Habit 2: Yoga

Habit 2: Yoga

What is it?

Yoga is a traditional practice from ancient Indian culture and is considered to be the science of holistic living. It concentrates on aligning the body through gentle, focused movements along with improved breathing practices. Yoga regimen like surya namaskara, asanas like cat pose and cow pose, nidra yoga, and pelvic floor exercises are effective in relieving period cramps.

Regimen:

• What - Yoga regimen (Surya Namaskara, asanas like cat pose and cow pose, nidra yoga).

• How much - 5 days a week, 60 minutes a day (full regimen - Surya Namaskara, asanas, and meditation)

• When - Recommended throughout the month/cycle. A yoga regimen can be done during menstruation for pain relief (if able to tolerate physical activity)

• How long - at least 8 weeks (or 2 menstrual cycles), to see effects.

How does it work?

Yoga helps with period migraines mainly by calming the nervous system and reducing stress, which lowers the chances of a migraine attack. It improves balance between the “fight-or-flight” and relaxation responses, making the body less reactive during hormonal changes around periods.

Yoga also keeps blood vessels and brain chemicals like nitric oxide more stable, which prevents sudden triggers. Together, these effects reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines during menstruation.¹

What is the efficacy?

Methods: The studies looked at people with migraine who practiced yoga, comparing them with those receiving only standard care or self-care. In two clinical trials, patients did yoga sessions (including breathing, relaxation, and postures) several times a week for 6–12 weeks, while the control groups followed usual treatment. Outcomes like headache frequency, pain intensity, disability scores, mood, and body stress responses were measured before and after. A review also combined results from many studies to see overall patterns of yoga’s effect on migraine.^1,2,3

Results: In one trial, people doing yoga had a big drop in migraine frequency, from about 11 attacks to 1.8 in 6 weeks, while the control group only reduced from 10 to 5.2. Pain intensity in the yoga group went down to 2.0 (vs 7.7 in controls). Another trial found yoga led to fewer headaches, less pain, lower anxiety/depression, and reduced medicine use. The review of 42 studies confirmed yoga often reduces headache frequency and severity while improving stress, mood, and quality of life.

Conclusion: Yoga is an effective add-on therapy for migraines; it lowers the number and intensity of attacks, reduces medicine use, and improves mood and stress control.

References

1. John PJ, Sharma N, Sharma CM, Kankane A. Effectiveness of yoga therapy in the treatment of migraine without aura: a randomized controlled trial. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. 2007 May;47(5):654-61.

2. Rawat S, Vinci, Deo G, Devarajan E, Kandhan SL. Effect of yoga on management of migraine: a systematic review. J Yoga Physio. 2023;10(4):555793.

3. Kisan R, Sujan MU, Adoor M, Rao R, Nalini A, Kutty BM, Murthy BC, Raju TR, Sathyaprabha TN. Effect of Yoga on migraine: A comprehensive study using clinical profile and cardiac autonomic functions. International journal of yoga. 2014 Jul 1;7(2):126-32.