This anti-migraine cocktail isn't the usual recipe you hear about: staying hydrated, lying in a dark room and taking pain relievers. While these actions can certainly help relieve symptoms, for Stahl, they were temporary fixes. What's the secret? Stahl says it starts with yoga.
"If I follow the formula, I am cured," she says. "[And to to be clear], if I step away from it, they crop back up." Since Stahl started following her yoga-centric plan, her migraines have not returned, and she's now ready to share her secret with the rest of the world.
The Quiet Power of Yoga and Breathwork
Stahl is a yoga instructor for YogaSix, but she wasn't always so active. Like 25.3% of Americans, she accidentally adopted a sedentary lifestyle due to an office job that had her sitting for hours at a desk. Eventually, she shifted to retail, but the demands and hours of the job kept her chronically stressed.
At the time of her training, Stahl was dealing with four to five migraine episodes a week. The pain would creep up from the back of her head and into her right temple. The eye pain and sensitivity to light and sound were usually debilitating enough to keep her in bed for hours as she willed her body to fall asleep.
As Stahl learned about breathwork for chants and mantras, she noticed that her migraines paused. "I started to wake up in the morning and be able to function again as a human," she tells Parade.
Brianna Stahl teaching yoga.There is scientific evidence that breathing exercises reduce the intensity and frequency of migraines. Performing slow, deep breathing increases oxygen flow to the brain and prompts a relaxed response. The relaxed response is activated by the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down the heart rate, improves blood circulation and relaxes the muscles. It counteracts the "fight or flight" response that raises stress and inflammatory levels, all of which raise the risk of a migraine attack.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, getting active movement in helps migraines because it releases endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Exercise also helps prevent common migraine triggers such as poor sleep, stress and anxiety. Research on yoga specifically found that performing the exercise three days a week led to a 48% reduction in migraine frequency.
Related: The One Thing To Avoid if You Want To Prevent Headaches
The Secret Recipe for 'Curing' Migraines
5 hours of yoga every week
Stahl's studio centers on tantric yoga, a practice she believes offers an accessible way to build strength, stability and inner energy through meditation. Tantric yoga uses breathwork to visualize energy flow as you move and hold various poses.
Related: An Introduction to Tantra and the 7 Chakras
Brianna Stahl teaches students a plank variation to strengthen muscles.On days when she felt a migraine could appear, she mentioned drinking a bit of coffee, sugar and ibuprofen before her yoga class. She also encourages people, if they feel a migraine possibly coming, to use blocks and other props to support them during the class.
"Since getting a massage once a month and at least five hours of yoga a week, I haven't had a migraine," Stahl says.
Lifetime management
"It's very much a lifetime practice, but I also have no desire to stop, because when I do, I notice my anxiety creeps up," Stahl says. "I know I get depressed when I'm not practicing regularly and getting the meditation and the body flow. With yoga, my body is stronger and my migraines aren't flaring up."
Related: Tired of Popping Pain Relievers for Headaches? Try These 15 Yoga Poses Instead
Sources
Brianna Stahl, CPCC, MBA, is a yoga instructor for YogaSix.Adult Physical Inactivity Outside of Work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Relaxation And Paced Breathing Exercises For Migraine. American Migraine Foundation. Exercise And Migraine. American Migraine Foundation.Effect of yoga as add-on therapy in migraine (CONTAIN). Neurology.Impact of the Neck and/or Shoulder Pain on Self-reported Headache Treatment Responses – Results From a Pharmacy-Based Patient Survey. Frontiers in Neurology.Diet and Headache Control. American Migraine Foundation. Read More Details
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