Written by Dr. Bhavya

Medically reviewed by Dr Neethu

Updated on January 23, 2025

Instant Migraine Relief at Home: Can Face Yoga Help Cure it?

Waking up with a slight headache that becomes painful enough to hinder your daily chores is what many with migraines experience. This intense pulsating and throbbing pain, which lasts from a day to weeks together, can trouble one too much. In this troubling moment, can a couple of face yoga exercises be your rescue team for natural migraine relief?

The answer is yes! Read on to explore how face yoga effectively manages this condition. Make face yoga one of your migraine remedies at home. 

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Holistic Methods for Migraine Relief

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, migraine is a type of headache, but with severe intensity.

Homemade remedies for headaches and migraine headaches have gathered interest due to their ability to improve quality of life. This is mainly because of the ability to access instant migraine relief at home while you experience the attack and are not able to get medical care immediately.

Holistic and natural methods for headache relief look into the overall life factors that may trigger your headache. 

So, let's start exploring one of the hassle-free holistic techniques for migraine relief at home: face yoga. 

Targeted Face Yoga Exercises to Cure Migraine Headaches

Face yoga, a yogic technique, involves different facial exercises and mindful techniques for facial muscles. The main aim of face yoga is to give exercise to the facial muscles and give it relaxation. 

As the face muscles get these workouts, there is a natural stimulation of blood circulation, release of tension and various therapeutic benefits.

Face yoga for different health conditions gained its popularity due to its;

  • Non-invasiveness
  • Accessibility
  • Potential for relaxation

Make use of this popular natural remedy to cure migraine at home. Know the incredible connection between them.

Releasing Facial Muscle Tension and Migraine Pain

If you have facial muscle tension, it may contribute to migraine headaches. Moreover, it can also increase your migraine symptoms during the attack. 

This muscle tension in the neck, face and jaw occurs from stress, poor posture and jaw clenching. 

Embracing Relaxation and Mindfulness

Migraines get triggered by stress and mental tension or anxiety. Face yoga with mindful techniques has the potential to relieve your stress. So, turning to face yoga exercises is the key. They will help release these tension-triggered migraine headaches during the attack.

8 Face Yoga Poses for Migraine Relief and Prevention

Now, let's start breaking down different poses so that you can start your journey towards a natural migraine headache cure.

Brow Smoother

Position Keep your index finger and middle finger above the bridge of your nose.
Movement Smooth your fingers gently towards the end of your eyebrows at the temple region.
Pressure Points & MusclesIt applies pressure to release tension in your forehead's frontal and temporal regions.

Benefits

  • It relaxes forehead muscles.
  • It relieves tension in the eyebrow area.
  • Lastly, it reduces migraine intensity associated with forehead tension.

The V

Position At the inner corners of your Eyebrows, place your middle finger.
Movement Using gentle pressure, move your fingers in a V shape Towards your hairline. You can also keep your thumbs pressed on both temples.
Pressure Points & MusclesThe muscles around the eyes and forehead and elite pressure on the temples are targeted.

Benefits

  • The said pose releases the tension in the brow and forehead muscles.
  • It relaxes the muscles around the eyes and temples.
  • Further, it alleviates stress-related headaches and migraines.

Tongue Press

Position You must press the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
MovementBreathe deeply and suck the tongue upwards.
Pressure Points & MusclesThe muscles in the tongue, roof of the mouth and throat get engaged and indirectly relax the jaw muscles.

Benefits

  • The face yoga exercise relaxes your tongue and throat muscles.
  • It also releases tension in the jaw and throat.
  • Finally, it reduces jaw-related migraine triggers.

Cheek Lift

PositionWithout opening your lips, smile wide.
MovementKeep your index fingers on the top of your cheekbones and gently lift the skin upwards.
Pressure Points and MusclesThe muscles around the cheeks, eyes and temples get pressure upwards.

Benefits

  • The facial muscles around the cheeks and the eyes tend to relax.
  • It alleviates tension in the cheek area and reduces strain-related migraine headaches.

Eye Circle

Position With your eyes closed, gently roll your eyeballs in a circular motion.
Movement Rotate the eyeballs in clockwise and anticlockwise positions repeatedly.
Pressure Points & MusclesThis engages the muscles around the eyes, stimulating blood circulation.

Benefits 

  • It increases the blood flow around the eyes and relaxes the eye muscles.
  • This facial exercise will help relieve eye strain and reduce the tension contributing to the headache.

Jaw Release

Position Sit by relaxing your shoulder and keeping your back straight.
Movement Open your mouth slowly as wide as you're comfortable with.
Pressure Points & MusclesThis position engages the jaw muscles, especially the chewing muscles, and stretches the jawline.

