For as long as I can remember I have suffered with Migraines and i was constantly told to keep a diary to observe patterns that may be "triggers" setting off my migraines. Migraine sufferers have different triggers and full moons are definitely one i feel very strongly about.
I first decided to keep a food and drink diary, after being advised by my mum (a migraine sufferer herself) and doctors. After reading all the negative information about trigger foods like chocolate, citrus, cheese, nuts, soy products, wine….the list is endless and was pretty depressing to think that so many foods could be effecting me.
Personally i was not making a connection through food, I could eat any of these and sometimes they were around the time I had a migraine and other times I felt fine and found no correlation between any particular foods or drinks, except if I had a few cheeky wines too many, but i think we are all guilty of that!
rather than pumping my body full of heavily toxic medication, i began searching for alternative ways to keep my migraines at bay. I heard magnesium was great as its helps to relax muscles, reducing tension, which is ironic as magnesium is found in chocolate which is considered a "trigger" food. After taking it regularly, i defiantly saw an improvement, but I still got migraines.
Personally i was not making a connection through food, I could eat any of these and sometimes they were around the time I had a migraine and other times I felt fine and found no correlation between any particular foods or drinks, except if I had a few cheeky wines too many, but i think we are all guilty of that!
rather than pumping my body full of heavily toxic medication, i began searching for alternative ways to keep my migraines at bay. I heard magnesium was great as its helps to relax muscles, reducing tension, which is ironic as magnesium is found in chocolate which is considered a "trigger" food. After taking it regularly, i defiantly saw an improvement, but I still got migraines.
After my obsessive food tracking, I had made no advance in ending any triggers but the one thing I was able to discover was that my migraines nearly always fell on a full or new moon!!
At first I (and everyone else) thought it was a crazy idea, just a coincidence but then, living a stones throw from the ocean, we were always keeping an eye out on how the moon would effect the tides, and when I considered the astonishing power of the moon on the 5 tides, this influence was understandable.
At first I (and everyone else) thought it was a crazy idea, just a coincidence but then, living a stones throw from the ocean, we were always keeping an eye out on how the moon would effect the tides, and when I considered the astonishing power of the moon on the 5 tides, this influence was understandable.
Knowing that the moon has the capacity to move the ocean which is an enormous amount of water, and that on average the human body is about 60% water, surely the moons energy and gravitational pull could easily have an effect on me.
When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined and although the moon exerts a pull on the Earth on other days, it is not as powerful as on the days of full and new moon, and maybe that was the hidden key I'd been searching for that was to unlock the puzzling triggers of my migraines.
The Mooon is not only responsible for the movement of the ocean but it's amazing to realize the power the Moon has on humans and other living beings, that goes almost completely unnoticed!
The moon Triggers many natural rhythms and breeding cycles, birds use the moon phases to navigate their migration patterns, the full moon amplifies the electrical charge in living cells and is notifies coral when to mate, and Herbivores and humans often ovulate or menstruate around the Full and new Moon, the moon can change the levels of serotonin which is a major player when it comes to migraines because a trigger can be as simple as a change in the levels of that neurotransmitter and exercise and digestion are key to serotonin production.
The Mooon is not only responsible for the movement of the ocean but it's amazing to realize the power the Moon has on humans and other living beings, that goes almost completely unnoticed!
The moon Triggers many natural rhythms and breeding cycles, birds use the moon phases to navigate their migration patterns, the full moon amplifies the electrical charge in living cells and is notifies coral when to mate, and Herbivores and humans often ovulate or menstruate around the Full and new Moon, the moon can change the levels of serotonin which is a major player when it comes to migraines because a trigger can be as simple as a change in the levels of that neurotransmitter and exercise and digestion are key to serotonin production.
For great healthy recipes check out Luna and lotties blog Soul food and my vegan babe on instagram Tessa or Sprouted Kitchen
So I put my theory to the test and kept a diary of my migraines and the moon cycles and as if by clockwork my migraines, menstruation and moon phases were in perfect sync.
If you are a migraine sufferer firstly, I empathise with you and secondly, you would know that they can be completely debilitating; they make your skin sensitive to touch, your eyes sensitive to light, nauseous, and can be so aggressive they make me personally vomit, and unable to even sleep to escape the pain, sometimes relying on heavy medications and sedatives to cope and if there is any way to stop, reduce or understand them then I'm all in!
