Can Yoga Increase Your Height? What It Can and Can't Do

Doing yoga won’t increase your skeletal height, which for the most part, won’t increase after age 20.
Genetics, lifestyle factors, and nutrition determine your height. Even if you manage to slightly increase your height by reducing compression of the discs in your spine, the change will be negligible and can vary during the day depending on your activities.
Yoga supports good posture
However, yoga can build muscular strength, which supports good posture. You may appear and feel taller after you elongate your spine and improve your posture.
Maintaining a more upright position may raise your body a few inches. You may especially feel this extension in your upper body, though your lower body still plays a part.
Yoga cultivates breath awareness
Practicing yoga helps to cultivate breath awareness. As you learn to focus on your breath throughout the day, you may naturally maintain good posture so you’re able to breathe at your maximum capacity.
You may even find that the combination of breath awareness and better posture gives you more energy.
Yoga prevents muscle degeneration
Doing yoga can help you stay physically active, which helps prevent muscle degeneration. Muscle degeneration can occur due to inactivity or aging.
Yoga also helps to develop the muscular strength and flexibility needed to maintain muscle mass. If you have height loss due to scoliosis or kyphosis, yoga and other exercises may help to correct imbalances in your spine.
It’s also vital that you follow a healthy diet, take steps to reduce inflammation, and keep stress to a minimum.
Physical benefits
In terms of physical benefits, yoga can help you build strength, flexibility, and mobility. You may develop better posture, balance, and coordination.
All of these benefits help you complete your daily and athletic movements with greater ease while minimizing your risk of injury. Yoga also helps to ease joint discomfort in people with arthritis and can keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels in check. It may have a positive effect on heart health and can reduce inflammation.
Mental health benefits
Yoga helps you learn to relax mentally and have more control over your thought patterns. This may help you develop a more optimistic outlook or be in a better mood more often.
Yoga can help relieve feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. You may develop more confidence and acceptance of yourself. These mental benefits may allow you to be more productive, sleep more soundly, and make healthy choices.
Incorporate strength, balance, and flexibility training
Talk to a doctor if you lose a significant amount of height as you age. It’s natural for your spinal discs to flatten and become closer together as you age, but osteoporosis can cause this process to happen at a more rapid rate.
Practice good posture and movement patterns
Pay attention to your posture and movement patterns throughout the day. Notice how you position and move your body while seated, going about your daily activities, and everything in between.
Do exercises or yoga poses that work to counter any repetitive sitting, standing, or moving patterns that may bring your body out of alignment.
Follow a healthy diet
Eat a nutritious diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and beans. To prevent osteoporosis, consume calcium-rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, and fish.
Avoid high acidity foods such as meat, grains, and certain dairy products. Stay away from overly processed and sugary foods.
Most people won’t grow taller after the age of 20, but you can take steps to ensure that you don’t lose any of your height, especially as you age.
Yoga is an excellent way to develop the strength, alignment, and stability necessary for good posture.
While the practice won’t increase your skeletal height, it can help you maximize the potential you have to stand as tall as possible.
Last medically reviewed on March 25, 2020
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