Natural ways to get rid of headaches with yoga. Yoga asanas for headaches

There are different types of illness, as well as a wide variety of causes that cause them. They are divided depending on the type of unpleasant symptoms causing them, their location and duration. It is important to determine the type of headache:

migraine;
cough;
pressure change;
stress, etc.

The scale of the problem is enormous. Research indicates that 90% of the population complain of the disease at least once a year. Just as there are many types of headaches, there are many causes that cause them. These include:

disruptions in the functioning of the endocrine system;
poor sleep;
lack of exercise;
neurotransmitter imbalance;
poor posture;
stress;
food containing various types of additives and many others.

To solve a problem, you need to have deep knowledge about its occurrence. It is necessary to understand the mechanism of action, or all the factors influencing the occurrence and occurrence of symptoms of discomfort.

Asana Viparita Karani will help you quickly get rid of pain

According to the B.K.S. method Iyengar, yoga and Lotus pose can help in the fight against illness.

“The main thing is to take the correct position, have appropriate support, straighten your spine, relax your neck, back, arms and abdominal muscles,” says the teacher.

You can sit in this position for a long time, changing the crossing of your legs.

The most common cause of headaches is stress and migraines. Stress interferes with the functioning of the cardiovascular system and heart, causes shortness of breath, which can lead to hypoxia of the body, fatigue, irritability and problems with concentration, and is harmful to the blood vessels of the brain.

When determining the cause:

The first stage will be investigation (svadhyaya), in which information about the nature of the problem is collected.
The next step is practice. Using asanas, pranayama, meditation, it is determined what is useful for you, neutral or unacceptable.
You should not approach this process automatically. What leads to a positive reaction at the beginning of the process may become neutral over time. A job that initially evoked negative emotions becomes highly desirable and will produce positive results. Therefore, it is necessary to practice and experiment throughout the entire time until you discover the antidote.

Over time, the disease will begin to recede, although occasional relapses may occur.

A headache can be a blessing and force you to change your habits and lifestyle.

Check what will help you

There is no ready-made sequence of exercises for headaches of all types. To achieve positive results, it is advisable to carry out the work in three stages:

prevention when there are no problems;
work preceding the reduction of pain symptoms and discomfort;
exercises at the moment of its onset.

First, it’s worth finding out if moving your head slowly back and forth helps you at the moment your symptoms appear. It is enough to bend in the position of Pavan Muktasana (emitting winds) on two chairs, with your head bowed on your hands (palms of your hands, clasp opposite elbows). Perform a head tilt in the Shavasana position (dead man's pose). While lying on the bed, move your head slightly behind the mattress so that your entire neck receives support.

Both positions are performed while maintaining minimal head movement.

Even a slight decrease in symptoms will be a valuable hint on what to do next: bending forward or backward. In any of the positions performed, the symptoms should not intensify.

Over time, the discomfort should go away, but you shouldn't expect too much at the very beginning (about 5-10% will go away). You have to be patient and repeat asanas, pranayama and meditation.

In severe cases, the pain lasts from 30 to 40 years. Sometimes it takes 2-3 weeks of constant training to get rid of it. This pain is accompanied by vomiting, dizziness and growing panic.

When you have a headache, it is important to understand what is causing it and be patient.

There are many examples in practice where during one session it was possible to reduce discomfort to a minimum. However, you will need patience and maximum trust in the teacher.

Preventive practice

Once the basic principles of self-care are known, it is important to recognize and respond to symptoms. For many people, the Viparita Karani position (bent candle pose) is the magic wand that will relieve them of pain. It is only important to recognize the first signs of pain in time:

drowsiness;
panic;
labored breathing;
weakness;
relaxation or mood change.

Performing the position may even cause pain. The pose is allowed to be modified. Some people find it comfortable to lie down with their legs straight up on the wall without any assistance, while others require support for the sacrum and lower back. It's the work that needs to be done to discover and find what helps.

