A daily yoga program can help you prevent tension headaches. By Ellen Serber
When it comes to preventing or curing a headache, there is no substitute for a thorough, daily yoga program. The following
sequence offers poses that are helpful for opening the chest and stretching and relaxing the upper back and neck. Include
them in your regular practice if you are prone to headaches and see if they help bring some relief and new awareness. Breathe
deeply and slowly during all the postures and remember to relax the forehead, eyes, jaw, and tongue. The first part of the
program is prevention, practiced when you do not have a headache. The second part, beginning with Supta Baddha Konasana, may
be helpful in relieving a headache when it first begins. You will have better results if you start stretching and releasing
at the first sign of a headache, before the muscles go into spasm.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Discovering alignment
and finding the center Standing upright with awareness is one basic way to discover your own unique posture. It is difficult
to correct something until you have found out what is really there. Use the wall to identify your alignment, and then practice
standing in the center of the room.
Stand with your back to the wall, with your feet together. If that is uncomfortable,
separate the feet three or four inches. Plant the feet firmly, feeling the ground with the soles of the feet. Check the distribution
of weight between the right foot and the left. Move front, back, and side-to-side on your feet to find the most balanced stance.
Make sure that the arch of each foot is lifted, the toes spread apart. The placement of your feet becomes the foundation of
your awareness of your whole body. Give yourself enough time to explore and discover how you are actually standing.
When you are ready to move on, firm and straighten the legs. Bring the tailbone and pubic bone towards each other, but do
not suck in the abdominals: Lift them. There should be space between the wall and your lower back; do not flatten the lumbar
curve. With your "mind's eye," go into the area below the navel, inside the belly, in front of the sacrum. Locate
this "center" point. Extend the side torso up, lift the sternum without sticking out the ribs, and drop the shoulders.
Take the tips of the shoulder blades and move them into the torso, opening the chest. Let the back of the head reach up. If
the chin is raised, let it drop slightly, without tightening your throat; focus your eyes on the horizon. Make sure that the
shoulders and back of the head both touch the wall. Relax any tension in the face and neck. Remember that your "center"
resides in the area below the navel and in the belly, not in the neck and head. This exercise may feel very constricted if
your head is normally forward of your shoulders. Use the wall to inform you, so that you know the relationship of your head
to your shoulders, but try not to create more stress as you adjust your alignment.
On an exhalation, raise the
arms up to the ceiling, bringing the elbows back by the ears. Let the arms grow from the shoulder blades. Stretch the little
finger side of the hand and connect that stretch all the way down to the little toe and into the ground. Remember to keep
the feet grounded, the legs strong, and the center of your pose in the area below the navel. Observe whether the movement
of the arms has caused tension in the neck area. As you stretch up with the hands, bring the tips of the shoulder blades more
deeply into the torso. Hold for a few breaths and then release on an exhalation.
Parsvottanasana arms: Opening
the chest Move a little away from the wall and roll the shoulders back. Clasp your elbows with your hands behind your back.
If you have more flexibility you may join your palms behind your back, with the fingers pointing upward. On the exhalation,
roll the upper arms back toward the wall, opening the chest between the sternum and shoulder. As you open, keep the ribs relaxed;
make sure they don't jut forward. Remember to stay grounded in your feet and center the movement below the navel. Relax
the eyes, jaw, and tongue. Release on the exhalation. Change the arm on top, if you are clasping your elbows, and repeat.
Garudasana arms: Opening between the shoulder blades This pose is helpful for relieving pain between the shoulder
blades. It reminds us to keep that area open in the process of stretching the upper back. Wrap your arms around your torso,
right arm under the left arm, hugging yourself. Exhale and bring the hands up, the left elbow resting in the right elbow,
with the hands rotated palms towards each other. Breathe and feel the stretch; after a few breaths, raise the elbows up higher,
to the level of the shoulder. Remain grounded in the feet, centered in the area below the navel. Relax the eyes, jaw, and
tongue. Feel the expansion of the inhalation between the shoulder blades and the release on the exhalation. Lower the arms
on the exhalation and repeat with the left arm under the right.
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/121 
