Help for Headaches

By incorporating yoga into your life, you can reduce the severity and frequency of painful episodes, or ease an ache as soon as it starts.

By Jennifer Pirtle

In the midst of a headache, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the pain and rally against the ache, taking a defensive tack that often makes things worse. "When someone is in pain, they feel anxious and out of control," says Peter Van Houten, M.D., medical director of the Sierra Family Medical Clinic in Nevada City, California, and coauthor (with Rich McCord) of Yoga Therapy for Headache Relief (Crystal Clarity, 2003). "That, in turn, makes them feel even more pain."

To combat this phenomenon, yoga teacher Devi suggests this approach: "Instead of gripping the pain, imagine it as a block of ice melting away. That way, the pain is slowly dissipated throughout the body," she says. "It's the exact opposite of holding on; it's letting go and releasing the pain."

Gentle forward bends, such as a supported version of Balasana (Child's Pose), can also be useful for unraveling the knot of pain. Sit on the heels or cross-legged in front of a chair that has a padded seat (or place a folded towel or blanket on an unpadded chair), then gently rest your forehead on the seat. Or place a folded blanket beneath a bolster, fold your arms atop the bolster, and rest the forehead on the bolster between the arms.

Wrapping the head with an Ace bandage while in restorative postures can also be helpful. While the idea of wrapping your head can take some getting used to, the sensation it creates can be immensely comforting. The bandage simulates darkness, which migraine sufferers often crave, while the gentle pressure on the eyes stimulates the relaxation response.

Use the Breath

Deep breathing can foster the relaxation response and help at the onset of a headache or in the midst of a full-blown episode. Plus, breathwork can be done in public places, where doing postures might not seem appropriate.

When we're in pain, it's common to take shallow, rapid breaths that raise the heart rate and make the body tense. In contrast, breathing more deeply into the diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle that contracts to draw air into the lungs, invites the body to relax. Bell suggests doing a simple test to see if you're using the diaphragm correctly. "Lie with the back on the floor, then place the hands on the belly," he says. "Notice if the hands are rising and falling when the breath moves in and out." The hands should rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.

For Skye Livingston (no relation to Kathy), this type of deep, rhythmic breathing is key to easing her headaches. Livingston, 33, of Oakland, California, started getting headaches daily around three years ago, about the same time she started an office job that demanded lots of computer work. She's since quit the office position and now leads cycling vacations, yet the headaches persist. "They start in the back of my neck, then the tightness comes up through my head," she says. "They can last all day, and sometimes I get them five days a week."

Livingston, who has practiced Iyengar Yoga for 10 years, believes her headaches are complicated by prescription medication she takes, plus a mild curvature of the spine she's had since childhood. Asanas help greatly, particularly twists, which help the blood flow up and down through the body. While practicing, she also finds that pushing air into the back of her lungs encourages her body to relax. "I avoid any posture that compresses or constricts the diaphragm area, such as Halasana [Plow Pose] and Salamba Sarvangasana [Supported Shoulderstand]," she says. "When I can't fully breathe, my headaches often get worse."

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