Worth thinking about

The causes of pain can arise not only on the physical level, but also on the mental level. What precedes a headache and its onset, what events? This will be the key information for making a decision.

Some life situations cause drowsiness, after which malaise appears. If bending your head back too much helps you, perform Savasana with your head tilted back beyond the edge of the mattress or pillow. Perform the exercise so that slight arousal and sobering appear.

The position can also be performed using a bolster, where a rolled blanket serves as neck support.

If bending in front helps, do Supta Baddha Konasana (butterfly pose) or Supta Virasana (lying warrior pose) with a roller. Place it in front, and place enough blankets under your head so that it is in a neutral position, or with your chin slightly tilted towards your sternum. In addition to relieving pain, the position will improve breathing.

If symptoms occur as a result of stress, you should concentrate on relaxing the contracted diaphragm while bending. Adho Mukha Virasana, with a support roller, will help restore calm and composure.

Yogic exercises relieve some symptoms, add blood flow to the head and, with each deep breath, you will feel better.

Neck pain and headaches are often caused by excessive muscle tension in the neck and shoulder area. This leads to damage to the nerve endings, misalignment of the spinal discs and a feeling of tension, as well as discomfort in the neck and head. Yoga for headaches can relieve symptoms with a routine stretching routine, lengthening all major muscle groups in the neck and shoulders.

Neck muscles

The major muscle groups of the neck include the erector dorsi, scalp, levator, upper trapezius, and sternocleidomastoid muscles. To learn how to properly stretch each muscle group individually, you can purchase an instructional video or study under the guidance of an experienced leader.

Yoga for the treatment of migraines and headaches

Migraine is a neurological disorder that causes recurring headaches of moderate to severe intensity. Usually affects only one half of the head and can last from 2 hours to two or more days. A migraine attack may cause a person to become extremely sensitive to light or noise. Other common symptoms include:

vomiting;
nausea;
worsening pain due to physical activity.

Life-saving mudra helps with headaches

According to a study by British doctors, almost 0.2 million migraines occur every day in the UK. Migraine headaches affect 8 million people.

According to the American Headache Society, nearly 90 percent of Americans suffer from headaches. Forty-five million Americans experience chronic headaches, and 23 million suffer from severe migraines.

Migraine attacks cause unbearable pain and can interfere with your personal and professional life.

There is no need to hide the problem that has arisen. By explaining the situation to your family, friends and colleagues, you will receive moral and emotional support from them. This will help them have a complete understanding of your situation.

Practicing simple yoga poses will help you reduce the impact of migraine attacks and eventually stop them for good. Roll out your yoga mat, relax for some time and banish headaches from your life forever.

Poses to help relieve migraines

Is there a natural way to combat migraines without harming the body in the process? Fortunately, yes - it's yoga.

Yoga for migraines is an ancient technique that promotes a rich, fulfilling and holistic life through a combination of poses and breathing techniques. She is able to fight headaches. By practicing these simple yoga poses for a few minutes every day, your next migraine attack can be tackled head on:

Hastapadasana (Pose for arms and legs).
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose).
Balasana or Shishuasana (Child's Pose).
Marjariasana (Cat Pose).
Paschimottanasana (Seated Bend to Legs).
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose).
Padmasana (Lotus Pose).
Savasana (corpse pose).

Process and action

Hastapadasana activates the nervous system, increases blood circulation and soothes pain.
Setu Bandhasana calms the brain and reduces anxiety.
Child's pose calms the nervous system and effectively reduces headaches.
Marjariasana improves blood circulation and also relaxes the mind.
By bending toward your feet from a sitting position, your brain calms down and stress is relieved. Paschimottanasana pose relieves headaches.
Adho Mukha Svanasana increases blood circulation to the brain and relieves headaches.
The hallmark of yoga - Padmasana calms the mind and relieves headaches.
Corpse pose regenerates the body, bringing it into a state of deep meditative rest.
To finish the treatment with asanas, you need to perform Shavasana for several minutes.