Benefits

  • There is a release of tension in the jaw muscles when performing the said face yoga technique.
  • It reduces the migraine headache contributed by jaw clenching.

Forehead Smoother

Position Keep all your fingers spread on your forehead. Use both your hands.
MovementBy applying gentle pressure, slide your hands outwards towards your temples.
Pressure Points & MusclesTargets the forehead muscles. The light pressure applied releases tension in the frontal and temporal regions.

Benefits

  • Tension around the neck and shoulder gets released.
  • The facial yoga exercise reduces the tightness in the muscles that contribute to tension headaches or migraines.

These exercises engage facial muscles around the forehead, temples, jaw, eyes, and neck. The light pressure that you apply during the movement helps;

  • Release tension
  • Stimulate continuous blood circulation
  • Enhance lymphatic flow

Try these exercises or face yoga poses to achieve natural migraine relief at home.

Lifestyle Hacks to Practise Alongside Face Yoga for Holistic Migraine Cure

The best thing about the holistic healthcare system is that you can add natural remedies for migraines and practise face yoga - both at the same time.

Add the following natural remedies for a holistic headache cure:

Hydration

The importance of hydration is that when you're dehydrated, it can trigger migraine headaches. So you must always keep yourself hydrated, even if it is not the time of a migraine headache attack.

What Should You Do: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. You can add herbal teas and coconut water; consuming water-rich foods like cucumbers and watermelon helps with good hydration.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques are essential because stress and tension are common triggers of migraine headaches.

What Should You Do: You can add techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and yoga. Practising these techniques every day can help you reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.

Dietary Considerations

Sometimes, staying hungry triggers migraine headaches. In addition, eating some food also triggers migraine headaches.

What Should You Do: You must go for a balanced diet and eat at a regularly scheduled time. You should identify your Trigger foods such as caffeine, alcohol, cheese or artificial sweeteners. A magnesium-rich diet, like nuts, seeds, leafy grains, and whole grains, will help reduce migraines.

Herbal Remedies

You may use herbal remedies at home or take herbal supplements to reduce migraine headaches. Two best examples of Herbs which has been scientifically proven for migraine headaches are:

  • Butterbur
  • Feverfew

Extracts in the form of supplements from these herbs will help you with migraine cure at home.

Holistic Therapies

Some holistic therapies such as aromatherapy, facial yoga with Ayurvedic oils, Ayurvedic therapies of nasya (nasal instillation), and Shirodhara (pouring oil on the head) also help treat migraines. 

Sleep and Exercises

It would help if you had a good sleep schedule, and you must ensure you get enough restful night's sleep. Additionally, even though excessive exercise and high-intensity movement can trigger headaches, not engaging in regular physical activity will not help you treat migraine headaches.

Face Yoga on Migraine Marma Points

In the holistic science of Ayurveda, there are some vital points which, when applied with pressure, have the effect of health benefits. These vital points are called marma points.

When you perform face yoga, you can pressure these marma points to relieve migraine headaches.

Shankha Marma (Conch Shell) 

These are in the hollow just below the temples near the upper jawbones.

Amsa Marma (Shoulder)

You will find these near the shoulders in the depression between the collarbone and neck muscles.

Kapala Marma (Skull Bone)

It is located at the centre of the forehead, midway between the eyebrows.

Brahma Randra (Crown Marma) 

This marma is at the top of the head in the centre, where the hair forms a vortex.

Hridaya Marma (Heart)

It is in the centre of the chest, aligned with the heart.

Griva Marma (Neck)

It is on the side of the neck where the jaw bone meets the neck muscles.

You can even apply pressure in a circular motion in these areas with a diameter of around 1 cm. Further, you can gently tap this area with your fingertips to reduce the pressure you apply.

These Ayurvedic pressure points and marma correspond to the vital energy pathways in the body. Stimulating these points restores balance and promotes well-being. 

You must learn the application of pressure on these marma points from an Ayurvedic or yoga practitioner to avoid complications. 

Conclusion 

You must have observed different natural methods or homemade cures for migraine headaches through the blog. Migraine headaches can be very irritating and interfere with your day-to-day activities. You must know quick, essential remedies to tackle these attacks. Face yoga can be one of your pocket-friendly home remedies for migraine relief.

Consult yoga experts to know how to use these face yoga techniques best.

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Dr. Bhavya

She offers a holistic approach to healing that focuses on the interplay between the body, mind, and spirit. Her expertise in these areas allows her to provide comprehensive care for various conditions, from musculoskeletal disorders to stress-related illnesses. She is dedicated to empowering women to take control of their health and well-being. Her proactive approach to healthcare emphasises the importance of preventive measures and natural remedies.