Pranayama heals headaches and migraines

February 2017
A Chapter out of my new eBook; Pranayama, Mudra, Mantra and Meditation for health and well-being

Pranayama does work, and I have been blogging about this many times. To me, it was such a huge relief when finally something worked for my migraines. I had suffered from migraines from the time I was about eight years old until I discovered the power of Pranayama.

My migraines were very debilitating, started always at four am in the morning. I could not lay down as this made it all worse. I could only sit up and hold my head back. This caused my neck to become very painful. I always had to yawn a lot with a migraine and many times I dislocated my jaw from the intense yawning. The intensity of a migraine resulted in vomiting and diarrhoea and nothing really gave any relief, I had to sit it out for the twelve to sixteen hours that it had taken for relief to come. Anything would set off a migraine, the weather, the food, the stress and so on.

Often I had one or two migraines a week. Very exhausting as I could not sleep with it and my back and neck were hurting from the sitting position that would slightly ease the intensity of migraine. No medication worked and I just had to put up with it. My stress in life increased and the migraines increased and then the death of my soul mate the dog tipped me over the edge...I was at the end of my strength and screamed at the universe for not helping me!!

Then I sat at my computer checking my emails and here an email was in my inbox, that was not addressed to me but I did read it and it was from a Pranayama yoga teacher from London who offered his help to this person the email was meant for.

I checked out his website and thought what on earth is Pranayama yet I was very drawn to it. So I emailed him and asked if he could teach me the Pranayama via Skype as I am living in NZ and the response was that we could try. I had eleven sessions to learn about ten Pranayama’s and they made me feel so good. I then practised the Pranayama’s daily and within two or three weeks I was free of migraines. Six years later still no migraines.

Your sufferings can become your biggest blessings for me learning about the Pranayama and yoga has changed my life so much I cannot put it into words and I just keep wanting to scream about it from the rooftop!!! Thanks to these awful migraines I have come to experience the power of Pranayama yes your sufferings are your blessings. I wish so I did not have to suffer for so many years.

Here below are all the old posts I wrote during my time of healing my migraines and headaches while practising Pranayama daily.


16.08.2011
I had suffered from migraine headaches since childhood, as long as I can remember. Pranayama has healed my migraines, my headaches for good. I use to get the migraines from stress, from a storm approaching, from windy weather, around my menstrual cycle, from foods, from sinus problems, anything would set off a migraine often with vomiting and always with diarrhoea. The pain would be so severe that it waked me at about 4 am in the morning and I could not be lying down I had to sit or walk around to get a little relief. Walking around gave only short-term relief as my legs would get so tired I also had to yawn a lot and sometimes so much that it hurt my jaws. No medicine helped as I would vomit it up as soon as I had taken it. They use to last from 4 to 12 hours and the next day I was always so exhausted. I got them 2 - 4 x a month. When I started practising Pranayama I noticed immediate relief. The migraines turned into headaches within 1 month and then I had no migraine and no headache for 3 months. Then I had a week of just niggling headaches and then nothing for a month then one more headache and now it has been a good six month without migraines or headaches or even a niggle. It is just such a relief and I do not know how I ever coped with all these migraines as it is such a great feeling to be free of them. Pranayama does really work it is amazing.

Updating!Dec.2013
It is now over three years that I have been practising pranayama and since my migraines disappeared I have not looked back. I have not had any migraines since and I may get a slight headache once in a while like maybe every six months or so if I have been straining my neck but a headache is so light that it does not really bother me. It is just so amazing to be rid of them and that they have not returned anymore. Pranayama truly works!
Pranayama really works! Dec. 2013

Update!20.04.2015
Just a quick update, just about five years since my start of practising Pranayama and my migraines have not come back, this is just so wonderful!!! It is beyond words, to be free of a life full of migraines!! I can get an occasional headache in the morning on waking if I strain my back or neck, but it is only a very mild headache, and it goes within an hour or two of getting up and moving. So Pranayama is brilliant!!!

UPDATE: 1.10.2016
it has been now about 5 or 6 years since I started practising Pranayama and I am still free of migraines. I worked out, that I had suffered from very bad migraines for about 40 years and no medical Doctor had ever been able to help me. And I must say I had never been successful with natural remedies either. But with Pranayama and mudras, I am totally free of migraines and headaches. I wish I knew about Pranayama much earlier.

