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| What pose/s are best for headaches? Tension headaches mostly. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| A well rounded regular practice with emphasis on shoulder opening will often help with the frequency and duration of headaches over time. When you have a headache, seated forward bends with the forehead on support and gentle twists can be helpful. Of course the best is to get rid of the source of the tension  Good luck with that! I'm still working on that one  |
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| Dear Famous Lady Jane:
There are NO past, present, and future Yoga Poses for headaches. When you have a headache, you should find a cause of the headache and work on it.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Interesting. I dont get them often, but last night I had the hugest random headache come on. It's still here today, slightly. I think its a combination of not being hydrated enough, and not enough sleep over the past few days. Gonna have to work on that. Had a nap with my daughter this morning, and already it's improved quite a lot. Now its more of a gentle throb.
Thanks for the tips! I appreciate it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 517
Location: New Jersey | If a headache is cause by tension in the back or neck could Yoga posutres help it then? Now that I'm working in a restaurant, and balancing trays on my shoulders all day, sometimes when I come home, my upper back and neck will feel tense. Sometimes it develops into a headache. What postures could help with that?
Samantha |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Samantha - as I said above, a good well rounded practice will help a lot but "first aid" poses for you would be ardha uttanasana with hands or arms supported, Gomukhasana, Garudasana (both arms only but your legs would like the leg part of the poses, I'm sure), reverse namaste (namaste behind the back) baddha hastasana, urdhva hastasana. You can find some of these but not all at yogadancer.com where Christine has an asana index  |
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| The book "Yoga RX" by Larry Payne has an interesting headache sequence called The Newspaper. I think it works by syncing up the breath with some simple shoulder movements, but I'm really not sure. All I know is, my prenatal students LOVE it! A lot of them tend to get nonstop headaches around the end of the first trimester and beginning of the 2nd, and they don't want to take any drugs that might hurt the baby. One student reported using this sequence every night for 1 week, and never had a headache again for the rest of her pregnancy. Neato!  |
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| You know what, my original post was for a headache the first time I had one in years. Since then Ive had one every day, or almost every other day. I *think it has something to do with my jaw. I am going to go to a dentist to see. Just recently I've noticed I'm placing my jaw forward slightly. Not obvious to the eye, but I can feel it. It feels like an underbite. I dont know why I've taken up in doing this, seems weird. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of it. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Lady Jane - this is one of the great things about being a parent - you can blame EVERYTHING on it! "Oh, ever since I had my baby...." or "It must have something to do with carrying the baby...." Personally I never had more than a stray grey hair until I had my DD. I was only 27 at the time so it MUST have been the challenge of parentling a daughter that did it!  |
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| Unfortunately, here's an area where I have much experience. 
Getting checked out by a physician is the first step.
If after being worked up and finding there is no structural issue, and you find it's most likely tension HA, yoga helps a great deal. Plow has made the greatest difference for me. I still get HAs, but no where near as often as before. In fact, I can now go for an entire month without one. Prior to practicing consistently, I had HAs every day.
Going back to the first step, yoga works well for me because I've already had other causes ruled out and knew exactly what I was dealing with. My particular issue is muscle spasm along the back of the neck and upper back. A combination of an MRI showing the problem and working with my teacher in a Restorative class has led me to poses that help me.
I also add my vote for "Yoga Rx."
*Note: If our little ones are contributing to our HAs, I fear the only cure is college. |
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| as being someone who has suffered from tension headaches for 1.5 years, im going to check that book out!!
i have had \every possible treatment done, acupuncture, etc.
what is working for me now is massage treatment and the occasional stretches, manipulations by my doctor of osteopathy and here are my two HG (holy grails) to get rid of a headache when it gets worse:
1) shoulder stretch (fold a thick blanket or use two blocks) lay on top of the blanket so that your shoulder blade is right on top, raise arms in air, keeping straight interclasp hands with palms down (and then repeat with palms up) and move the arms, keeping straight, over head, hold for as long as you can (5 min each variation) works wonders!!!!
