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Yoga may help reduce how often migraines happen when practised regularly alongside your usual medical treatment. A 2020 trial at AIIMS New Delhi found that people who added yoga had fewer and less intense headaches after three months. Practise gentle poses and slow breathing between attacks, not during one, and keep taking prescribed medicine.
If you live with migraine, you know it isn't "just a headache". It can wipe out a workday or a family event. Yoga isn't a cure, but good research suggests it can be a useful addition to treatment.
In the CONTAIN trial, researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, randomly assigned 160 people with episodic migraine to medical care alone or medical care plus yoga. 114 completed the study, published in Neurology in 2020 (NeurologyLive).
After three months, the yoga group did better on every main measure:
| Measure at 3 Months | Medical Care Only | Medical Care + Yoga |
|---|---|---|
| Headache frequency (average) | 4.41 | 0.89 |
| Headache intensity score | 2.61 | 1.31 |
| Rescue pills used | 3.11 | 0.83 |
The study had limits. There was no "fake yoga" comparison group, some people dropped out, follow-up was short, and the results relied on questionnaires. Still, it is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for yoga as an add-on treatment.
Yoga combines gentle movement, slow breathing and relaxation. That may help with common migraine triggers such as stress, poor sleep and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. If tension headaches from desk work are your issue, also try our yoga for neck and shoulder pain.
Do these on headache-free days, holding each for 5–8 slow breaths.
| Pose | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| 1. Balasana (child's pose) | Knees wide, forehead resting on the mat or a cushion. |
| 2. Marjaryasana–Bitilasana (cat-cow) | Slow, gentle spinal movement with the breath. |
| 3. Seated neck release | Tilt your ear towards your shoulder, slowly, without pulling. |
| 4. Setu Bandhasana (supported bridge) | A cushion or block under your lower back. |
| 5. Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) | A calming, restful pose. |
| 6. Shavasana (corpse pose) | Lie still for 3–5 minutes and relax each part of your body. |
New to these poses? Start with our 10 basic yoga poses for beginners.
Avoid forceful practices such as Kapalbhati if they bring on a headache.
| Day | Practice | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Wed, Fri | Gentle poses + breathing | 20–30 min |
| Tue, Thu | Breathing + Shavasana | 10 min |
| Daily | Same bedtime and wake time | — |
Good sleep matters with migraine; our bedtime yoga for better sleep routine pairs well with this plan. Keep a headache diary for a month so you can see whether your pattern changes.
Get emergency care for a sudden, severe "worst ever" headache, or a headache with weakness, confusion, trouble speaking, vision loss, fever with a stiff neck, or after a head injury. See your doctor if your migraine pattern changes or gets worse.
Yoga for migraine works best as a regular, gentle practice alongside your treatment. Practise between attacks, focus on slow breathing and relaxation, keep your sleep and meals regular, and track your headaches to see what changes.
Want a gentle, guided practice that fits around your migraines? Join Zyrax Fitness's live online yoga classes and tell your teacher about your triggers, or start with the ₹99 two-day trial. Read more about live online yoga for women.
No. In the AIIMS trial, yoga was used alongside medical treatment and reduced how often headaches happened.
The AIIMS trial measured results after three months of regular practice.
Usually not. Rest and take your prescribed medicine. Practise between attacks.
Gentle styles with slow breathing and relaxation. Avoid hot yoga or intense flows if they trigger you.
Source: NeurologyLive — Add-on yoga may benefit patients with migraine (CONTAIN trial, Neurology 2020)
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