After making this connection I started to dread the full moon and new moon. I wished the syncronicty I had discovered could have been food based as that was something within my control and could simply just avoid particular foods, but I can't change the moon cycles and felt helpless to the idea that every month I would be subject to agonising, debilitating migraines.
Im not here to tell you I have the cure to migraines, unfortunately I still suffer but I can be more prepared, lessen the severity and instead of being fearful of the moon, I now embrace its energy and the positive effects that can be harvested from her luna power
To better understand the qualities of each moon cycle and how you can use them to your advantage ill take a short detour to try and explain the different energetic qualities that the new moon and full moon process.
If you are a migraine sufferer firstly, I empathise with you and secondly, you would know that they can be completely debilitating; they make your skin sensitive to touch, your eyes sensitive to light, nauseous, and can be so aggressive they make me personally vomit, and unable to even sleep to escape the pain, sometimes relying on heavy medications and sedatives to cope and if there is any way to stop, reduce or understand them then I'm all in!
After making this connection I started to dread the full moon and new moon. I wished the syncronicty I had discovered could have been food based as that was something within my control and could simply just avoid particular foods, but I can't change the moon cycles and felt helpless to the idea that every month I would be subject to agonising, debilitating migraines.
Im not here to tell you I have the cure to migraines, unfortunately I still suffer but I can be more prepared, lessen the severity and instead of being fearful of the moon, I now embrace its energy and the positive effects that can be harvested from her luna power
To better understand the qualities of each moon cycle and how you can use them to your advantage ill take a short detour to try and explain the different energetic qualities that the new moon and full moon process.
The New moon is the non illuminated, or dark side of the moon and possesses raja-tamaistic qualities. what the hell is that you say?
In yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy Raja is the active, stimulating or positive force that initiates change, disturbing the old equilibrium.
In yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy Raja is the active, stimulating or positive force that initiates change, disturbing the old equilibrium.
Tamas being the passive, obstructing, destructive or negative force which sustains previous activity.
With this knowledge we can use the new moons energy to shift and change, move through (raja) our negative, destructive habits and patterns (Tamas) and over come our obstacles. its a time of new beginnings, and planting the creative seeds, set intentions and ideas you'd like to develop, cultivate, or manifest. There are many ways to initiate this communion with the Universe from writing your thoughts on paper, to elaborate rituals.
The Full moon is the illuminated, light bearing side of the moon, or sattva in yoga and Ayurvedic terms and is the quality of light, love and life that allows us to evolve in consciousness.
The Full moon is the illuminated, light bearing side of the moon, or sattva in yoga and Ayurvedic terms and is the quality of light, love and life that allows us to evolve in consciousness.
The full moon acts like a giant cosmic torch illuminating the darker or shadowy aspects of ourselves we don't usually like to address. Here we can align ourselves with our truth and move forward with confidence and clarity in a loving and nurturing manner. It is a great time to cleanse and purify and let go of that which no longer serves us and with the decrease in the Raja-Tamastic qualities any of our self-destructive habits or stagnating energy is lowerd or removed.
So hopefully you have a better understanding of the energetic qualities each moon phase possess…...but how do I use the moon to help me navigate through my migraines your wondering?
Well, I am particularly mindful of my thoughts, actions and intensions during these phases because I believe in the ability the moon has to effect my mental, emotional and physical state of being. I keep up regular exercise, (find my free online videos here) but i adopt a softer Yin yoga practice to ground myself and draw my energy down towards earth in opposition to the strong gravitational pull upward from the moon, with mediation helping calm the fluctuating tides within my mind. I set intentions and goals based upon the yoga and Ayurvedic qualities of each moon phase and use foods to help with any Guna (raja-tamas-sattva) imbalance.
You can create your own rituals using candles, oils and incense, smudge sticks, crystals, yoga and mediation, to remove fear and help bring focus and intention (and hopefully avoid migraines) surfing the lunar tides with ease, rather than swimming up stream against the current. If your not sure where to start Wabisabiwell.com has a 'new moon ritual and meditation guide' to get you started and if your wondering how to keep track of the moon then their are some great apps you can download on your phone or this online calendar will keep you in the know.
Well now i hope you have some tools and are ready to tackle that migraine head on.
Mountains of Love
Laura
XXX
Hi, I'm Laura, Passion-fuelled Yoga teacher, Snow seeker, continusouly exploring my boundaries to get the most out of my time on this wonderfully diverse planet. - welcome to my blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment