The Yogic Path For Migraine
Hello fellow traveler!
I bet you’re wondering, what exactly IS yoga and meditation for migraine? Well let me enlighten you 😉.
As you learned in my Key Concepts, I believe that the journey towards migraine freedom is a yogic path. After 27 years of migraine and 15 years of biohacking my health, I can tell you with certainty that the path inwards is the most healing and life-altering.
Has anyone ever said that about their neurologist visits or pharmaceutical treatments? I think not.
By focusing on the yogic path toward self-actualization, we learn to convert any stuck or stagnant energy (potential energy) into available energy (active energy) and integrate it into our mind/body system.
Let’s talk about the Yoga you are likely familiar with: Hatha Yoga.
Hatha Yoga is the Yoga designed with the Asanas (yogic physical postures) to be used as a meditative type of exercise. I’ve practiced Hatha Yoga most of my life in addition to dance stretching, but never found my groove in live yoga classes.
Hot Yoga and Power Yoga were extremely popular in San Diego when I lived there - but both options were so physically strenuous they triggered migraine. Not to mention the exchange of dripping sweat with strangers and the speed which allowed for little to no resting in any position (my favorite and the best for stretching).
NO THANK YOU.
Many people LOVE it, though and there’s no shame in that. Flow and Vinyasa Yoga have plenty of success stories. When it comes to Hatha Yoga for migraine - I would suggest avoiding anything hot/power related and focus on gentle, Restorative or Yin Yoga.
The reason for this is that the migraine brain is hypersensitive, and the nervous system alarms go off to protect us from danger when there is too great of CHANGE in our external or internal environments. Too great of a temperature change in the air or inside the body can do this. So can a rush of too many chemicals, internally provoked (stress) or externally provoked (toxins in environment).
Let’s review the Eight Limbs of Yoga, to get a well-rounded view of the ancient yogic science and way of life.
In Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called ashtanga, which literally means "eight limbs" (ashta=eight, anga=limb). These eight steps act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct, they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature, and they direct attention toward one's health and lifestyle.(1)
1. Yama
The first limb, yama, deals with one's personal moral and ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life.
2. Niyama
The second limb, Niyama, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Your daily self-care ritual, meditation practice, prayer, attendance of church or spiritual services, and service to others are niyamas.
3. Asana
Asanas are the postures practiced in yoga. The body is the temple of our human spirit, and the care of it is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation. In this way, Hatha Yoga is the third limb of yoga.
4. Pranayama
The fourth limb is breath control, pranayama, which provides techniques designed to gain mastery over the respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, and the emotions. The literal translation of pranayama is "life force extension," because it not only rejuvenates the body but is seen to be a life-extending practice when done daily.
This peace is available to anyone willing to follow the yogic path.
5. Pratyahara
Pratyahara, the fifth limb, means sensory or sensory transcendence. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. This practice provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves. This withdrawal allows us to objectively observe our unhealthy thoughts, words, and habits - ultimately freeing us from being weighed down by them.
6. Dharana
Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions with Pratyahara, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. This can be the hardest practice to master. In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: an energy center in the body, an image, or a mantra. Whatever helps achieve a single-pointed focus.
7. Dhyana
Meditation, the seventh limb, is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) seem similar, a distinction exists between these two stages. Where dharana practices one-pointed attention, dhyana is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all.
8. Samadhi
The eighth and final limb is called samadhi, a state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator merges with his or her point of focus and transcends the Self altogether. The meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the Divine, an interconnectedness with all living things. Ultimately it is the feeling of peace.
So you can see, the physical (or third limb) of yoga is only one-eighth of the yogic path. While working with my one-on-one clients we start at the beginning of the eightfold path and work our way through it with fabulous results.
The reason that yoga and meditation are ideal for migraineurs, is because it helps calm down and modulate the hyperactive nervous system. It also releases hormones that balance the body systems, reduces toxic stress, provides deep rest, oxygenates and purifies the blood, AND SO MUCH MORE!
There isn’t a drug on the market that can match the incredible health, mood, and psychological benefits of this yogic lifestyle.
Once personal peace is achieved, even in the smallest moments in the beginning, the mind/body can start to rewire the rest of it’s experiences. The peace allows for the healing, balancing neurotransmitters to be released.
Are you ready to become a Yogi and free yourself of EVERYTHING that’s holding you back, including migraine?
If so, it’s time to join the Migraine Freedom Tribe on Facebook. It’s a group dedicated to women with migraine that are ready to start their yogic path towards migraine freedom and overall contentedness.
XO 💋Oriana
