Migraine

Has anyone tried yoga or chi gong to prevent migraines? If so please describe so I can understand. IE: Only fling with one pea {brain} today.

I took yoga for 2 or 3 years, in the mid 90s. It was good for the tension-type component of my headaches/migraines. I think it was also good for my depression. I didn't get much into the spiritual part of yoga, but it was very relaxing. My teacher was more interested in the poses. She grouped them into different categories. You filled with dread when she said we were going to do "restorative" poses.

There are several different schools of yoga. Mine was Iyengar, which focuses on alignment and getting the poses "right," using props like pillows, blocks (for people like me who were too stiff to reach the floor) and blankets. Ashtanga is very athletic, and my teacher didn't recommend it. I stopped taking it when my depression got worse for awhile and I stopped going to any appointments.

My current specialist recommended that I get into a yoga or pilates class. I haven't done that yet. I think the first teacher I had has left town. She spent a year in India studying with Iyengar himself. There are bigger fish to fry than here. And the teacher with another school of yoga, which she calls Joyflow Yoga, doesn't answer the phone or reply to e-mails. She's a bit of a flake, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's abandoned teaching for awhile. I don't know anything about any of the other yoga schools in town.

One thing my specialist said was, "If a pose hurts, don't do it." When I was taking yoga, a shoulder stand got into my neck horribly, even if I did it against the wall or used a chair or 3 blankets or whatever other props we could think of. I should have just said I was going to do another pose while the rest of the class worked on shoulder stands, but I didn't have the confidence to at the time. I'll do it now.

I hope that helps. The bottom line is that I'd recommend that you try it. It might help, and if it doesn't you can drop out if you don't like it.

Gretchen in Mississippi

i do yoga every day. great for exercise altho hasn't helped my migraines one bit. but my abs look great! LOL!

PS I do Vinyasa yoga to a DVD I don't go to classes

I just ordered a book called "Yoga for Headache Relief" that should be arriving from Amazon in the next 7-10 days. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm hoping it will augment my more traditional migraine therapy by improving my posture, increasing relaxation, and adding to my meditation practice. I'm also hoping it will make me healthier in general!

I enjoy yoga. Although I don't know if I can say it has prevented migraines, it helps with my TTH (which can trigger my migraines). I enjoy it and daily practice with my young children. (They are worse than a personal trainer: "again, again" and "Mom, that doesn't look right."

A DVD I like is Desiree Rumbaugh's YOGA TO THE RESCUE. It a beginner yoga practice that presents gentle exercises focused on chronic pain relief. When I practice with the kids I like Rodney Yee's FAMILY YOGA and YogaLand's YOGALAND--THE AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE.

If you can find something you enjoy doing than I'd say it's worth your time. I like to consider yoga as a part of my migraine prevention program. At the very least, I know it improves the quality of my life.

Liz