Yoga from the head - Balasana

The practice of yoga helps develop the body and mind and brings many health benefits, but it is not a substitute for medicine. For yoga to be beneficial, it is important to learn and practice yoga asanas under the guidance of a trained teacher.

In case of any medical diagnosis, practice various yoga poses after consultation with a doctor and Sri Sri Yoga teacher.

Treatment should not be stopped, even if you think everything is fine, until your doctor says so. Yoga is a tool to help you resist headaches, but it should not be an alternative to medication.

Everyone has at one time or another experienced the feeling of a bursting and prolonged headache called a migraine. There are a number of people who suffer from this phenomenon frequently. World medicine classifies this disease as incurable and is still in search of a new, more effective means to relieve excruciating pain. In the fight to relieve unpleasant symptoms, both traditional pharmacological agents and non-traditional methods of traditional medicine and alternative breathing exercises are used. Yoga is one of these methods.

With the help of exercises for migraines, you can prevent the development of a painful attack, establish internal self-control, relieve tension, and remove negative thoughts. Yoga is the prevention of a huge list of diseases. The main thing in this process is a person’s desire to find harmony.

The main components of yoga are correct breathing technique, a comfortable position of the body that does not cause pain. Using this technique will help you learn to cope with painful attacks, reduce the frequency of their occurrence and, over time, reduce them to zero. The advantages of yoga are the safety of the technique and the simplicity of the exercises.

Migraine can have many manifestations, but most often patients complain of the following symptoms:

sudden changes in pressure;
weakness in the body;
dizziness and clouding of consciousness;
excessive sweating;
freezing limbs, numbness;
throbbing, bursting headache;
feeling of chills;
difficulty breathing, lack of oxygen;
panic, anxiety.

More often, the headache is partially localized and does not spread to the entire head. The sensations are so unbearable that the person cannot do any work.

Causes

The reason for the development of migraines can be a serious illness or simply loud sound stimuli. The most common ones include:

lack of sleep or lack of rest;
hormonal disruptions in the body during adolescence, due to cycle changes in women);
unbalanced diet;
acclimatization, time zone change;
stressful situations, depression;
pressure surges;
sudden change in temperature.

More serious provoking factors include:

poor blood supply to the brain;
nervous disorders of the body;
hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy, menopause;
diseases of the cardiovascular system, depletion of the walls of blood vessels, their expansion, poor blood permeability.

Breathing exercises

It is better to start yoga by mastering proper breathing techniques, which will help give vital energy and strength. There are many breathing exercises, some of them are effective for migraines and headaches, as they calm the nervous system, relieve tension, improve blood circulation and eliminate other provoking factors of the disease.

One of the effective exercises is Nadi Shodhana. With its help you can cleanse energy channels and relieve fatigue. The breathing technique is quite simple and its meaning lies in alternate breathing through the right and left nostrils. To perform this technique comfortably, you need to relax, take a comfortable position with a straight back.

You need to close one nostril with your hand, taking a deep breath and slowly drawing in the air. Then we exhale even more slowly and alternate nostrils. This technique must be performed until pain is completely eliminated or symptoms decrease. In addition to eliminating headaches, such exercises can clear the nasal passages and saturate the brain with oxygen.

Basic yoga poses for neuralgia and migraines

The main thing in the process of practicing yoga is a positive attitude, which sets the right rhythm and contributes to the effectiveness of such exercises. Before starting classes, you need to abstract yourself from problems and pain, distance yourself from worries and completely relax. All yoga poses involve certain areas of the body, and not all exercises will be useful for getting rid of migraines.

The areas of the body that provoke headaches are the neck, head, shoulders, and spine, and these are the areas that need to be involved in the fight against the disease.

Neck warm-up

You need to take a seat on a chair or sit in the lotus position, relaxing your limbs. Using your right hand, touch your left ear and, stretching to the side, tilt your head to the right. To make this warm-up effective, you can apply resistance with your head. After being in this position for a minute, tilt in the other direction and repeat the exercise several times.

