You sit down to meditate hoping to relax. Instead, you end up with a headache. Pressure behind the eyes. Tension in the forehead. Pain at the base of the skull. You wonder: is meditation supposed to hurt?
No, it isn't. Meditation headaches are common but usually fixable. Here's what causes them and how to prevent them.
Common Causes
Trying Too Hard
The pattern: Effortful concentration. Straining to focus. Forcing the mind to stay on the breath.
What happens: Tension accumulates in the head—forehead, temples, behind the eyes. This tension creates headache.
The tell: You're gripping mentally. Your face may be tense, brow furrowed, jaw clenched.
The fix: Relax the effort. Focus should be gentle, not forced. Let attention rest on the breath rather than pinning it there.
Breath Manipulation
The pattern: Controlling the breath—making it slower, deeper, or different from natural.
What happens: Altered breathing patterns can affect blood CO2 levels, circulation, and oxygen delivery. Headache results.
The tell: You're breathing differently than you would naturally. You're "doing" the breath rather than observing it.
The fix: Let breath be natural. Don't modify it. Simply observe whatever breathing is already happening.
Posture Issues
The pattern: Head jutting forward. Chin lifted. Neck strained. Shoulders hunched.
What happens: Poor neck alignment creates tension in the muscles of the head and neck, leading to tension headache.
The tell: Your head is not balanced easily over your spine. You're holding it in place.
The fix: Align the head over the spine. Slight chin tuck. Relaxed shoulders. Let the skeleton support you.
Eye Strain
The pattern: Eyes open but tense. Staring intensely. Or eyes closed with effort, as if squeezing them shut.
What happens: Tension around the eyes radiates to the forehead and temples.
The tell: You notice your eyes are not relaxed—either straining to look at something or clenched closed.
The fix: Soften the eyes. If closed, let them rest gently. If open, don't stare—soft, unfocused gaze.
Dehydration
The pattern: Practicing without adequate hydration, especially in the morning or after exercise.
What happens: Dehydration causes headaches generally. Meditation doesn't cause them but doesn't prevent them either.
The tell: Headache persists after meditation, improved by drinking water.
The fix: Drink water before practice. Stay generally hydrated.
Caffeine Timing
The pattern: Practicing before your morning coffee (withdrawal headache) or right after (caffeine spike).
What happens: Caffeine affects blood vessels in the head. Withdrawal or excess can trigger headache.
The tell: Headaches correlate with your caffeine timing.
The fix: Experiment with practice timing relative to caffeine intake. Find what works for your body.
Energy Practices
The pattern: Practices involving energy movement, visualization of head centers, or intensive concentration on the head area.
What happens: Focusing on the head can create sensations of pressure. Some traditions explicitly warn about this.
The tell: Headaches specifically with practices involving the head, third eye, or crown.
The fix: Ground the practice. Focus lower—on belly, heart, or whole body. Avoid head-centered practices until you have guidance.
Types of Meditation Headaches
Tension Headaches
Characteristics: Band-like pressure around the head. Tightness in forehead, temples, back of skull.
Primary cause: Physical tension from effort, posture, or eye strain.
Solution: Relax effort. Adjust posture. Soften face and eyes.
Pressure Headaches
Characteristics: Pressure inside the head, often at the forehead or between the eyes.
Primary cause: Forced concentration, energy practices, or breath manipulation.
Solution: Ease off concentration. Avoid energy practices focused on head. Let breath be natural.
Neck-Related Headaches
Characteristics: Pain at base of skull radiating upward. Often one-sided.
Primary cause: Neck strain from poor posture, especially forward head position.
Solution: Align head over spine. Support neck. Consider chair if floor sitting strains neck.
Post-Meditation Headaches
Characteristics: Headache develops after practice ends, not during.
Primary causes: - Tension released suddenly - Coming out of practice too quickly - Existing headache conditions triggered
Solution: End practice slowly. Take time to transition. Gentle movement before standing.
Prevention Strategies
Relax Effort
The principle: Meditation shouldn't feel like straining. If you're forcing, you're trying too hard.
The practice: Gentle attention. When you notice tension building, release it. Let focus be soft.
The check: Periodically scan for tension in face, jaw, forehead, eyes. Relax what you find.
Natural Breathing
The principle: Breath observation, not breath control.
The practice: Let breath be exactly as it is. Don't make it deeper, slower, or more regular. Just watch.
