Yoga is a boon to mankind. It has never failed to offer us comfort, strength, and calm, both mentally and physically. We still keep hunting for more with the hope that yoga will sprinkle its magic on our bodies. It may sound like a bit of an exaggeration, but yoga enthusiasts would agree.
Yoga is indeed a bag full of upsides that helps us to explore our bodies most gracefully. We have recently come across a very interesting topic on the Internet that is stirring up curiosity around yoga and height. But can yoga make you taller, let’s shed some light on.
The Relationship Between Asanas and Height
Amongst all the mental and physical benefits, does it help to increase our heights? The answer is yes and no. Practicing yoga won’t increase your skeletal height. Well, if you asked if yoga can make you shorter, we would have been able to give you a definite answer for sure, which is a big NO. But it can aid in building body strength and flexibility.
Regular practice also supports good posture by reducing compression of your spinal discs, helping fix your body alignment. This means that yoga can restore your original height. Many times, our body’s height is compromised due to neck and spinal curves from bad posture. Yoga allows us to untie all those knots that help us to regain our natural skeletal height, which often results in us standing taller.
Yoga Supports Good Posture
Yoga helps to build muscle strength which leads to better posture. You can start to look taller if you focus on yoga poses that elongate your spine. Having that said, it is important to understand how asanas can make you maintain an upright position.
You have to ensure that you are performing every single pose in the correct form. If you are a beginner, you should reach out to yoga instructors who can guide you to form poses maintaining proper alignment. They will closely monitor your body movements and advise you to do them properly for optimum results.
Strengthening the Back and Spine
Certain asanas are specifically practiced to strengthen the spine and back. While those yoga poses do not necessarily make you taller, they certainly improve posture, which can make you appear taller.
Blood flow is also known to increase during yoga practice. This is not only restricted to our muscles; the regular practice also clears up toxins from the digestive system. This activates the fluid around the spinal discs, strengthening the surrounding cartilage. The entire process relaxes our back muscles and improves overall spinal health.
Yoga Cultivates Breath Awareness
Practicing yoga helps to control and manage breath awareness. As you become more aware of your breathing throughout the day, you will simply have the urge to maintain good posture. You’ll notice that with regular practice you can breathe at your maximum capacity.
Yoga Prevents Muscle Degeneration
Doing yoga regularly means that you are allowing your body to be physically active, which prevents muscle degeneration in the long run. Lack of body movements, inactivity, and aging can cause muscle degeneration.
As mentioned earlier, yoga also helps to strengthen our muscles and achieve the flexibility required to maintain muscle mass. It is common to face height loss from scoliosis or kyphosis. Scoliosis is a condition that curves your spine sideways, often shaped like the letter “S” or “C.” Kyphosis, on the hand, rounds your back, which leads to a slouching posture, or what we commonly call a hunchback.
Yoga, if practiced properly and regularly, can address those back issues. It can help to correct the spinal posture.
Increasing Your Growth Hormone
All of us have growth hormones in our bodies. Many of us think that our physical growth stops after puberty. To tell you the truth, some of these growth hormones can continue to do their job even after puberty. It can help you increase your height by an inch or two by reactivating your growth hormones through the power of yoga.
Breathing plays a key role in the world of yoga by taking your body into a relaxed zone. When you reach a certain calm by being fully relaxed, your growth hormones get activated. This means that breathing exercises during yoga and meditation are much more powerful than we think.
According to experts, breathing awareness is the only thing that enhances the human growth hormone (HCG). Interestingly, laughter is also an essential element. It’s quite simple if you think about it—laughter is a stress and tension reliever and forces you to breathe. Therefore, to make the most of it, drag a friend along to enhance your HCG levels in your body.
Five Effective Asanas
What is this obsession around yoga to grow taller? The answer is simple: We tend to find taller people more appealing. Let’s establish that height is completely subjective to genetics, body structure, physical exercise history, nutrition, and environmental factors.
Our growth hormones are at their peak during puberty and usually decrease afterward. If you are one of those people who experienced an increase in height during puberty, this article is for you! We have prepared a list of asanas for you to practice that can help you relax your spinal muscles and increase your flexibility. As a result, you may achieve a taller frame.
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Tadasana or mountain pose is fantastic for stretching all the muscles of your body. You will feel the extension of the pose, which also enhances the formation of growth hormones by the body.
Instructions: Stand straight with your neck, back, waist and legs all aligned in a straight line. Place your hands by your sides and your feet close together. Try to gradually balance on your toes by lifting your heels. Make sure you are stretching your body fully, provided you are in control of your balance. Return to standing normally. Repeat a few times.
Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)
The vriksha asana or tree pose is yet another effective yoga asana to improve body posture. This pose activates the pituitary gland, the growth hormone that is responsible for increasing height.
Instructions: Stand straight with your hands at your sides and your feet together. Carefully bend your right knee to slowly move the sole of the right foot toward the inner thigh of your left leg, keeping your left leg firm. Now raise your arms upwards, toward the sky and join your palms. Tilt your head to stretch your neck. Stay in this position for at least 30 seconds before returning to the original position.
Paschimottanasana (Forward Bend Pose from a Seated Position)
Paschimottanasana is full of advantages for your whole body. This asana should be done first thing in the morning, before breakfast, on an empty stomach. If you are doing it in the evening, make sure that your stomach is empty. The pose works your hamstring and spine. It also works on the kidneys and liver.
There’s more—it helps to make you look taller, improves digestion, relieves pain, helps manage body weight, and increases your overall metabolism. The list is pretty big, therefore don’t forget to make this asana a part of your regular yoga routine.
Instructions: This is a sitting pose with your legs stretched out in front of you. Start to breathe in while lifting your hands toward the sky. Bend forward while you breathe out and try to touch your toes. Try to hold this pose for 30 seconds. Return to the sitting pose.
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Trikonasana or the triangle pose is great for strengthening ankles, knees, arms, legs and chest. It helps to open the hips and chest, flexing the hamstrings and calf muscles. This leads to improvement in your alignment of the spine.
Instructions: Stand straight with your feet wide apart. Slowly turn to your right side, using your right feet pointed toward the right side. Make sure your left foot is pointed straight. Start to bend your body to the right. Use your right arm to touch your right foot, keeping your left arm pointed towards the sky. Stretch your body as much as you can while in this pose. Return to the original position, and repeat the step for the other side.
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Bhujangasana, also known as the cobra pose, activates the muscles on your lower back, upper back, and stomach. It helps get rid of the stubborn fat around your waist. It is also one of the most effective asanas to increase your height. We have written a complete article about this pose, click here to read more about it,
Instructions: Lie down on your belly and keep your feet close to each other and your hands right under your shoulders. Keeping your lower body on the mat, try to gradually lift your upper body. You’ll feel that your core is engaged and your shoulders are rolled back. You can take it a step further by tilting your head backwards. This will stimulate your neck muscles. Hold this pose for 30 seconds before returning to normal position.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of this article. Hopefully, you got your answer to the question Does yoga make you taller? We want to remind you that height is subjective to genetics mostly.
Most people tend to grow until the age of 20 maximum, but if you want to try to improve that, you can incorporate yoga asanas. At least by practicing regularly, you will not lose height, which most people do with age. Remember to focus on your postures and alignment. Yoga can help you stand tall and boost your confidence.