Dolphin pose (dog pose)

With our feet shoulder-width apart, we kneel down. We rest our hands on the floor so that our hands are in front of us at a distance of shoulder width. Next, you need to lower yourself onto your elbows, stretch your back so that your hips point upward, rising slightly. It is important that at this moment your heels do not leave the floor. The neck muscles need to be relaxed, lowering the head down between the shoulders. Spend no more than half a minute in this position, taking 3 deep breaths and exhalations. Return to starting position and repeat if necessary.

Camel Pose

The pose is similar to the previous one - you need to kneel, bend back, resting your hands on your feet. The muscles of the buttocks and thighs should be tense, while the spine relaxes. Due to the opening of the vertebral arteries, the migraine recedes and the body feels significant relief.

Contraindications to classes

Yoga has a number of contraindications; exercises should not be used if:

cardiovascular diseases;
colds, viral infections;
tumor formations.

In order to exclude the development of serious illnesses, it is important to consult a specialist and find out the cause of migraine, as well as contraindications to the use of yoga. If nothing serious is revealed as a result of the examination, you can safely use the knowledge to combat overexertion and fatigue, which cause frequent headaches. With the help of yoga, you can prevent the occurrence of new attacks of pain and migraines, as well as the development of neuralgia.

First aid for a seizure

When a headache appears unexpectedly and ruins all your plans, you can use the simple advice of experienced yogis who know the secrets of quick relaxation and restoration of vitality and energy. To relax and relieve pain you need to:

Remove the unpleasant effects of bright light or sound. Darkness is the best way to distract attention from problems with heart rate and blood pressure. In the dark, the body and the body relaxes along with it and tunes into the right mood.
Lie on the floor with your legs up. At the slightest clouding of consciousness, dizziness, or tinnitus, you need to take a position in which the attack will subside faster, bringing consciousness back to normal.
Pull yourself together and switch your attention so as not to develop anxiety and panic.

If you have constant, painful headaches that prevent you from concentrating on work or other processes, you should not hesitate to visit a doctor.

After all the necessary examinations, yoga classes will bring harmony and peace into your life, improving your internal state.
10 asanas that will help you get rid of headaches, fatigue and stress.
Of course, not a panacea, but with regular practice, the listed asanas significantly

will reduce tension in the brain and the entire nervous system. (Source – B.K.S Iyengar. Yoga. The path to health)
1.Adhomukha Virasana
The name of this asana is translated from Sanskrit as “downward facing hero pose.” It is also called "child's pose." Adhomukha Virasana helps relieve stress, has a strong calming effect on the forebrain, eyes, nerves and mind and is refreshing after a busy day.

Adhomukha Virasana helps with shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue and headaches. This asana also reduces high blood pressure, stretches and tones the spine, partially relieving pain in the back and neck. Adhomukha Virasana reduces acidity and helps with flatulence, and also alleviates menstrual pain and relieves menstrual and premenstrual syndrome.

2. Janu Sirsasana
Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward. Place your palms on the floor near your buttocks and straighten your back. Bend your left leg at the knee and press your heel toward your groin. The toes of the left foot should touch the right thigh, and the legs should be at an obtuse angle to each other. Move your bent knee as far back as possible and keep your right leg completely straight. Exhale and bend forward, not from the shoulder blades, but from the base of the spine. Lower your forehead, close your eyes and take a slow breath to release tension from your neck and head. Stay in this position for about 1 minute and then repeat the asana on the other side.

3.Paschimottanasana
Paschimottanasana translates as “strong stretching of the back of the body.”
Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward. The ankles, heels and big toes should be closed. Extend your arms forward and bend over. Don't bend your legs and keep your feet vertical.
Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward and your legs closed. Place your feet vertically to extend your heels forward and press your heels into the floor with equal force. Place your palms on the floor near your buttocks. Take a few deep breaths and raise your arms above your head, palms facing each other. The spine should be extended vertically upward. As you exhale, lower your hands to your feet. Wrap your big toes with your thumbs, index and middle fingers. Press your hips firmly into the floor. There should be more pressure on your thighs than on your calves. This will help you stretch further.