It is pure bliss not having migraines anymore or even headache words can not describe the feeling!


All information here is from my personal experience copyrights@BarbaraSchaer all rights reserved

Pranayama warms the body regulates body temperature

We have just been experiencing one of the coldest time here in New Zealand, and Pranayama has kept me warm. The polar storm has bought us snow and icy cold winds and the houses in New Zealand are not well insulated, the icy wind is getting through the tiny gaps in the windows and it is hard and expensive to keep the house warm. I have always suffered from bad circulations and get cold easy, but since practising Pranayama I have been so much warmer. I do not feel the cold, in the same way, I use too. The cold wind is not getting into my bones any more, I am staying warm it is just amazing. I can not believe, how I am feeling warm while everyone around me is freezing. With Pranayama, Ujjayi, Suryabhedi or Suryanga pranayama breathing in through the right nostril, and the breath of fire, doing more of these pranayamas have made a marked difference in my body temperature keeping me warmer then I have ever felt. I also noticed that I have had no pains in my joints, even so in the past in these extreme weather conditions my joints would hurt. Its because my joints feel warmer and the cold does not penetrate me. The extent of benefits one can get from practising Pranayama is beyond words.

Pranayama what you should avoid doing

When practising Pranayama there are a few important things to do or not to do:

Some Pranayama like Kapalabhati and the breath of fire should be practised on a completely empty stomach only, as when they are practised straight after eating they may cause heartburn and can raise your blood pressure, therefore, doing it first thing in the morning is best so you have no food left in the stomach for a good three or more hours.

When doing Kapalabhati it is important to do it correctly, to do the speed and rhythm correct as if you do it incorrectly you can get acidity, heartburn and shortness of breath, and you should avoid doing Kapalabhati straight after having had any surgery.

When doing the three bandhas with the Bahya Pranayama, you also do them on a completely empty stomach as you do not want to hold in and pull up toxins while holding the bandhas. You should not do any bandhas if you are menstruating, this is important. These three bandhas with the Bahya Pranayama could be practised fifteen minutes before a meal as they fire up the digestive system which is very beneficial.

If you got a cold or have a sinus infection you should not do Sitkari, as it will make your infection worse, because it cools the body.

When practising Pranayama make sure you have enough time, if you stressed and rushed doing Pranayama it will not be very effective. Check and recheck yourself that you do the Pranayama correct, stay mindful, focused and aware throughout your practice, it is easy to slip and rush them or get tired, or not doing them correctly or not sitting straight etc.

After practising for eleven months I still catch myself out and need to focus on doing all the Pranayama correct. You will feel a difference when you are focused and do all the pranayama correct. It takes time but it is worth it. Don't be too hard on yourself it will all come together, make sure you are relaxed when practising Pranayama and you have an inward smile and feel positive.

Another thing is important, make sure you are warm during practising and the air you breathe in is warm and not icy cold.
I just made the experience, over the past few weeks it has been very cold here minus six degrees and colder and my house was chilly when I was practising the pranayama.  A few days later I could feel my lungs were very sore as if I had pneumonia, very painful. I thought about what I had done and realised that I was breathing in all this chilly air. I now make sure the room temp is warmer and I wrap myself in a warm blanket and have a hot water bottle on my back to keep warm. I am on a very tight budget and can not heat my home too much so it is important to find other ways to stay warm. My lungs healed quickly when I kept myself a bit warmer during practising Pranayama.

An eleven-minute practice a day is better than not practise any at all. Many other pranayamas can be done during the day even about 15 minutes after eating.

Ujjayi Pranayama should not be practised while having a sore throat but is a wonderful Pranayama as a preventative for colds, sore throats etc.

Sitkari is a wonderful Pranayama to cool off if filled with anger, and also is cooling when feeling over heated, but should not be practised in cold air and on cold winter days.

Be sensible, and always be observant, aware and focused when practising any Pranayama.

Pranayama Flu and colds, chilblains.

It has been amazing how Pranayama also helps with colds and the flu. I have found when I get symptoms of a cold or the flu increasing the practice of Ujjayi pranayama will nip it in the bud.
Pranayama boosts the immune system making you less susceptible to colds and flu.