2) ice! heat didnt work for me but if i hold ice on the one spot on my neck that is tight for anywhere from 10-30 minutes the headache goes away
good luck!
the tension i believe has come fr om a past relationship and is now manifesting after i stressed my muscles out, but im also in grad school and have no money so constant stressers
i havent found any particular yoga pose that works, and ive tried all the ones recommended, downward dog, with head on block (uh this hurts my head!) laying in corpse with eyes nose wrapped up, etc. but doing constant yoga almost every day and my treatments described above how now made my headaches duller and not so frequent (where before i would cry EVERY night with pain) i can say enough for bela and beth - we joke that when i graduate i will fly them to wherever i live every month for treatment! (they are my DO and massage therapist)
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| I'm going to try your suggestions, Osujen!
I just started seeing a DO. Not only did my HAs come back with a vengence, but I have terrible pain in the neck and upper back. We discovered via x-ray that I've lost the natural curve to my cervical and thoracic spine, and this is probably causing the muscle spasm that brings on the HAs. I'm being sent for physical therapy, but I'm really, really hoping to end up with a massage therapist.  |
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| oh good luck with that!!!
my DO really does a lot more stretches than "cracking" etc. i feel your pain really i do.....
im also on Elavil (which is an antidepressant) which is you are not depressed acts as a pain killer, you may want to think about that too, but i know for me i really just dont want to be on meds. it did help but now im lazy about taking it.....
my massage therapist asked me a really off the wall question the other day, if i ever feel pain right in my elbow (we've narrowed tightness to my left side, why?) and i said now that you mention it, every once in awhile in down dog or wheel, i have to come down b/c my arm feels weird, like its locked but its not, so she is thinking something is blocked in that arm, traveling to my shoulder, neck. so she is going to do just an arm treatment... hope it works
but it takes time to sort out what is /isnt causing it! hope this leads you to good help!
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| Has your therapist ever suggested building up your chest muscles? My doc felt my back was super toned, and that perhaps my chest muscles weren't carrying their share of the load, forcing the upper back and neck to overwork and eventually spasm. So I'm concentrating on Plank and mini-pushups during my practice. I'm also starting to reintroduce free weights for that area.
Ah well...all we have are theories, right? It *will* take time, but I'm so glad I finally decided to seek help. I've been living with this since my 20s, and I'm so tired of it.
By the way, I love the shoulder stretch you mentioned. Thanks for the well wishes ~ I send them right back at ya! |
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| I got issues with my left shoulder muscles ( as i have posted in previous posts.. ) but the muscle spasms by my shoulder blade are pinching nerves causing headaches and pain into my elbow and hands.
Im noticing that in my practice that Im stretching these muscles by doing a seated forward bend. This may not cure a straight on headache but it seems like its loosening up those muscles and helping. |
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| Sideshow, here's another back stretch you can try!
You're familiar with cat/cow stretches, right? You're on your hands and knees (hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees directly beneath your hips), and as you inhale, look up and stretch your belly toward the mat. As you exhale, look down and stretch the middle of your back up toward the ceiling. Anyway, that's your basic cat/cow, also known as "cat stretches."
To mix it up a bit, hold your position after you exhale. The middle of your back will be strongly reaching for the ceiling, and your head looking down at your thighs. From there, make a slow, deep inhale without changing your position. You'll feel your spine and ribcage expanding to the back, it's a very deep stretch so take it easy!
Give it a try, and let us know how that feels! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Sideshow - one of the things I find very helpful for shoulderblade stuff is Maricyasana I(A)and III(C) (there are some photos here:http://www.yogadancer.com/Pages/Marichyasana.shtml#MarA). Those photos show the full poses, but the simpler versions without the bind are also great. The action of pressing the upper arm into the knee seems to really get into the right area. Garudasana (Eagle pose) arms is also wonderful - press the elbows together strongly to get the release. Finally, a strap around the upper arms near the elbows, upper arms parallel to the floor in front of you (standing or sitting) press sideways out into the strap, keeping the shoulderblades moving well down the back toward the waist. This is amazingly simple and feels fabulous. Good luck with those shoulder issues and headaches.