4.Prasarita Padottanasana

Prasarita in Sanskrit means "outstretched" or "extended", and pada translates as "leg" or "foot". In this asana, the legs are spread wide and strongly stretched, the body is turned over, and the head is lowered to the floor. Paschimottanasana is usually performed at the end of a cycle of asanas performed while standing. It calms and restores strength, cools the body and brain, gives a feeling of calm and relaxation.
Stand in tadasana (straight, feet together) and place your hands on your waist. Inhale and spread your legs 1.2m apart. The feet should stand parallel to each other, toes forward, and rest their outer edges on the floor. Keep your back straight. Inhale and bend forward, stretching your spine. Take your hands away from your waist and place your palms on the floor with your fingers spread wide.
Without lifting your palms from the floor, spread your elbows and lower the crown of your head to the floor between your palms. Push your sternum forward and pull your stomach in. To reduce stress on your head, push your hips and groin back. Stay in this position for 1 minute.

Get down on your knees. Place your palms on your knees and clasp your feet together. Straighten your back and relax your neck. Exhale, bend forward and place your arms fully extended on the floor. Stretch the back of your neck and lower your face to the floor. Lower your pelvis and hips and do not tense your stomach. Open your armpits and extend your sternum. Lean forward and straighten your chest. To relax your body, stretch your body and spine forward even more.
Prasarita Padottanasana helps fight depression and increases self-confidence. This asana also calms the brain and sympathetic nervous system, energizes the heart, lowers blood pressure, helps with stress-related headaches, migraines and fatigue.

5. Adhomukha Svanasana
The name of this asana translates as “downward-facing stretching dog pose”; it is often called “downward-facing dog.”
With your feet 45cm apart, kneel and place your palms on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Take turns moving your legs back at a distance of about 1.2 m from your hands. The right hand should be in line with the right leg, and the left hand with the left leg. Raise your heels, straighten your legs and lower your heels back to the floor. Extend your arms completely. Lift your buttocks, lengthen your chest, and push your sternum forward. Exhale and lower your head, stretch your spine and open your chest. The throat should be elongated but soft. Relax your eyes and let your brain remain passive.

Get down on your knees. Place your palms on your knees and clasp your feet together. Straighten your back and relax your neck. Exhale, bend forward and place your arms fully extended on the floor. Stretch the back of your neck and lower your face to the floor. Lower your pelvis and hips and do not tense your stomach. Open your armpits and extend your sternum. Lean forward and straighten your chest. To relax your body, stretch your body and spine forward even more.
Tones and relaxes the nervous system, helping fight depression and anxiety
Helps with shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, extreme fatigue and sunstroke. Normalizes blood pressure and pulse rate, alleviates back pain, develops hip, knee and ankle joints, strengthens the ligaments and tendons of the legs.

6.Uttanasana
Uttanasana is a strong forward bend, an asana in which a strong stretch of the spine occurs. Uttanasana also helps restore strength after heavy mental or physical stress. It is useful for people prone to anxiety or depression, as it rejuvenates the spinal nerves and brain cells. In addition, it slows down the heartbeat.
Stand in tadasana with your legs completely straight. Pull your kneecaps up. Raise your arms above your head, palms forward. Stretch your entire body and take one or two breaths.
As you exhale, bend forward from the waist without bending your legs. The weight of the body should be equally on both feet. Lower your body even lower and place both palms on the floor in front of your feet. Spread your ankles slightly to remove excess stress from your lower back, buttocks, and legs. Until you have developed sufficient flexibility, you can not place your entire palm on the floor, but only touch it with your fingertips.

