The Yoga rules

By Penny Roberts

So you think you're a little on the short side (sorry for the pun) and you're thinking of doing something about it, that is why you're surfing the internet to see if there's a natural solution to what you think is a big problem for you. Of course, you're like most people who want to add a couple or more inches to their height, you're thinking of getting into yoga to grow tall. You may have heard somewhere that yoga helps you grow taller and you're doing some research to make sure before you take the plunge and get started on the hard work of learning and regularly practicing yoga.

What makes someone taller than someone else is mostly do with the length of someone's bones, not so much the arms. And when it comes to yoga and growing tall, doing yoga does not make bones grow. Your bones cannot be stretched by practicing yoga no matter how hard you try and the only way to do that is through painful surgical procedures which is something not recommended even to your worst enemy.

Even though practicing yoga to grow tall seems to be a possibility, this is normally not because you have added a couple of inches of bone but through practicing certain yoga positions that help stretch and elongate your spine, this in turn creates space and if you develop the spinal muscles, your spine would eventually have the capacity to hold the space and because your body is now properly aligned making you hold yourself up properly, you will most likely appear taller.

Unlike most sports and exercises, yoga positions encourages your body to stretch and lengthen. So doing yoga to grow tall is not going to happen if you're expecting to be much taller than you already are (unless you're a teenager and you're still growing then the growth is just natural, not something to do with doing yoga). But yoga will make you more aware of your body as a whole, how to carry yourself, how you stand and sit naturally and this factor alone will increase your awareness of your own posture and if you haven't been walking and standing straight, after doing yoga you will. And the fact that you're walking and standing straighter will make you appear taller to yourself and those around you. Be happy with that as sometimes it's easier to create the illusion - I mean what is make-up for if not to create an illusion - and be healthy at the same time than opt for growth enhancers in the form of pills and other drastic surgical solutions.

After a few yoga lessons, you'll find your posture will have improved and the straightening of your torso area feels like you've gained a couple of centimetres. People have reported to have gained up to 3 inches of height doing yoga to grow tall. This is usually based on the theory that if you practice yoga positions that focus on stretching you'll soon see a development and toning of your back muscles first before the straightening and lengthening of the spine and finally, there will a gradual strengthening, thickening and decompression of the spine. All of which is supposed to make you appear taller.

So if you feel you haven't got the best posture that you can possibly have and you feel you can improve in this area - then the possibility of the end result of you doing yoga to grow tall is you appearing a couple of centimeters taller - why not try it? It's definitely not only going to be good for you in terms of your general fitness but also your mental and emotional well-being. But if you're already a health junkie, doing pilates and other forms of stretching on a regular basis, therefore your posture would most likely to be at its best, practicing yoga to grow taller may not create much of a difference for you.

For those who are natural slouchers, if you're excited by the possibility of extra inches, remember you really have to practice yoga regularly on a daily basis if possible to really see a difference. Some basic sit up yoga positions that may help are the Sukahasana (developes the lower back) and the dog and cat which works on the spine. Have fun and above all look after your body, you only have one. Stay safe!

Penny Roberts writes articles on a number of topics. She's a regular writer for the Life Body Spirt website which focuses on areas of life, body and spiritual issues.

What more can yoga do for you? Visit us at http://www.lifebodyspirit.com and find out.