Yoga asanas for migraine treatment

-

What is a migraine?

Migraine is a neurological condition that is associated with periodic, throbbing headaches. The pain can affect the front, back, or sides of the head. A person suffering from migraine is usually very sensitive to light and noise.

Treatment of migraine through yoga:

Yoga and its ancient methods are a side-effect-free treatment to fight migraine and its symptoms. Practicing yoga asanas will prepare you physically and mentally to endure the pain of migraine.

Best yoga asanas for migraine relief

  • Prasarita padottanasana
  • Uttanasana
  • Halasana
  • Viparita karani
  • Kandharasana
  • Ustrasana
  • Paschimottanasana
  • Savasana
Prasarita padottanasana:
man doing prasarita padottanasana

Stand straight, and spread your legs apart around 5 feet. Tighten the knees, exhale and bend forward while keeping the back concave and place the palms on the ground in line with the shoulders between the feet. Keep the head up. Exhale and bend further and rest the crown of the head on the floor between the feet. Keep the weight of the body on the legs. Stay in the asana for a few breaths. Inhale, raise the head up keeping your back concave and arms straight. Exhale and come back to the original position.

Uttanasana:
woman doing uttanasana

Stand straight keeping feet together and knees tight. Exhale, bend forward from the pelvis keeping the back straight and place the palms on the floor, keeping the head up. Take a few deep breaths. Exhale, bend further, and rest your head on your knees. Do not loosen the grip of the knees. Take a few deep breaths. Inhale and raise the head up keeping palms on the ground and then with an inhalation raise the trunk and get back to the original position.

Halasana:
woman doing halasana

Lie straight on the floor with arms resting on the side. Raise the legs up keeping them straight until they are perpendicular to the floor. Using your arms raise the trunk, and lower your legs further back until they touch the ground behind your head. Straighten the legs by keeping the kneecaps tight and raise the trunk to your full capacity. Breathe evenly and deeply. Hold for up to 5 minutes.

Viparita Karani:
woman doing viparita karani

Lie flat on your back. Raise your legs together keeping legs straight until they are perpendicular to the ground. Now, raise the trunk from the ground until it is 45 degrees from the floor. Adjust the legs to make them perpendicular to the floor. Use your arms to give support to the back. This asana is an easier version of Sarvangasana for people whose neck is very stiff.

Kandharasana:
woman doing kandharasana

Lie flat on your back. Bend the knees and bring the ankles closer to the buttocks so that they touch them. Hold your ankles with your arms. Raise the buttocks and arch the back as much as you can. Keep the feet on the floor and do not move the position of feet and shoulders. In the final pose, the knees are bent perpendicular and the whole body is balanced on the feet, arms, neck, and shoulders. The head is passive.

Ustrasana:
woman doing ustrasana

Kneel on the ground, keeping thighs and feet together and toes pointing back. Rest the palms on the hips and expand the chest. Now, rest the left palm on the left ankle and the right palm on the right ankle, and with an exhalation extend the head back fully. Stretch the back and thighs such that the thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Stay in the pose for half a minute and then return to the original position.

Paschimottanasana:
woman doing paschimottanasana

Sit on the floor with legs straight in front with a straight back. Exhale and bend slightly forward to grab the toes. Now inhale, and stretch the spine, look upwards trying to make the back concave. In the start, it will feel like an impossible task but with time muscles elongate and adapt themselves and the hump will disappear. Take a couple of deep breaths in this position. Exhale, bend forward from the pelvis using your arms as a lever to pull the trunk, do not strain. First, try to touch the head on the knees, then the forehead, nose, and lips. Hold this pose for a few seconds and slowly extend the time up to 5 minutes.

Savasana:
woman doing savasana

Lie flat on the ground on your back. Keep the arms slightly away from the thighs. Heels should be kept together and toes apart. If you relax your body enough you will observe that it will happen naturally. Keep your eyes close and breathe even and deep. There should be no jerks in breathing. It should be so slow that your nostrils should not feel the warmth of breath. Stay in the pose for good 15 minutes.

Thank you for reading. Stay healthy!




Attributions:
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/man-with-his-head-resting-flor_935434.htm#query=wide%20legged%20forward%20bend&position=7&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-yogi-attractive-woman-uttanasana-pose-white-loft-backg_1282076.htm#query=uttanasana&position=5&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-attractive-woman-halasana-pose-white-studio-background_1281851.htm#query=halasana&position=0&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-woman-doing-viparita-karani-exercise_3955305.htm#query=viparita%20karani%20pose&position=0&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-yogi-attractive-woman-glute-bridge-pose-loft-backgroun_1282125.htm#query=bridge%20pose&position=1&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-woman-doing-ustrasana-exercise_3955050.htm#query=ustrasana&position=5&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-yogi-woman-paschimottanasana-pose-with-block-loft-back_1282106.htm#query=paschimottanasana&position=5&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-woman-savasana-pose-grey-studio-background_1281541.htm#query=savasana&position=2&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik



  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Siddhasana - The best asana for meditation

-
 A stable asana is very important in the practice of meditation so that one can sit for long durations without any discomfort. All the ancient texts of yoga consider siddhasana best among asanas for meditation. How to do siddhasana? Sit on the floor with the heel of the left foot pressing the perineum and right heel on top of the reproductive organ. Push the toes of the right foot between the left thigh and calf muscles. Keep the spine erect. Now, lower the head and place the chin on the collarbone. Relax and focus on the eyebrow center i.e. practice shambhavi Mahamudra . You can rest your arms on the knees in chin mudra or you can place them in your lap with your left palm over the right one. Siddhasana can only be practiced by men. Women should perform the feminine version of siddhasana which is Siddha yoni asana which is equally effective. Benefits of siddhasana: It stimulates the third eye center which opens the door to liberation. This asana is designed to channel the energy d...
Read more

Savasana, its benefits and how to do it

-
Image
What is savasana?  Savasana aka corpse pose is a yoga asana that is usually done at the end of a yoga session to relax the body and mind. In modern terms, you can consider it as a cool-down mechanism after difficult and challenging yoga asanas. In this asana, you have to behave like a corpse, the body remains completely still. No movements whatsoever. You must be thinking how hard it could be but keeping the body still is one thing but the mind, plays its own tricks. That's why this asana seems simple but in reality, it is very challenging to do it with perfection. How to perform savasana? Lie flat on your back keeping hands a little away from the thighs, with palms up and relaxed. Close your eyes and relax your body. Do not force your body parts to keep at a certain position. Let them settle in their natural position by themselves. Take a few deep breaths. This will help you to focus better on your breathing. Now breathe slow and fine without any jerks. Breathing should be so fine...
Read more

Everything you want to know about cobra pose aka bhujangasana

-
Image
  How to do bhujangasana? Lie flat on the stomach with legs straight together. Place the palms on the floor parallel to the shoulders. Slowly raise the head and shoulders while inhaling taking the head backward. Bend the back as much as possible. Try to bend from the upper back, keeping shoulders locked backward and chest expanded fully. Keep the navel close to the floor. Hold as long as possible. Do not strain as it can hurt your back. Now you must have understood the reason behind people calling it cobra pose after reading the above paragraph and watching the picture. Variation 1: Keep the whole forearm instead of just palms on the floor, rest is the same as bhujangasana. This variation is well suited to beginners. Variation 2- sarpasana Take the arms behind and interlock the fingers. Now try to raise the body as in the cobra pose by tensing the arms and back while raising the chest. Variation 3- triyaka bhujangasana After assuming bhujangasana, twist the upper trunk and head and...
Read more