My Top 5 For Mitigating Migraines:

1. Breaks to rest and give back to the eyes – lavender heat packs are essential

2. Reclined Bound Angle and Legs Up the Wall restorative yoga poses

3. Morning walks and gentle preventative yoga poses

4. Staying hydrated

5. Taking 1/2 teaspoon of ginger in warm water at migraine onset

Resources I’ve Created:

• Restorative Yoga For Migraines & Fatigue: Read the Article

• Four Stages of Migraines: Watch the Video

• Link Between Migraines & Digestion: Watch the Video

• Yamas (yoga principles of non-harming [ahimsa], truthfulness [satya], non-stealing [asethya], moderation [bramacharya], and contentment [aparigraha]) through the lens of living with a brain injury (also great for migraine sufferers or anyone with a chronic injury, illness, or pain): Read or Listen

My Migraine Journey: 

I’ve had chronic migraines since a head injury in a 2012 car accident. For several years, they were almost daily, leaving me unable to work, write, partake in social events, and do many things I love. As I learned more about migraines, I discovered I’d had them my entire life, but they had only hit a few times a year, usually during extremely stressful times. I linked the bright colored auras of my childhood and bouts of nausea in college to this often genetic neurological condition.

Later, I learned that an ER visit for stroke-like symptoms, in which I was sent home with no answers, was a Hemiplegic migraine, which I now know I’ve had many of. One doctor even told me to stop describing symptoms of numbness and tingling on the left side of my face and body because no one understood what they were, and it was making me less believable. Despite some of those visits, I have had great doctors too. However, the natural and self-care practices that I’ve incorporated into my life have been instrumental in changing my migraine journey from chronic to more occassional. Gentle and restorative yoga practices, essential oils, self-care, and homeopathic remedies are essential in easing and preventing my migraines.

From years of experience with severe migraines, my gentle yoga and yoga from trauma trainings, and extensive research, I created The Yogic Toolkit For Migraines–a steamable workshop and e-book to refer to with full yoga practices, meditations, and natural rememedies to ease and prevent migraines. 

The Power of Ginger

There are a handful of things that I feel were turning points in my migraine journey because they made a huge difference—ginger is one of them. Listening to the Migraine World Summit Conference, I heard a doctor mention that ½ teaspoon of ginger had been shown to be as effective as taking a triptan (often prescribed medication for migraines). I jotted down this snippet and even though I thought, ‘there’s no way,’ I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try it.

The next time I felt a whopping migraine coming on, I took a ½ teaspoon of ginger. **BLOWN AWAY.** I think anyone who gets migraines should give ginger a try, particularly if your migraines ever come with stomach pain and nausea. Ginger has completely cut out my use of prescribed migraine medications. The key is taking it early on in the attack—so learn to recognize your symptoms early so you stop your migraine with this natural remedy.

I carry Simply Organic Ginger Root Powder with me wherever I go.

I also love Gin Gins Ginger Chews by The Ginger People. Be ready for a decently spicy ginger kick with a little coating of sugar. I keep these little guys in my car, purse, and readily available because they work incredibly whenever I get stomach trouble and nausea with a migraine. If I’m not able to take the powder right away from a migraine hits, I pop one of these in.

If you’re looking for a more subtle taste, but same results, I recommend Ginger Trips. I’ve had just as much success with these for my nausea and beginning migraines.