Does Yoga Help with Tension Headaches?
Adding yoga to your list of headache remedies could help you manage the pain of tension headaches. Yoga eases muscle tension and calms your mind with its combination of gentle movements, deep breathing, and mindfulness.
What Are Tension Headaches?
More than 2 billion people worldwide experience tension headaches, according to the International Headaches Society. Tension headaches cause pain and pressure in your forehead, temples, and the back of your head. Head pain is often accompanied by tight muscles in the head, neck, shoulders, and upper back.
Common causes of tension headaches include:
- Stress
- Eye Strain
- Poor Posture
- Holding the Head in the Same Position for a Long Time
- Straining the Neck While Sleeping
- Fatigue
- Grinding Teeth
- Clenching Jaw
- Alcohol Use
- Caffeine Use
- Caffeine Withdrawal
- Colds and Illnesses
Fatigue, stress, glare, and noise can worsen tension headaches, according to MedlinePlus.
How Yoga Reduces Muscle Tension
Collapsing on the couch may seem like a better idea than rolling out your yoga mat if you have a tension headache. Although vigorous activities aren't recommended when you have a pounding headache, yoga uses gentle movements designed to ease your pain naturally.
Yoga poses stretch and strengthen muscles in your head, neck, shoulders, and back, loosening tight tissues. As tension decreases, muscles in the neck and shoulder relax, which reduces stress on the base of the skull. Practicing yoga relieves symptoms when headaches strike and could even help you prevent new tension headaches.
Tight muscles and tissues press on blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the head and triggering headache pain. As the muscles relax, it's much easier for oxygen and nutrients in the bloodstream to reach the head and brain.
Yoga offers short-term benefits in improving tension headache frequency, duration and intensity, according to a review published in the Journal of Internal Medicine in 2020. Researchers noted that more research is needed on the benefits of yoga for tension headaches.
Easing Stress with Yoga
Stress, one of the most common causes of tension headaches, is hard to prevent. Although you may not be able to avoid stressful situations, yoga can help you manage your response to them. Yoga poses and deep yogic breathing calm your mind and help you stay centered. During yoga sessions, you'll also learn how to clear your mind of intrusive thoughts as you meditate and practice mindfulness.
A research study published in Biomedicine in 2024 examined the effects of yoga on two key components of stress: heart rate variability and cortisol level. Cortisol is a hormone released when you feel stressed. Researchers noted that medical students who practiced yoga and meditation for one hour per day for six weeks had lower levels of cortisol and experienced improvements in heart rate variability.
Don't have an hour a day to devote to yoga? Practicing yoga a few times a week or for shorter sessions can be just as helpful.
Try This Yoga Pose for Your Tension Headaches
The next time you feel a tension headache beginning, try the seated twist pose. The pose can be performed sitting on a chair, making it a good choice whether you're at home or work. Start by exhaling as you place your left hand on your right knee. At the same time, grasp the back of the chair with your right arm. Lengthen your spine and keep it straight as you inhale and exhale slowly for several breaths. Repeat on the other side.
The Yoga Journal notes that the seated twist stretches the chest, shoulders, upper and lower back and is a good choice for neck and back pain.
Tired of living with tension headaches? Yoga offers an excellent natural solution for headache pain. Get in touch with us if you're interested in information about our yoga classes.
Sources:
International Headache Society: Tension-Type Headache Awareness Campaign
https://ihs-headache.org/en/resources/tension-type-headache-awareness-campaign/
MedLinePlus: Tension Headache, 12/31/2023
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000797.htm
Journal of General Internal Medicine: Yoga for Treating Headaches: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 3/2020
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31667736/
ResearchGate: Biomedicine: Correlation Between Cortisol Levels and Practice of Yoga and Meditation in Medical Students, 1/2024
Yoga Journal: 13 Poses to Relieve Tension Headaches, 1/20/2025
https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/health/13-poses-to-relieve-tension/
Los Angeles Times: Relieve Your Tension Headaches After a Dumb Day at Work, 7/22/2016