If you live with migraine headaches, you may be keen to find forms of exercise that don’t trigger or worsen your pain. Ideally, they might even make you feel better. One good, research-backed option is yoga.
This mind-body practice involves poses, deep breathing, and meditation. All have been shown to relieve stress, a common cause of migraine.
While yoga isn’t a substitute for medicine, it can certainly be a helpful add-on. In fact, a 2020 study published in the medical journal Neurology found that people with migraine who did yoga for 3 months reported fewer and less intense headaches than those who just took medications. They were even able to cut back to about half their usual dose of migraine medicine.
But not all yoga is created equal when it comes to migraine. Certain types of yoga and poses are better for your head-splitters than others.
Best Poses to Try – these can easily be practiced whilst seated.
A 2014 study in the International Journal of Yoga found certain poses were especially helpful to relieve migraine pain. These included:
Sukshma Vyayama. This full-body series of poses loosens joints with moves such as:
- Wrist rotation. Stretch your arms straight out in front of your chest at shoulder level. Keep them parallel to the ground. With your palms facing down, make tight fists. Move your fists up and down from your wrists.
- Elbow bends. Stretch your arms straight down at the side of your body, palms facing forward. Make tight fists and bend your arms at your elbows so that your clenched fists meet your shoulders with a forceful jerk. Stretch them down with a forceful jerk.
- Shoulder rotations. Place your left fist on your left shoulder and right fist on your right shoulder. Move your elbows toward each other in front of your chest (touch them together if you can). Now rotate both arms in opposite directions — your left arm clockwise and your right arm counterclockwise. Then reverse the direction of the circles and repeat.
- Neck bends. Gently lower your head as far as you can so your chin moves toward your chest. Return to normal, then tilt your head back as far as you comfortably can. Repeat the movement moving your head from right to left.
- Neck rotations. Gently roll your neck clockwise, then counterclockwise.
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