Five Yoga poses to relieve headache

Want to know how performing a few yoga asanas can help you to get relief from that throbbing pain and uneasiness caused due to headache? Scroll down and read more

Headaches can occur due to inadequate sleep, stress, prolonged exposure to noise or excessive strain to your eyes. There are mainly two types of headache. Episodic headache can last between half an hour to several hours and can occur often or even once in a while, whereas, chronic headache is more consistent and can last for a few days.

Practising simple yoga asanas can help you to get rid of the headache and to build resistance against pulsating headaches. Yoga helps to stretch the muscles, improve blood circulation and relaxes the nerves to release stress and tension in the body, thereby providing relief from headaches.

Here we have mentioned few yoga asanas that you can perform to get relief from headache.

Viparita Karani

This legs-up-the-wall pose gently stretches the muscles in your neck, relaxes them to provide relief from headache within a few minutes.

To do this yoga pose, sit on your yoga mat such that your feet are on the floor, few inches apart, and the left side of your body is touching the wall. Lie on your back and extend your legs up the wall. Make sure your butts are close to the wall, and your legs are placed together. Place your hands on both sides of the mat, and your head and back should touch the floor. Then, close your eyes, relax your jaws and breathe deeply and hold this position for at least five minutes.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Also known as Downward-Facing Dog pose, this asana helps to stretch and rejuvenate the muscles by releasing fatigue and stiffness.

You can perform this pose by coming on to the floor with your hands and knees. Lift your hips and keep your elbows and knees straight while breathing out to form an inverted-V shape. Make sure that your hands and legs are parallel to each other. Keep your neck lengthened so that it touches your inner arm. Take deep breaths and hold this yoga pose for a few minutes.

Setu Bandhasana

The bridge pose calms your brain and energises your body.

Lie down on the floor with your back touching the ground. Bend your knees, and your feet should touch the floor and hip-width apart. Keep your palms beside your body, facing downwards. Inhale and slowly lift your thighs and back so that your chest touches the chin. Place your weight on your arms, shoulders and feet. Keep breathing and hold this posture for 1-2 minutes.

Shishuasana

The child pose relaxes the nervous system and provides relief from headache.

Sit down on your heels. Keep your hips on the heels, bend forward and keep your hands shoulder-width apart. Your forehead should touch the floor. Then, gently press your chest on thighs and stay in this position for 2-3 minutes.

Shavasana

Also known as corpse pose, this yoga asana helps to relax the mind and body by bringing it in state of meditative rest.

To perform this asana, lie flat on your back, keep your legs & knees straight. Place your arms beside your body, and keep them open, facing upward. Keep your breathing gentle, slow and deep, allowing each part of your body to relax and energise slowly. You can perform this relaxing pose for a few minutes after the end of your yoga session.