At first, I had difficulties in learning the Ujjayi Pranayama, it is a sort of breathing through the throat it is a scraping sensation in the throat, but have found on YouTube many different ways to learn this Pranayama.
A word of caution if you already have a sore throat do not practise this pranayama as it will aggravate the throat, but if you include this pranayama in your daily practice and increase it a bit in the month where these flu and colds are doing their rounds you should be free of getting them.

When I had finally mastered it I followed the instructions of Swami Ramdev doing this Pranayama with kumbhaka, holding the breath and doing the bandhas., then exhaling through the left nostril, by closing the right nostril.

This Pranayama has put a stop on my colds and flu very quickly. Some Pranayamas also warm the body and some cool the body which is great I increase the warming Pranayama practice at the moment as the weather has turned quite wintry now. And feeling so much warmer for it.

In the summer I increase the practice of the cooling Pranayama and this is just so amazing. Pranayama also helps with circulation and adding some mudras specific for circulation also help with pumping the blood all through the veins and capillaries, which has helped me this winter with my problems of chilblains. Pranayama does work you just have to practice it.

Some Mudras we can practise with our pranayama help in preventing sore throats, ear infections and flu are the Shunya mudra and the bear grip mudra

Breath and transform your life

Pranayama creates true freedom, abandon excuses, let go of being controlled

There are two things that people find hard about making the decision to practice Pranayama. One thing is, people, tell me they have no time to practice Pranayama. My question why? We can all get up a bit earlier in the morning to practice Pranayama or we can do it before going to bed instead of watching TV.
We could go to bed earlier so we can get up earlier really it is no excuse in my books. You lose your freedom if you are hooked on TV or if you are a workaholic because you want a boat a flash car etc. Take stock about your excuse why you could not practice Pranayama and find out how you are being controlled by these reasons.
The next thing is people tell me they would not want to give up coffee, white sugar, meat, junk food, fast food, alcohol fizzy drinks etc. Why because these are all addictive things and they have great control over people. You are being controlled by all these things. You can't have any treats hm you can change your mindset and see that all the healthy foods are treats for your body they give nourishment to your body, vitamins, minerals, energy, good health so why would you want to be under the control of negative foods that keep you sluggish, hyperactive, stressed, iron deficient, hangover, give you diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc.
You go to the doctor who prescribes you medication and he tells you this will control your blood sugar, this will control your cholesterol, this will control your blood pressure, this will control your aches and pain this will control your headaches, this will control your mood swings, hey you are being controlled!!!!
You have to go to the doctor regularly for your prescription the drug companies got you under their thumb and you have to become a workaholic to pay for it and to pay for the health insurance!!! Where is your freedom???

All you need is a bit of discipline to start practising Pranayama and soon you can start to experience some freedom. Isn't it a fact that when you go on holiday somewhere nice you take a deep breath and say wow I can do what I want for a little while, you take a BREATH!! that gives you a sense of freedom.
Studies have proven that people with a bit of discipline are happier than the once that allow themselves to be controlled.

Well I have turned the table on people, I know when they feel sorry for me that I have hot water instead of coffee or healthy food instead of junk food, I tell them how I feel sorry that they are under such control of their so-called treats, they really treat themselves with poison, that every time they have these so-called treats brings them closer to disease.
It saddens me to see how people, doctors drug companies, fast food places are so irresponsible only because they want control over the human race. When will people wake up and realise how they are really not free and how they have been under such control.
Break free from it, start practising Pranayama take a deep breath and with each inhales, breath in the freedom and with each out breath let go of being controlled.

I have found that when I started practising Pranayama, my body automatically wanted to change and my awareness grew to eat and drink more healthy, and I am so aware that if I feel I must have something every day it has a hold over me. And we all on occasions overeat or have something that is not completely healthy, and this is fine, so long it has no hold over us so long we can be without it.

Pranayama can be incorporated throughout your day if a sit-down practice is not possible, as we can stop a few minutes during the day and take our focus to our breath, become aware of our breath even if it is only for a few minutes and it will already make a world of difference.

