World Yoga Day

“Just Try Yoga”: What World Yoga Day Really Means for People with Trigeminal Neuralgia and Facial Pain

By Aneeta Prem, CEO of TNA UK and Founder of Freedom Charity

When someone says “just try yoga” to a person living with trigeminal neuralgia, they probably don’t realise we’re talking about a condition so severe it’s been called “the suicide disease”. Is it worth trying on World Yoga Day, the 21 June?

The pain is sudden, electric, and disabling. It’s nothing like back pain. Yet for many people with TN and chronic facial pain, yoga has emerged, not as a cure—but as one of the few safe, accessible ways to feel human again.

This World Yoga Day (21st June), we explore what the evidence really says about yoga and chronic pain, what it might offer for people living with TN, and why targeted research and inclusion are long overdue.

What the Research Says—And Doesn’t

Scientific studies show yoga can support people with chronic pain, but most focus on musculoskeletal conditions, not complex neurological disorders like trigeminal neuralgia.

A 2022 systematic review (27 studies, 2,702 participants) found yoga led to short- and long-term improvements in pain intensity, disability, physical function, and mental well-being, particularly for chronic low back pain.
A 2019 meta-analysis concluded that yoga may reduce neck pain intensity and improve associated disability, though results were limited by small sample sizes.
A 2025 Cleveland Clinic study found that a 12-week virtual yoga programme for chronic low back pain reduced both pain levels and medication use, with benefits lasting at least six months.

Yoga often performs on par with physiotherapy, and is generally considered safe, especially when adapted for people with chronic conditions.

However, no clinical trials to date have focused specifically on yoga for trigeminal neuralgia or facial nerve pain. This gap in research is not just academic—it affects what patients are told, what services they are offered, and how healthcare systems respond.

Why Trigeminal Neuralgia Is Different

Trigeminal neuralgia is not a mechanical or inflammatory pain—it is neurological, episodic, and often invisible. It affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation to the face. Pain can be triggered by light touch, speaking, chewing, brushing teeth—or seemingly nothing at all.

This makes TN harder to study. Pain episodes are not constant. They come in bursts, often with no warning. Unlike conditions like back pain, standard movement or stretching therapies can feel dangerous or irrelevant to people with facial pain.

That doesn’t mean yoga has no place. But it does mean that yoga for TN must be taught, adapted, and delivered differently.

What Yoga May Offer for Facial Pain

Let’s be clear: yoga is not a treatment for TN, and it should never replace medical advice, surgery, or prescribed medications.

However, evidence and experience suggest that yoga may support people with facial pain by:

Providing a structured form of distraction from intense pain or panic
Helping regulate the autonomic nervous system, especially during flare-ups
Relieving secondary muscle tension around the jaw, neck, shoulders, and face
Supporting mental health, sleep quality, and emotional regulation during long periods of uncertainty

These benefits are not guaranteed. But for many people with TN, even a few minutes of guided breath or gentle movement can bring calm, control, or connection when the condition feels overwhelming.

A Real Account: Sara’s Story

“There was a day when I couldn’t speak. My jaw was locked with pain. I was afraid to move. Later that evening, once it eased slightly, I tried something someone had sent me—a breathing video. I just sat in a chair and listened. For five minutes, I wasn’t just my pain. That moment gave me back a tiny piece of myself.”
— Sara, TNA UK member

Sara’s story mirrors what many people with TN have quietly discovered: yoga, when stripped of performance and pressure, can offer small moments of rest in a life defined by unpredictability.

Safer Forms of Yoga for People with TN

If you’re living with TN or facial pain and curious about yoga, start gently. Not all yoga is suitable—and no one should feel pushed into movements that worsen their condition.

Here are styles that tend to be safer for people with neurological or facial pain:

Chair Yoga

Gentle, seated movements. Supports the spine, shoulders, and breathing without needing to lie down or twist.

Restorative Yoga

Involves supported poses using pillows or props. Focus is on stillness and nervous system regulation, not on stretching.

Yoga Nidra

A guided relaxation done lying down or in a reclined position. No movement, no touch—just breath-led rest.

Gentle Hatha Yoga

Used in NHS clinical pain trials. Breath-focused, slow-paced, and easily adapted to different needs.

Always speak to your GP or specialist before starting. Avoid anything that strains the neck or puts pressure on the face. It’s fine to stop, skip, or modify poses. There is no “wrong” way to rest.

Why This Matters: What the NHS Isn’t Yet Doing

Despite TN’s severity, most NHS pain services do not offer movement or yoga-based support tailored to people with facial pain. TN patients are routinely excluded from group pain clinics and generic advice sheets, which focus on back or joint pain.

The result? People with TN are left to manage alone. Or worse—they are offered the wrong kind of help, which can feel harmful or irrelevant.

Yoga has potential, but without TN-specific research and inclusion in care pathways, it remains another underused tool.

What TNA UK Is Calling For

At TNA UK, we support evidence-led care. We also believe in listening to patients. Here’s what we need:

Targeted research into safe, non-drug TN therapies—including yoga and breathwork
Inclusion of TN in NHS pain service design
Accessible, condition-specific resources for those who want to explore mind–body tools
Respect for choice and autonomy—no one with TN should be told yoga will “fix” them

We are exploring partnerships to create safe, trauma-informed, guided yoga and breathwork resources for our members. If you want to help shape this work, please email us: [email protected]

Final Thought

This World Yoga Day, we are not asking for pity or perfection. We are asking for the possibility.

Yoga may not be the answer for everyone, but it must be available, adapted, and offered respectfully to those who want to try.

People with trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain deserve access to every safe, evidence-informed tool that can restore even a moment’s peace.

Aneeta Prem
CEO, TNA UK
Founder, Freedom Charity