Hmmm - I just checked YJ and they don't have the simple version either - even in their "new to yoga" section. If I was a beginner I would feel discouraged since I still can't bind these poses on my own after many years of practice... |
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| ive looked at these past posts about headaches. i suffer from chronic headaches and migrines. im on meds from my nerologist. anyone have any advise? thanks in advance |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Hi Jillian - sorry to hear about your headaches. I just had my first migraine in MANY months on Sunday. No fun. My best advice is to keep up a steady practice, look at stress and other factors in your life and just keep learning about your body and how it ticks. I still take meds when I need them but have learned to be much more in touch with what is really happening so it can fine-tune the medication to the situation. sometimes a couple of ibuprofen does the trick and sometimes I need muscle relaxers and pain killers. One of the best things I have learned is to have chewable or liquid gravol (I think it is called dramamine in the US) on hand because it stops the nausea and helps the other meds stay down as well as making me sleepy enough to sometimes just sleep the headache off without pain killers. Take care of your head! |
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| the meds i take are daily preventatives, they have been helping. but im still achey well...what can one do... o well thank you!! |
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| You can get easily relief from headache when i'll give you healing touch with the Kundalini healing energy.It is totally a free social service for all the mankind of the universe.
Unbelieveable to everyone at the moment but you'll feel the healing effect immidiately in hours.Avoid medicines and do "Pranayama" daily.Take a light breakfast in the morning and heavy lunch in the afternoon and then the light dinner at night.madan_yoga@jaqueshouse.com |
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| Hi Jillian- I too suffer from chronic HA, TH and migraines and see a neurologist to monitor the meds. I too have been achy for weeks now. Woke up with a migraine today. These gals here know lots about yoga so try the poses they recommend.
Make sure you are hydrated due to the meds making the mouth dry-xerosomia. I know the heat aggregates me now and we are sweltering here in Texas! You know the rest of the story about what foods to stay away from blah blah blah.
If things do not get better and meds seem not to help, let your doc know. Try the yoga poses listed above and let us know how you are doing.
namaste2  |
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| Lady Jane-Let me know what how your dental visit went. It sounds like you are grinding-due to stress-I can't imagine why  ? Your DDS may suggest a nightguard to help relax the jaw and let it slide around above the teeth instead of locking into the cusps of the natural teeth causing long term damage, did that make sense?
Sometimes you can feel soreness around the jaw muscles-massteurs-as well as pain radiating into the ear and down the neck in very severe cases of TMJ-Temporal Mandibular Joint. Lots of factors in these cases. I am a grinder and clencher. You will usually grind at night and clench during the day. Stress is a HUGE factor for grinding and clenching. TMJ is more of a fuctional thing.
Hope everything went well at the dentist. Please let me know how it went. I am a hygienist. Love to clean those toothies! The dirtier, the better....ha ha. 
namaste2 |
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| well, my many doctors think the issue is hormonal but no one really knows. i ve been wanting to try eastern meds but dad thought that was sillyness and blah blah blah...any one have anything along those lines? maybe if i have more info to back it up maybe i'll be able to change his mind. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Jillian - I started getting migraines when I was younger than you and I am nearly 50 now and just beginning to get a clear picture of why I get them. Or at least, I am getting a picture of why I get the NOW - who knows what it was back then. Yes, it could be hormones, but it could also be that when you are PMSing (even a little) you do postural things that tense your muscles and cause problems that way. We owned a couch that I got a headache every time I sat in it for a long period of time -posture? Allergy? I find a lot of my headaches start from sinus headaches but guess what? When I have a sinus headache, my neck muscles ar tight. And sometimes when I know my neck muscles are tight, I develop a sinus headache - which comes first? I have had all kinds of therapies and treatments and they have all contributed to my understanding but the most lasting change has come since I began practicing yoga regularly. But that may be not the answer either, since some of my female family members have stopped having headaches at about my age - which brings us back to hormones, doesn't it? Just keep doing yoga and look into your life. Get other treatments when you can and GOOD LUCK! |
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