Chair Yoga for Headache Relief

This result occurred last week for a young woman who participated in her first chair yoga class at the Helen Wright Center for Women. She had suffered for two days; over the counter medication was ineffective. Our chair yoga class focused on alignment of the body from the feet to the crown of the head. The coordination of sitting upright with the feet flat on the floor and breathing rhythmically for several minutes helped the group to develop better posture. From this Sitting Mountain Pose, we refined our balance of breathing and movement by drawing the shoulders down and back, the shoulder blades closer together and the head back over the spine. Proper posture helped her and other class members reduce muscle tension. The student with the headache experienced relief of her prolonged pain by the end of class.