7. Halasana
Regular practice of halasana (plow pose) helps increase self-confidence and energy levels, and after a long illness helps restore calm and clarity of mind. In addition, by relaxing the eyes and brain, it relieves the effects of stress and tension.

Lie down on a mat or folded blankets. Stretch your legs and pull your knees up. As you exhale, lift your buttocks off the floor and bring your knees to your chest. Keep your arms straight and place your fingers on the floor. Pull your shoulders back and chest out.
In a smooth circular motion, lift your buttocks so that your knees are closer to your chin, and straighten your legs so that your shins are perpendicular to the floor.
Grasp your lower back with your hands and, raising your pelvis, move your body to a position perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should be above your head. Before lowering your legs to the floor, bring your bent knees to a position above your forehead.
Move your pelvis forward towards your head. Slowly straighten your legs and lower them until your toes touch the floor. Extend and extend your arms behind your back. Interlace your fingers tightly and turn your hands with your fingers up. Breathing evenly, remain in this position for 1 to 5 minutes.

8. Setubandha sarvangasana

The name of this asana is translated from Sanskrit as “bridge pose.” Bending in this asana, the body really resembles a bridge. The chin lock slows down the flow of thought and calms the mind. This pose improves blood circulation to the brain, allowing the mind and body to rest and recharge with fresh energy.

Get down on your knees. Place your palms on your knees and clasp your feet together. Straighten your back and relax your neck. Exhale, bend forward and place your arms fully extended on the floor. Stretch the back of your neck and lower your face to the floor. Lower your pelvis and hips and do not tense your stomach. Open your armpits and extend your sternum. Lean forward and straighten your chest. To relax your body, stretch your body and spine forward even more.
Helps prevent clogged arteries and cardiac arrest by relieving heart muscle fatigue and improving blood circulation through the arteries
Helps combat fluctuations in blood pressure, hypertension and depression by calming the brain and plumping the chest
Helps with eye and ear diseases, migraines, stress-related headaches, nervous exhaustion and insomnia
Improves digestion and strengthens abdominal organs
Relieves back pain, strengthens the spine and partially relieves neck tension
Helps relieve tired legs and helps prevent varicose veins.

9. Viparita karani
Viparita Karani, or inverted lake pose, is a tonic and relaxing asana, but the final pose is difficult for beginners and for people with a weak back. Therefore, when performing it you need to be careful or use support devices.
Viparita karani is good for overcoming nervous exhaustion and depression and increases self-confidence. Yogis believe that changes in the position of the body relative to the movement of energy outside the body (earthly energy moves from earth to space and cosmic energy from space to earth), and also affects changes in the direction of the flow of time: when a person stands on his feet, he ages; when a person stands in Viparita Karani, he becomes rejuvenated.
Lie on your back, legs together, turn your hands with your palms facing the floor. Supporting yourself on your arms, lift your legs straight above your head and place them slightly behind your head, so that your ankles are at nose (or eye) level, and the entire weight of your lower body rests on the palms and elbows of your hands supporting your pelvis. The head, neck, shoulder blades, back lie on the floor, the pelvis is raised. The chin is sufficiently distant from the sternum, the neck is relaxed, and blood flows freely to the face. In the pose, breathe freely until the first signs of fatigue. To exit the asana, without changing the position of your legs, leaning on your elbows, place your forearms on the floor, palms down, and slowly lower your legs to the floor.

Get down on your knees. Place your palms on your knees and clasp your feet together. Straighten your back and relax your neck. Exhale, bend forward and place your arms fully extended on the floor. Stretch the back of your neck and lower your face to the floor. Lower your pelvis and hips and do not tense your stomach. Open your armpits and extend your sternum. Lean forward and straighten your chest. To relax your body, stretch your body and spine forward even more.
Viparita karani normalizes blood pressure, helps in the treatment of ear and eye diseases caused by stress, headaches and migraines. In case of strong heartbeat, it reduces the pulse rate and helps with shortness of breath, asthma, bronchitis and throat diseases. Relieves symptoms of arthritis and cervical spondylosis. Helps with digestive disorders, diarrhea, nausea, helps treat kidneys, prevents varicose veins.

