July 30, 2020 |
Read Time: 2 minutes
Migraine is caused by different triggers for different people. Stress is one of the major cause for migraine. And yoga is an effective tool for preventing stress. Yoga helps to remove stress and tension in the body and improves circulation through out the body. And anything that helps in preventing a build up of stress will be a big help for people suffering from stress induced migraine. Yoga helps in ensuring that the body is not always stuck in the fight or flight mode and aids in breaking free from stress.
Yoga asana practice on a regular basis under the guidance of a qualified experienced teacher involving exhale based asanas will help in reducing the stress. The driving principle of breath based asana practice will be effective. Slow, even, deep breathing can calm the nervous system, relax the muscles, and reduce pain. On the other hand, shallow, stressed breathing causes muscles to clench and pain to increase.
A combination of asana practice and pranayama will be effective to reduce the stress and hence reduce stress induced migraine.
Food and hormonal changes are triggers for migraine in some people. Yoga practice in such cases will again be helpful as it increases the mindfulness and enables the practitioner to understand what food items are triggering the migraine attack and pave the way for bringing in positive changes in the eating habits. And yoga helps in addressing hormonal imbalances. And such positive changes will reduce the triggers for migraine.
A daily gentle mindful practice of some cycles of Surya Namaskar, with a complete focus on the correct inhale and exhale of breathing ,in each asana, followed by exhale focussed Pranayama practice will surely help in reducing stress and relieving migraines.
Ms. Mimi Partha Sarathy
Founder, Managing Trustee and Sr. Yoga Teacher Sri Krishna Wellness Yoga Centre
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
