Height Increasing Yoga Exercises

(February 24, 2009)

I'm 18yrs and 5'2 in height. Please guide me to increase my height with the help of yoga.

You have been misguided by whoever told you that Yoga by itself will help you increase your height. Having said this, we shall recommend a routine of yoga practices that is bound to help improve your overall health and, in the process you might grow taller. There are specific instances of boys and girls, adolescents like you, who have managed to grow tall, with determination and a lot of effort, even after the age of 18. But such results are rare and generally not possible.

Your package of Yoga practices would include a regular regimen of Yogasanas (physical poses), Pranayamas (breathing exercises), Kriyas (cleansing techniques) and a Yoga diet. The problem could lie in your genes or be somewhere else. But, in yoga, we believe nothing is unalterable. You are stuck with nothing barring, perhaps, your facial features and pigmentation. For the rest of your body, with a little effort from your side, a lot can be altered. You don’t have to be stuck with anything nature has given you. For a start you will have to do lots of limbering up exercises, as many rounds of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) as you can and practise all the Yogasanas (physical poses) in the following positions, with special emphasis to the italicized ones:

Asanas (poses)

Standing

Ardha Chakrasana (Half Moon pose)
Padahastasana (Forehead to knee pose)
Padangusthasana (Toe to hand pose)
Parvatasana (Mountain pose)
Tadasana (Palm Tree pose)
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)

Sitting

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fish pose)
Gomukhasana (Cow face pose)
Janu Sirshasana ((Forehead to single knee pose)
Paschimottanasana (Forehead to both knees pose)
Marichyasana (Pose dedicated to the sage Marichi)
Simhasana (Lion pose)
Ushtrasana (Camel pose)

Supine

Single Leg and Double Leg Raises
Chakrasana (Wheel pose)
Halasana (Plough pose)
Matsyasana (Fish pose)
Navasana (Boat pose)
Pawanmuktasana (Wind relieving pose)
Purvottanasana (Inclined Plane)
Sethu Bandhasana (Bridge formation pose)

Prostrate

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog pose)
Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
Shalabhasana (Locust pose)

Inverted

Viparita Karani (Legs against the wall pose)
Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

Balancing

Garudasana (Eagle pose)
Kakasana (Crow pose)
Vrikshasana (Tree pose)

Pranayamas (breathing exercises)

Kapalabhatti (Skull Cleansing)
Anuloma-Viloma (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Brahmari (Bee breath)
Bhastrika (Bellows Breath)

Kriyas (Cleansing techniques)

Jala Neti (Cleansing Nasal passages with water)
Sutra Neti (Cleansing Nasal passages with rubber catheter)
Vaman Dhauti (Cleansing stomach by vomit water on empty stomach)

Yogic Diet

It hasn’t been proven how much this will help in your specific case, but we always prescribe a Yogic diet for quicker results. This is a Sattvic (light and predominantly vegetarian) diet that is easily digestible, rich in seasonal fruits, fruits and salads. Have plenty of vegetable proteins, derived from pulses, green leafy vegetables, milk and milk products. Avoid all fatty, fried and spicy foods, fast and junk foods; they only retard growth and healing in all respects and bring down immunity.

Submitted by A on February 24, 2009 at 05:02

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