10.Shavasana
Thanks to the smoothness and evenness of breathing in this asana, the body is filled with energy, which tones it and relieves the stress of everyday life. In shavasana, the body is motionless, like a corpse, but the mind is alert and clear. The word "sava" in Sanskrit means "dead man". Savasana relieves fatigue and calms the mind. To fully relax, you need to carefully position every part of your body. While performing this asana, the organs of perception - eyes, ears and tongue - are detached from the outside world; body and mind become one, and you are immersed in inner silence. Savasana is the first step in the practice of meditation.

Sit in dandasana and open your gluteal muscles to distribute your weight evenly between your pelvic bones. Bend your knees and bring your heels closer to your buttocks. Grab your legs under your knees with your hands and press your buttocks into the floor. As you lower your body toward the floor, place your forearms and palms on the floor and rest on your elbows. Don't move your feet, knees, or buttocks.
Lower your body to the floor, vertebra by vertebra, until the back of your head touches the floor. Turn your palms up. Close your eyes and straighten your legs one at a time. To straighten your spine, extend your body from your pelvis. Fully stretch your spine and press its entire length into the floor. Both legs and the body on both sides should be stretched evenly.

Get down on your knees. Place your palms on your knees and clasp your feet together. Straighten your back and relax your neck. Exhale, bend forward and place your arms fully extended on the floor. Stretch the back of your neck and lower your face to the floor. Lower your pelvis and hips and do not tense your stomach. Open your armpits and extend your sternum. Lean forward and straighten your chest. To relax your body, stretch your body and spine forward even more.
Helps relieve nervous tension, helps fight insomnia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Relaxes the body and facilitates breathing, calms the nervous system and brings peace to the mind. Promotes recovery after all long-term and serious illnesses.

With the help of yoga, you can get rid of headaches, insomnia, fatigue, the results of deep stress and tension accumulated over many years.

Today, the world's leading experts classify migraine as an incurable disease and are constantly searching for ways and tools to provide maximum relief during attacks. For these purposes, both traditional medicinal methods and trends in alternative medicine, for example, yoga, are used.

Does yoga help with migraines?

Yoga is a set of practices, techniques and exercises used in the cultures of Buddhism and Hinduism to achieve spiritual, physical and psychological harmony. Special sets of exercises help relieve fatigue, get out of depression, learn to respond adequately to stressful situations, and also restore physical health through muscular, respiratory or conscious action. In the case of stress and improper functioning of metabolic processes, they are a common cause of the development of pain syndrome in an adult.

The effect of yoga on the course of migraine during attack and remission is observed by leading practitioners in the field of neurology, conducting appropriate testing and research. For example, the effectiveness of yoga was noted after research at the Wake Forest Medical Center in South Carolina.

The experiment involved 90 people suffering from frequent migraine attacks. The patients were divided into two groups. Those in the first group were prescribed traditional drug therapy. Patients from the second group were prescribed yoga lessons with a set of exercises aimed at suppressing stress and restoring the emotional background. The main lesson was conducted once a week, while patients were given 45 minutes a day for independent meditation, 5 times a week.

After 8 weeks, the first results were assessed. Thus, people who regularly attended yoga classes and meditated showed improvements in mood and brain activity, a reduction in the duration and intensity of attacks, while the interval between them increased significantly.

Yoga can improve the condition of a person suffering from migraines, increase their physical and mental activity, and also increase their resistance to stress.

However, at the stage of research and experimentation, it is recommended to conduct practical exercises under the supervision of the attending doctor, and to achieve greater effectiveness, supplement them with complex drug treatment.

Basic yoga poses for treating migraines

It is necessary to approach yoga classes with the proper attitude, since it is this factor that determines the effectiveness of such practices in the treatment of migraines. At the preparatory stage, you should completely relax, distance yourself from everyday problems and worries.

