7 Best Yoga Poses for Migraines and Headaches

One of the calming ways to deal with migraines is through yoga.

Migraines are often lead to tension at the neck, shoulder, or scalp. And that causes headaches and painful pulsations.

The symptoms vary among people. And you may experience a more severe attack than the next. 

The head pounds until you can’t fall asleep at night. Sometimes you feel like you have a hangover, and become dehydrated, stressed, and tensed. 

Yoga will help in opening your chest, and your upper part of the back plus neck will relax and stretch. If you are prone to headaches and migraines, yoga can give you some relief.  

In this post, you’ll learn about some of the best yoga poses for migraines and headaches.

Let’s start right away!

1. Yoga Palming

The palming pose in yoga involves engaging in a technique that’s super helpful in issues with migraines. 

The pose will enable you to maintain calmness in your brain that has whirlwind thoughts and feelings which get associated with the chronic migraines. 

You will start experiencing a slow down of the headache as you pay attention to your body while feeling your breath. 

Here’s how to do it:

• To begin this pose, you need to sit comfortably and take a moment to come into your body as you take deep breaths. 
• Bring the palms of your eyes in the next exhale that you make and cup them with your hand’s palm. 
• You need to exclude as much as possible the light that might interfere with your focus. 
• When you inhale the next time, you need to remove your palms from the eyes. 

Please keep doing this on repetition to become more comfortable with the activity as you exhale to feel more relaxed

2. Sivasana

Here’s how to do it:

• Lie on the ground comfortably, and then you need to close your eyes. 
• You can use an eye bag when closing your eyes so that it’s closed out entirely from the outside world. It will hence bring your attention to the inner world. 
• Whenever you are ready, you can gently roll over to one side and open your eyes to view the world around you. 
• Repeat the process until you get to see relaxed. 

3. Seated Neck Release

Since the culprit in migraines is always the neck, you need to perform a stretch-out session so that you can relax, and the best way is through exercising with yoga. It’s one of my favorite yoga poses for migraines.

Here’s how to do it:

• Position yourself as you straighten your spine while lengthening your neck comfortably. 
• Place your left hand at the right side of the head while gently tilting it to its left side. 
• Hold in few breaths as you slowly switch to each side. 

It would be best to keep repeating the pose for a few times until your headache intensity reduces. When a headache occurs, you will be already prepared for what to do. 

Related: Easy Yoga Poses for Cardiomyopathy

4. Viparita Karani

During this yoga pose, maintain a good form for about 3-10 minutes while breathing slowly and deeply when in that position.

Here’s how to do it:

• Put up your legs on the wall and start to gently stretch your muscles to your neck when relaxing at the same time. 
• You will begin to experience the ease of your throbbing headache immediately in just a short time. 
• While your right hip touches the wall, you should shit on one end to achieve it.
• Lean back and turn to lie flatly on the mat while extending, leading up to the wall. 
• Ensure that your butt gets to touch the wall as your legs get placed together nearly. 
• Put your hands on the belly, or you can relax on your mat comfortably while closing your eyes, jaw, and dropping off the chin slightly. 

5. The Happy Baby Pose

When you experience a headache, sometimes all you need is to relax for a few minutes.

This poses can help engage your mood and release good feelings which can lead to calmness.

Here’s how to do it:

• Lie on your back with the knees bent, holding your thighs getting.
• Keep your feet outside by slowly start rocking from side to side when gently billing your mind to become into a relaxation state.

6. Uttanasana

The following yoga pose involves engaging in a forward-fold. 

This is one of the most basic ways to get rid of the pain you’re experiencing in having a migraine. 

The pose invigorates your nervous system by allowing an increase in blood supply while calming your mind. 

Here’s how to do it:

• Keep your feet apart as the hip-width and get to relax your head toward the floor. 
• Make an effort of grabbing your elbows and the soft knees as your head plus neck completely relax. 

Related: Common Reasons for Headaches When You Exercise

7. The Adho Mukho Svanasana

The following yoga pose is also known as the downward-facing dog pose.

This involves taking a deep breath while engaging in this pose. As you take deep breaths, you need to let your head hand between your shoulders. 

The posture is beginner-friendly. And it will help you get rid of any fatigue that you feel while the pain at your back. 

Your spine will lengthen, and the chest will open up. 

Another positive thing with this pose is that it allows the flow of additional blood to the head, which often is a thing that relieves your body from getting headaches.

Takeaway

Try these yoga poses for migraines can help you zip away from the pain very fast. 

It will release all the tension and stress that you have in your body because many migraines are due to anxiety.