10 Yoga Poses for Migraine

Sure, consultants and research each recommend that yoga can function an efficient different therapy for:

In keeping with a 2020 study, yoga might cut back:

Extra research are wanted to substantiate yoga’s efficacy for migraine complications. However a 2021 study signifies that mindfulness-based stress discount may help to deal with migraine. And a 2014 study means that yoga remedy mixed with typical care can ease migraine episodes.

“Yoga is an efficient therapy for migraine, if not as a stand-alone therapy then as a part of a extra complete plan,” says Pierre Couvillion, NAMA-certified ayurveda practitioner and founder and director of Santosha Faculty.

Nevertheless, he provides that migraine triggers and therapy outcomes can range broadly from individual to individual.

There are a lot of totally different connections between migraine and the advantages of yoga, from managing triggers and prevention to treating signs.

Managing triggers and prevention

In keeping with yoga bodily therapist Stephanie Carter Kelley, PT, PhD, an everyday follow of yoga may help handle a few of the triggers and threat elements related to migraine and tension-type complications.

She notes that frequent causes of migraine assaults can embrace:

• stress
• inconsistent or poor sleep habits
• consuming less-nutritious meals
• taking sure drugs

The psychological and bodily well being advantages of yoga which will assist stop migraine embrace:

• stress aid
• serving to to handle reactions to emphasize
• enhancing sleep high quality
• serving to to handle body weight

Lowering signs

Signs of migraine may be painful and typically extreme sufficient to interrupt your day. In keeping with Carter Kelley, working towards yoga on the onset or throughout a migraine might assist ease signs for some folks.

The consequences of yoga which will assist cut back migraine signs embrace:

• may help relieve ache by way of stretching, particularly muscle rigidity across the head and neck
• improves vagal tone
• calms the sympathetic nervous system
• lowers blood stress and coronary heart charge

Various therapy

Carter Kelley says yoga also can construct interoceptive consciousness, together with the flexibility to acknowledge a migraine set off and use methods to handle it. All of those may match collectively to scale back migraine signs.

“Typically, yoga helps folks unencumber vitality from the fight, flight, or freeze nervous system and redirect it to the ‘loosen up and heal’ a part of the nervous system,” says Couvillion.

The breathing techniques of yoga unbiased of the postures may help, too.

“Alternate nostril respiration helps cut back the cross-firing between the hemispheres of the mind,” he explains. “Sense withdrawal — closing the ears and eyes whereas following a refined, lengthy, sluggish breath — helps cut back stimuli and permits the practitioner to concentrate on subtler elements of the nervous system,” he explains.

Different migraine prevention and therapy choices

Except for yoga, there are different methods to stop and deal with migraine, together with medical marijuana and medicine.

Earlier than you strive yoga for migraine aid, you could need to take into account some precautions.

As with all therapies, take into account talking together with your physician or therapist earlier than attempting yoga for migraine. Train might make some migraine signs worse, so discussing whether or not yoga is a protected therapy choice for you may be useful.

It’s not all in regards to the poses

Carter Kelley explains that yoga isn’t solely in regards to the “sanas,” or postures. Fairly, poses are just one element of an efficient yoga follow together with:

And whereas bodily poses and motion may be useful, sitting or mendacity nonetheless with a spotlight in your breath might be the very best transfer of all.

“It has been proven in lots of different research that these elements are necessary for the administration of stress,” she says.

Prevention is vital

Carter Kelley factors out that incorporating yoga as a safety measure for migraine complications could also be simpler than working towards it throughout a headache.

“Fairly than specializing in yoga when a headache is current, it might be higher to concentrate on an ongoing follow to scale back the ‘trigger’ of migraine and tension-type complications,” she says.

Licensed instructors could make all of the distinction

A licensed yoga teacher can supervise and help you into sure positions throughout your follow. They’ll additionally supply pose modifications that higher fit your wants and talents.

