will feel more relaxed and your mind is a lot calmer.

What to do:

• Get a yoga bolster and place it along a wall.
• Sit on the bolster then gently bring your body down on the yoga mat as you bring your legs up.
• Rest your heels on the wall and place your arms relaxed on the surface, with palms faced upwards.
• Keep the bolster under your hip. You can also choose to keep back flat without a bolster if you want to.
• You can move your buttocks as close to the wall as you prefer.
• You can keep the pose for 3-5 minutes or as long as you feel comfortable.

Gita is the founder of My Menopause Journey. Since 2014, she has been supporting midlife women by sharing hard-earned learnings from her own experience. To advance her knowledge, Gita puts a lot of her time and effort into understanding the broad spectrum of women’s health. She immerses in extensive research about the physical, mental and emotional aspects of menopause. Gita believes in the life-changing power of healthy, holistic living — this is where she anchors her message to all women. Learn more about her marvelous mission in About us - My Menopause Journey.