There are many ways you can fit a pranayama breathing exercise into your day, no matter how busy you are. It creates awareness and with it freedom and the ability to choose and make changes. Remember you can choose to have junk food, coffee, alcohol all these things, but do you really enjoy being controlled by it? Now I can really enjoy a coffee once in a while without getting hooked on it or I can eat junk food, I must say so that when I do I wished I did not as it makes me feel unwell, and this is why I choose not to have it very often, is it really worth it to feel sick after overeating, is it worth it to get indigestion, is it worth it to get a hangover the next day????
Observer yourself and listen to your mind chatter, what are the things that control you, what are the things you do without thinking about it just because you need it and are hooked on it?

Everything becomes crystal clear just like these ice crystals on this branch.

Pranayama with Ayurveda or other healing modalities

During my years of practising pranayama, I have noticed that when I can afford some Ayurveda medicine that it works in extremely well with Pranayama, and especially in chronic conditions. Ayurveda helps in speeding up the recovery and cure of most ailments. These herbs are powerful helping with giving fast pain relief in chronic conditions like arthritis, and many more symptoms.

Ayurveda also helps in accidents sprains, dislocated joints swelling etc. but Ayurveda can be quite costly, and if you can afford it, it is well worth using in conjunction with practising Pranayama.
At the same time, Pranayama works wonders even if you cannot afford the Ayurveda medicines. This is why I love Pranayama as it costs nothing and all we need to do is practice it, it is so simple. And the brilliant part about Pranayama is that it does not interfere with any other healing modalities or healing medicines, but it will enhance the power of any other healing modalities and medicines.

For chronic ailments, Pranayama may take a bit longer for the healing to come about, but it can work quite quickly in acute situations and as it works on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual it is a wonderful tool to use.

I love using Aura-Soma products like Pomanders and Quintessences before and after a Pranayama session as I feel it has made me more sensitive and aware during my Pranayama practice which I love very much.

When I have a bit of spare cash, I use Ayurveda for my chronic and physical ailments if need to, I also use Homeopathic if need to, as I have been a practising Homeopath for many years, and I love using homoeopathic in severe acute situations together with Pranayama and mudras.

There are so many healing tools around and for me, the most important thing is that I can use a tool even when I do not have much money....so Pranayama costs nothing!!

Pranayama improves your Lungs

5. 07. 2017

It has been incredible to watch the improvement of my lungs, and with a special mudra, I could learn to feel the difference between breathing just with the upper part of my lungs, or then the mid part of the lungs, and it had taken quite a while before I could feel the breath in the lower part of the lungs.
At the beginning when I learned to really take a deep breath I had quite a sore chest. I think the expansion of the lungs bruised the chest walls as it was a very new experience.
Only very recently I noticed, even so, I had been a bit unfit again when I climbed a very steep hill I did not get as puffed that I use to and very quickly my breathing settled down again. Something that is very new to me. It feels like even when I am not exercising regularly I can stay fit and my heart and lungs work really well. I must say so, that just practising Kapalabhati pranayama, it is like doing a fitness practice and it definitively keeps me fitter than if I did not practise it. Pranayama really improves the lungs and the heart and circulation. I can now hold my breath for quite a bit longer than I have ever been able to and my inhaling in the past could not be deeper than a four second inhale, now I can inhale for about fifteen sometimes even twenty seconds. the same with the exhale. When your lungs improve and heal you are less likely to catch these chest colds and coughs, Since practising Pranayama I have had hardly any colds, a snuffle maybe for a very short time that is all.


2. 04. 2011

I have always been a shallow breather and often huffed and puffed while walking up the hill or upstairs. Even as a child I huffed and puffed, but nobody ever thought it was a problem. I just lived with it and felt that I was just unfit. But even after doing a lot of exercises and becoming quite fit my breathing did not change. I was never diagnosed with anything but often wondered about my huffing and puffing. Never was I able to hold my breath or hold out my breath for very long.
Since doing Pranayama it has certainly improved, but I noticed that holding my breath in or out I could not do for very long. I can take a deep breath, but it has never been as deep as others have been able to do. So when I was reading the book Yog in Synergy with Medical Science especially the chapter Role of Pranayama In Yog practice and its effectiveness, I have learned more in depth how to control the breath and how to hold and do the bandhs and have felt in a short time great improvement. At first, I also felt a bit light headed, but now this has settled and I am feeling my lungs expanding and filling with air. It makes a big difference. Learning to do the Pranayama and experiencing the depth of Pranayama is just amazing. Being focused while doing Pranayama and really having control, following the breath inside the body is a great experience.