Different concerns for novices

For these new to yoga, Couvillion suggests beginning with 5 minutes of each day follow centered on ground poses. You may construct from there by including extra sophisticated standing poses to your follow.

Couvillion additionally cautions in opposition to attempting any new poses throughout a migraine episode.

Listed below are 10 yoga stretches for migraine aid with directions from Elodie Gythiel, superior Iyengar yoga scholar, Live Yoga Teachers cofounder, and one who lives with migraine complications.

Poses for stress-triggered migraine

These traditional yoga poses are recognized for calming the nervous system, which can be particularly efficient for migraine complications triggered by stress.

Youngster’s pose (‘Adho Mukha Virasana’)

1. Sit on heels with knees barely aside.
2. Maintain backside, or “sitting bones,” on heels.
3. Stretch ahead with arms on ground.
4. Gently contact rib cage to thighs till brow touches ground.

Corpse pose (‘Savasana’)

1. Lay down with a blanket beneath your head.
2. Maintain physique flat on ground.
3. Let go of any rigidity and ideas coming to you.

Bridge pose variation (‘Chatush Padasana’)

1. Lie in your again.
2. Bend legs with ft flat on ground.
3. Seize ankles.
4. Raise pelvis.

Plow pose (‘Halasana’)

Plow pose may be barely extra superior and require larger flexibility and stability than different poses. Ensure of your personal talents earlier than making an attempt this one.

1. Lie in your again.
2. Supporting your decrease again and hips together with your arms, roll onto shoulders in a shoulder stand.
3. Maintain legs straight with toes pointed to ceiling.
4. Attain legs up and over your head till the entrance of your thighs are straight in entrance of your face.
5. Decrease legs, maintaining them straight till your ft contact the ground behind your head.

Respiratory (‘Pranayama’)

Mendacity down or sitting up, full respiration cycles, segmenting your inhalation and exhalation.

Couvillion provides that breathing techniques might be a greater place to start out in stopping and treating migraine for many individuals.

He recommends alternate nostril respiration and “bumblebee,” or sense withdrawal. For bumblebee, shut your ears and eyes and gently “humm” on the exhales.

“In both method, enable the breath to naturally get longer, slower, and smoother,” he says.

To oxygenate your mind (for hormonal imbalance-triggered migraine complications)

Strive these yoga poses for migraine complications triggered by hormonal imbalances and menstruation, which successfully oxygenate the mind.

Standing ahead fold pose (‘Uttanasana’)

1. Stand with ft hip-width aside.
2. Maintain elbows.
3. Bend ahead so far as your flexibility will comfortably enable.

Downward-facing canine pose (‘Adho Mukha Svanasana’)

1. Begin in youngster’s pose.
2. Tuck your toes beneath so ft are on floor.
3. Spreading fingers, root down into floor (or mat) with palms.
4. Press up by way of ft and raise hips to achieve a 90-degree angle.

Legs up the wall (‘Viparita Karani’)

Lie flat on the ground together with your legs up on the wall.

Shoulderstand (‘Salamba Sarvangasana’)

1. Lie on 4 yoga blocks.
2. Alter shoulders near the sting of your help.
3. Raise legs straight up.
4. Place arms on decrease again for help.

Headstand (‘Sirsasana’)

1. Place forearms on the mat in a V form.
2. Fingers interlocking, put head on the ground.
3. Kick as much as raise your legs.

“In my case of side joint irritation, it’s not beneficial to do poses like Sirsasana, as it might put an excessive amount of stress on the neck and will set off a migraine,” says Gythiel. She practices this pose on prime of two piles of blocks with six blocks beneath every shoulder, as a substitute.

Yoga may be an efficient different or extra therapy for migraine complications.

Working towards yoga in tandem with respiration workouts and meditation might show you how to discover essentially the most aid.

Earlier than attempting yoga for migraine therapy and prevention, take into account talking together with your physician or therapist. Working alongside a licensed yoga teacher may help you follow as safely as attainable.