The check: If you catch yourself controlling breath, release and let it find its natural rhythm.
Proper Posture
The essentials: - Head balanced over spine (not jutting forward) - Slight chin tuck - Neck long, not compressed - Shoulders relaxed, not lifted
The support: Use cushion, bench, or chair to support posture. Don't fight against uncomfortable seating.
The check: Can your skeleton support you, or are muscles working hard? Adjust until structure supports.
Relaxed Face
The areas: - Forehead: smooth, not furrowed - Eyebrows: neutral, not raised or drawn - Eyes: soft, not strained - Jaw: slightly open or teeth not clenched - Tongue: relaxed, not pressed to roof of mouth
The practice: Systematically relax each area at the start of practice. Check periodically throughout.
Hydration
The timing: Drink water before practice. Not so much you're uncomfortable, but enough to be well-hydrated.
The general: Stay hydrated throughout the day.
Gradual Ending
The practice: Don't jump up when the timer sounds. Take a minute or two to transition.
The method: Open eyes slowly. Move gently. Take a few breaths before standing.
The reason: Sudden transition can trigger headaches, especially after deep sessions.
When Headaches Persist
Check the Basics
Review: - Effort level - Breath manipulation - Posture - Eye tension - Hydration - Caffeine timing
Experiment: Change one variable at a time. See what helps.
Modify Practice
Shorten: Headaches worse with longer sessions? Shorten until you can practice without pain.
Different technique: Some practices may be more prone to headaches than others. Experiment.
Different timing: Morning vs. evening. Before meals vs. after. Find what works.
Rule Out Other Causes
Consider: Are these meditation headaches or coincidental headaches? Would they happen anyway?
Medical: Persistent headaches warrant medical attention. Meditation may not be the cause.
Pattern: Do headaches ONLY happen with meditation? Or are they part of a broader pattern?
Seek Guidance
When: If headaches persist despite adjustments.
From whom: Experienced meditation teacher. They've seen this before.
What they offer: Specific technique adjustments, posture correction, identification of what you're doing wrong.
Special Situations
Third Eye Pressure
The experience: Pressure or sensation at the forehead between the eyes.
What's happening: May be from concentrated attention on that area, or simply tension.
Traditional views: Some traditions interpret this as energy movement. Others consider it simple tension.
The practical response: Don't focus on the head. Ground attention in body or breath. Let any sensations be without fixating.
Crown Pressure
The experience: Pressure at top of head.
What's happening: Similar to third eye—possibly energy phenomenon, possibly just tension.
The response: Ground attention lower. Don't try to cultivate head sensations. Let them be.
Intensive Practice
The context: Retreats, longer sits, more intensive techniques.
The risk: Greater chance of headaches with more intensive practice.
The approach: Build up gradually. Don't push through pain. Speak with retreat teachers about headaches.
Energy Practices
Practices involved: Kundalini, chakra work, tummo, certain pranayama.
The risk: These practices can cause head pressure and headaches, especially done incorrectly or without preparation.
The recommendation: Learn from qualified teachers. Don't self-teach intensive energy practices.
What Headaches During Meditation Mean
Usually: Tension and Technique
The simple truth: Most meditation headaches result from trying too hard, poor posture, or breath control.
The fix: Usually straightforward once you identify the cause.
Sometimes: Signal to Adjust
The message: Your body is telling you something needs to change.
The response: Listen. Adjust. Don't push through pain.
Rarely: Sign of Deeper Issue
The consideration: If headaches are severe, unusual, or accompanied by other symptoms, they may not be meditation-related.
The action: Medical consultation for persistent or concerning headaches.
The Bottom Line
Meditation shouldn't cause headaches. When it does, the cause is usually identifiable:
Most common: - Trying too hard (relax effort) - Controlling breath (let it be natural) - Poor posture (align head over spine) - Eye strain (soften eyes)
Less common: - Dehydration - Caffeine timing - Energy practices
The approach: Identify the cause, make adjustments, practice without pain. If headaches persist despite changes, seek guidance from a teacher or healthcare provider.
Meditation is supposed to relieve tension, not create it. If your head hurts, something in your approach needs adjusting. Find what it is, fix it, and practice comfortably.
Return is a meditation timer that lets you focus on practice, not features. If headaches are your challenge, perhaps a simpler approach helps—just you, a timer, and natural, relaxed attention. Download Return on the App Store.