The main yoga poses that allow you to get rid of migraine pain directly concern those parts of the body that in one way or another provoke the development of pain. These include the neck, spinal region, shoulder girdle and forearms.

Neck warm-up

Is something bothering you? Illness or life situation?
Sit on a chair or in the lotus position, with your arms relaxed along your body.
With your right hand, reach your left ear from above and slowly tilt your head to the right side. In this case, you need to carefully carry out pressing movements with your hand, and resist yourself with your head.

After a minute, you should change position and perform a similar tilt of the head to the left.

When performing this exercise, it is important to apply a comfortable force to avoid straining the neck muscles.

Dog Pose (Dolphin)
Kneel down with your knees hip-width apart. Place your hands on the floor, placing your wrists shoulder-width apart.
Make sure your feet are parallel and your heels touch the floor.
Lower your head between your shoulders, relaxing your neck muscles and looking toward your feet.
Fix the pose and take 2-3 deep breaths.

Exercise helps to get rid of overstrain of the muscles of the forearms and headaches as a result.

Camel Pose

Kneel down, bend back, rest your palms on your feet.
The back should be arched as much as possible, the buttocks tense, and the hips should be perpendicular to the floor.

The pose helps relieve tension in the spine, open the vertebral arteries and prevent the occurrence of cervical migraine attacks.

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises through vital energy have a positive effect on overall well-being, promote better blood supply to the brain, normalize the nervous system, relieve fatigue and prevent migraine attacks as a result.

Cleansing energy channels

Sit in a comfortable position, straighten your back and relax.
Close the nostril on the right with your thumb, inhale slowly with your left nostril for 4 counts, then exhale twice as slowly for the 8th count.
Carry out similar manipulations with the right nostril, after closing the left one.
The time to perform each manipulation is 2 minutes.

To achieve results, you need to close your eyes and completely relax your facial muscles.

Cold breath

Take a “Turkish” pose with your legs crossed.
Inhale through your slightly open mouth, while you need to roll your tongue into a tube, pass air through it, draw it into yourself and hold it for a while.
Exhale through your nose, keeping your mouth closed.

Exercise helps relieve stress and mental fatigue.

The meditation technique gives the most effective results in the fight against migraine pain, as it involves complete physical and psycho-emotional relaxation. After regular meditation, painful pulsations in the head disappear, your mood improves, and strength and desires for new achievements appear.

To improve blood flow through the vessels and arteries of the spine, neck and head, you must regularly perform the following exercise:

Take the “Turkish” or “lotus” pose.
Raise your arms up with a slight tilt forward, while the palms with the inside should be directed towards each other.
Close your eyes and mentally imagine the hairline located above the frontal part of your head.
Concentrate on pleasant impressions and relaxation, while distancing yourself from unpleasant impressions and experiences.
You need to stay in this position for 10 minutes or more.

Emergency measures

If the peak of a migraine attack has been reached, the following technique can be used as an emergency measure to relieve pain:

Turn off the lights, avoid exposure to loud noises and calm down.
Concentrate your thoughts on painful sensations in order to try to redirect them to other parts of the body, for which, while lying on the bed, sharply raise your legs to a vertical position. Also, to contrast and change the sensations, you can apply a cold, soft or heavy object to the soles of your feet.

The described measures will allow you to divert attention from headaches and switch it to sensations in the legs, thereby reducing pain.

Migraine prevention

In addition to basic preventive measures aimed at reducing the number and intensity of migraine attacks, yoga teachers recommend practicing three additional pain prevention methods. These include:

rinsing the nasal cavity with an aqueous solution;
cleansing the digestive system of waste and toxins;
relaxation through meditation until a feeling of complete prostration in the real world.

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Regular yoga practice when susceptible to migraine attacks helps to significantly reduce the intensity of unpleasant sensations during pain attacks, increase the inter-attack period and significantly improve the psycho-emotional background.