Have A Headache? Here's The All-Natural Remedy You've Been Looking For

At mindbodygreen, we believe that movement is an essential part of life. Movement, like food, can be its own form of medicine—it can connect us to the earth, to our community, and to ourselves. That's why we created Movement Cures, a video series that underscores our bodies' ability to heal itself through movement. From common aches and pains to the occasional (or chronic) bloating, we're asking experts for their best answers to our everyday woes and sharing Movement Cures that can help you feel better.

Even though I work in holistic health and fitness, any time I feel a headache coming on, my first inclination is to take ibuprofen. Headaches always feel urgent to me—like they need to be fixed right now—when in reality if I waited it out a bit, maybe ate something to balance my blood sugar, drank even more water, it would probably go away.

As a writer working on deadlines, headaches are a distraction I don't want to make time for, but I also don't want stomach issues or the other unsavory long-term effects of using NSAIDs to temper my pain. (Not that we shouldn't take them when medically needed, but my headaches aren't a major injury or instance of pain—so if I can do something natural to clear it, I'd rather do that.)

If you also get headaches (read: everyone), certified personal trainer, sub-elite marathon runner, and Flywheel instructor Emily Fayette has a quick solve—you may know it as child's pose. A beloved part of any yoga practice, child's pose relaxes your spine, shoulders, and neck while also sending blood flow to your brain, which can reduce headache symptoms.