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Do you often suffer from migraines? These 4 yoga asanas can help!

Migraines can be extremely debilitating. But these yoga poses for migraine can help you deal with them better.
child pose
The child pose is great for BP hassles. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Grace Bains Updated: 13 Oct 2023, 05:06 pm IST
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Migraines can be extremely debilitating. Many who suffer from them will often tell you that it can actually hamper their productivity. A migraine can leave you in so much pain that you’re unable to cater to your professional as well as personal responsibilities. Migraines are definitely way more severe than a common headache and are accompanied by symptoms such as throbbing pain on only one side of the head, sensitivity to light, and nausea. Moreover, they can last from a few hours to a couple of days.

And so, it becomes extremely important to manage migraines and relieve yourself of the pain. Turns out, yoga can be super effective when it comes to that. In fact, a study published on US-based PubMed Central titled Effect of Yoga on migraine: A comprehensive study using clinical profile and cardiac autonomic functions observes that yoga can prove to relieve the pain caused by migraines.

So, we’ve brought you these four extremely powerful yoga poses which can help when it comes to a tough migraine:

  1. Child’s pose
    Known as shishuasana, this pose helps calm the nervous system and hence, can prove effective for reducing pain. This is how you can do it: 
yoga for migraine
Child pose. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
  • Kneel on the floor and rest your buttocks on your heels. Try to spread your knees as wide as possible.
  • Raise your arms fully and straighten your back.
  • Lean forward while exhaling, placing your torso over your knees. Your forehead as well as your hands should be placed on the floor.
  1. Cat stretch
    Known as marjariasana, a cat stretch improves the blood circulation apart from also proving to be helpful in relaxing the mind.
yoga for migraine
Cat cow pose. Image courtesy: @theshilpashetty
  • Get on all fours, making sure that your hands are parallel to your shoulders while your knees are right underneath the hips.
  • Once you’ve balanced yourself on all fours, inhale and look up straight, engaging the belly slightly.
  • Exhale and drop your head while pushing your back towards the ceiling. It is here that you should tighten your navel into the spine.
  • Hold this position for a few breaths.
  1. Corpse pose
    Known as shavasana, this pose enables the body to get into a deep meditative state of rest. When you’re suffering from a migraine, this can provide your mind with the much-needed rest to soothe the pain.
yoga for migraine
Corpse pose. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock
  • Lie down on your back with your arms by your side.
  • Keep your palms facing the ceiling.
  • Close your eyes and hold this pose for a couple of minutes.
  1. Standing forward bend
    Known as hastapadasana, this is very helpful when it comes to improving the nervous system and blood supply.
yoga for migraine
Standing forward bend pose. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
  • Stand straight with your hands by your sides.
  • Inhale and raise your arms. This will help lengthen your spine. Bend forward from your hips while exhaling.
  • Touch your hands to your toes. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen on the very first go. It takes time and practice.
  • Make sure there’s a minimum bend of the knees.
  • Hold this pose for as long as you can but don’t exert yourself too much.

So, ladies, practice these on a regular basis to keep migraines at bay.

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About the Author

Grace is someone who likes writing enough to make a living out of it. When she isn’t writing, you will find her having chai and reading a book. ...Read More

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