Can Yoga Make You Taller? — Men's Yoga Journal

Can Yoga Make You Taller?
You’re not alone. Research shows that taller men typically feel more confident and have higher self-esteem. Therefore, it makes sense that many not-so-tall guys would like to add a few inches to their height.
We’ve been told that there’s not much we can do to increase our height as we age and become adults and that we’ll be stuck at the same height for the rest of our lives once we pass early adulthood.
But we were curious to know if there’s a loophole to increase your height and grow taller once you reach adulthood. We went on the search to find out the answer to that very question – can doing yoga make you taller? Like, really?
The short answer:Yes and No.
While yoga won’t make you taller directly by increasing your skeletal height, it will help you to build strength, increase flexibility and most importantly, enhance your posture. These benefits alone could indirectly add an inch or so to your height, and as a result you may notice added length in your spine, making you appear taller.
How Yoga Can Kind of Increase Your Height
If you have a little bit more time on your hands, keep reading. You’ll go on an extensive deep dive into how yoga can potentially improve not only your posture, helping you stand taller, but also boost your self-confidence and overall body awareness.
Height = Dominance
Across cultures and societies, people who are taller in stature are considered more socially influential, more likely to succeed and more desirable. But why?
Well, it all comes down to the fact that taller people are often more dominant, have higher self-esteem, and are more likely to be the victor in a confrontation or competition. Something that served our ancestors well when it was a matter of life or death.
Although we don’t find ourselves in situations where we need to fight one another to survive as our ancestors did, we still have the instinctual knowledge in our genes that taller, stronger people are more likely to survive, thrive, and therefore gain higher ranking on the social ladder. Lucky them, right?
If you’re reading this thinking “Well shit, what about me?”, then we have some good news.
Yoga has the indirect potential to make you stand and appear taller by straightening your spine. But most importantly, it can improve well being, self-esteem and boost confidence. That’s something we could all use more of.
Which Yoga Practice is Best for Increasing Height?
There are many different types of yoga, but certain poses and practices may be more beneficial to help you improve your height than others. It’s important to make sure you match your yoga practice with the benefits you want to experience.
We recommend yoga poses that focus on stretching and lengthening the spine, shoulders and shoulder blades, lower back, and hips to thoroughly work on releasing tension in the ligaments and fascia (deep connective tissue and muscles) surrounding your spine. This will then help lengthen your spine. Yin in particular is a great style of yoga to help you release tension in deep connective tissues, and to support your spine back into alignment.
Poses to Improve Your Posture and Help you Stand Taller
Forward fold
Forward folds help to keeps your spine strong and flexible and relieve tension in the spine, neck, and back. Learn how it’s done here.
Downward Dog
The downward-facing dog strengthens the legs, arms, hands and wrists, and can help relieve back pain. Learn how it’s done here.
Seated spinal twist
The seated spinal twist helps stretch the lower back and the connective muscle to your spine, making you more flexible and helping you elongate your spine to stand taller. Learn how it’s done here.
Fish Pose
The fish pose helps you to mobilise and strengthen your upper back and neck, strengthen your quadriceps, and open your chest and shoulders. Learn how it’s done here.
Cobra
The cobra is one of the best yoga postures for stretching, strengthening and elongating the spine to help increase the length of the spine and make you appear taller. Learn how it’s done here.
Child’s pose
Child’s pose is another one of the great poses you can add to your daily routine to help improve posture and improve your health. Learn how it’s done here.
Legs up the wall
Legs up the wall has an extensive list of benefits that we think you should experience for yourself; like stretching the back of the neck, helping to keep your back straight, regulating blood flow and helping to oxygenate the brain. Learn how it’s done here.
Plow
Plow is a pose that will stretch the para-spinal muscles (the “action muscles”) of the lower back. This pose helps to stretch and put a healthy strain on muscles that are often not targeted in other poses. Learn how it’s done here.
Does Yoga Make You Taller During Puberty?
Although yoga does not directly cause your height to increase, it can help stretch your spine and boost your confidence to empower you to stand taller and stronger. Committing to regular, daily practice also increases the benefits to your spine and spinal health.
Factors That Contribute to Growth DuringPuberty
Proper diet and nutrition. In the stages of puberty and early adulthood, healthy eating is super important to help your mind and body develop. Make sure you are eating plenty of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes, and that you are getting at least the daily servings of protein and vitamins per day. Learn more about diet and nutrition.
Getting enough sleep. Sleep promotes growth and development in teenagers and young adults. Here’s what health experts reccommend when it comes to sleep.
Getting regular exercise. Regular exercise is also important for normal physical development and to make sure you’re growing at a healthy rate. Make sure your active and spending lots of time exercising outside, join a local sports club, or pick up a new hobby that gets you active.
Can Stretching Make You Taller?
Stretching is another idea that many people come up with in the attempt to add a few extra inches to their height. Unfortunately, stretching alone won’t give you superpowers and make you taller. But like yoga, it can help increase your mobility and flexibility, and can alleviate compression in your spine. Check out this guide on the best stretches and techniques to decompress and align your spine.
How to Improve Your Posture
Compression in the spine can happen if you adopt poor posture and unhealthy postural habits like slouching, wearing improper and unsupportive shoes, carrying heavy bags, and by not being physically active (being sedentary). Stress can also cause you to slouch, adopt poor posture due to tight and overly-contracted muscles.
You can avoid back injuries, support your spine and improve your posture by practicing good posture. By making sure you are sitting in a comfortable position, with space and length in your body, you will enhance your mood and improve your concentration.
What Other Benefits Does Yoga Have?
Anyone is welcome. The great thing about yoga is that it’s so accessible and that you can start as a beginner with no prior experience and find a yoga practice that best suits you. Whether you’re looking for a difficult workout, an easy way to de-stress and bring more mindfulness into your day, or anything in between, yoga is for you.
There’s no expectation to be able to perform pretzel-like poses, or to be a lycra-clad, latte-drinking yogi, just show up where you’re at. On your own yoga journey.
Yoga has a myarid of physical benefits. It can help increase your flexibility, increase muscle strength andtone, it can improve and boost your metabolism, reduce stress, and manage depression and anxiety. Learn more about how yoga can help improve your mental health in this article.
The Take Away
Now you can harness the best techniques, yoga poses and life hacks to optimise your physical and mental health, prevent injury, and potentially increase your height (or at least make you feel more confident and possibly appear taller). See what you think.