Relieving Tension Headaches Without Drugs

Have a headache? If your answer is “No thanks, I already have one.” Try this before taking a pill that treats the symptoms but not the cause.

If you hold tension in your neck and shoulders this may work for you like it has for everyone I’ve taught it to. It works equally well for relieving stress, if the stress is held in the upper back, shoulders and neck. I modified the following from an ancient Taoist exercise that was taken from the animal kingdom. The ultimate objective of Taoism is immortality; maybe relief of stress is one way to achieve that end.

Stand with the feet shoulder width or a little wider. Toes are slightly pointed in to take the pressure off the heels. Every energy channel in the body runs through the heels. Removing pressure on the heels opens the channels. The knees are straight but not locked. The back is straight, the sternum is lifted, the chest is filled but not puffed out and the spine is lengthened. Imagine you have a string attached to the top of your head and someone is pulling on the string removing weight and pressure and allowing the spine and neck to become long and straight.

The shoulders are relaxed and down away from the ears. Do not collapse the chest, this restricts the breath. The hands are at the sides with the palms next to the legs. The eyes are relaxed and the gaze is forward and level. The mouth is closed and the tongue rests lightly on the roof of your mouth. A smile is on your face and the chin is slightly tucked. Take a few deep breaths, breathing in and out slowly and completely. Fill the chest first and then the abdomen. This sends a signal to the parasympathetic nervous system to relax. Inhale and exhale completely. Emptying the lungs of accumulated toxins and waste is more important than expanding the lungs to their maximum. Most of us are used to breathing very shallowly and shallow breathing is a flight or fight, stress response. Relax.

Next breathe completely in. As you begin to breathe out slowly lower your chin to your chest and at the same time push the arms down the sides of your legs as if following a vertical stripe on the outer seam of the pants leg. Try to touch the chin to the chest. Go only as far as feels safe to you. You should feel a slight stretch in the neck and shoulder muscles. Next, begin to inhale slowly through the nose, keeping the tongue on the roof of the mouth during the entire exercise. In this position the tongue closes the circuit between the front and back energy channels. As you inhale stretch the back, neck and shoulder muscles. You will find by exhaling and inhaling with the chin on the chest that different muscles are stretched and relaxed.

As you begin to slowly exhale begin to roll the head straight back. Do not roll it from side to side or in circles. Side to side and in circles puts excess strain on the vertebral disks in the neck and upper back. As the head rolls back and you exhale slowly, bring the shoulders up as if trying to stick them in your ears. The hands and fingers come straight up the vertical stripe of the outside of the leg. To tighten the skin and muscles of the chin and front of the neck, jut the lower jaw out so the bottom teeth are in front of the uppers. While in this position begin to slowly inhale completely. As the chest expands the shoulders should move up and back. This stretches different muscles than on the exhale, the same as with the chin on the chest.

As you begin to slowly exhale roll the head straight forward and try to touch the chin to the chest. You have now completed one cycle. This entire sequence has to be completed at least seven times to allow time for the muscles to stretch and relax completely. Go slow, relax, don’t force your breathing, everything worthwhile takes time. Forcing yourself or rushing the process will add stress and tension, not relive it. The breathing sequence can be reversed, do what works for you.

When you’ve become proficient with your breathing and timing each inhale and exhale will take about 20 seconds. This means each complete cycle will take about one and a half minutes and the full exercise will take about ten minutes. Ten minutes can seem like a long time but it’s no more than what’s required for pain relievers. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you want to treat the cause or cover the symptom.

The modified turtle exercise is great for releasing muscle tension in people who work at computers. The next time you take a ten minute break ask yourself what’s more important adding calories with a donut, burning a hole in your stomach with aspirin, getting uptight from caffeine or to relax, enjoy a healthier life and tone the muscles of the neck, shoulders and upper back. The exercise can be done while sitting in a straight-backed chair but isn’t as effective for beginners. After you’ve become proficient, try rolling the stomach on the inhale. This improves the abdominal muscle tone, promotes peristaltic action and helps relieve constipation.

© Copyright 2007 Larry R. Miller