Yoga for Hair Growth: Balayam & 9 Effective Yoga Asanas

• Yoga and hair growth
• Balayam
• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Matsyasana
• Uttanasana
• Vajrasana
• Sarvangasana
• Sasangasana
• Ustrasana
• Pawanmukhtasana
• Uttanapadasana

Yoga for hair growth is the most popular practice to achieve your desired hair and add that spark to your overall personality.

The ancient practice of yoga prevents as well as cures the issue of hair fall by improving your hair health on the phenotypic and genotypic levels ¹. Yoga can be beneficial in growing hair even in your bald scalp if the causes are like dandruff, stress, or any other external factor.

Many people usually try chemical products that claim to be effective within a few days to regain hair growth. Most of which end up getting bald or worsen the hair more.

So, why go for something artificial, expensive, or even harmful when you can practice yoga for hair growth and get help even for a bald head.

Why does hair fall and how yoga can be helpful?

Our hair has a fixed life cycle which involves, growing phase, resting phase, and ultimately the shedding phase. However, if you are experiencing excessive thinning of the hair, bundles of hair follicles on combs, and slow hair growth, it will be a cause of concern.

It could have multiple reasons involving the following:

1. Hereditary conditions like androgenic alopecia majorly in men and genetic hair loss problem in women.
2. Medical conditions like scalp infections, or trichotillomania, stress, depression, etc.
3. Hormonal balance due to thyroid health issues or during pregnancy, menopause, or child birth.
4. Higher dose of medications for diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, or going through chemotherapy.
5. Heating appliances and chemicals used for hair styling or drastic environmental conditions.

Whatever the reason could be practicing yoga for hair growth can help you with all of it. Let’s find out what does yoga do for regrowth of the hair.

Does yoga help in hair regrowth?

Yoga improves the overall health of the practitioner including the proper growth of healthy hair by eliminating every possible cause of hair loss.

It is also proved that yoga can be an indirect solution to the hair fall problem in a 2019 research study ².

• In most cases, stress is the reason behind hair fall and yoga is the best antidote for relieving stress by bringing a fresh supply of oxygen to the brain.
• Certain yoga poses regulate proper hormonal flow and improves the endocrine system.
• Yoga especially inverted poses enhances blood circulation over the scalp that strengthens the hair from the root and helps in their rejuvenation.
• By enhancing digestion and metabolism yoga helps the scalp to absorb more nutrients that results in thick hair growth.

Hence, no matter what is the reason behind your hair fall, practicing yoga can do wonders for you. Besides this, it is the safest, easiest, and inexpensive way to give yoga for hair growth a try.

Here are 10 beneficial yoga exercises for hair growth;

1. Balayam Yoga

Balayam is a nail rubbing exercise that can help you with most hair related problems from hair fall to premature greying, alopecia areata ³, baldness, thin hair, and hair regrowth.

Generally, however, it’s called Balayam but in the yogic language, it’s classified as one of the mudras for hair growth. The yogic name of Balayam is Prasanna Mudra.

Unlike in most yoga asanas for hair growth where the whole body is used, balayam is a simple exercise that only takes your hands in work. It works on reflexology and acupressure therapy. This makes balayam the best exercise for everyone to practice anytime, anywhere for the best hair growth results.

How To Do Balayam?

• Sit in cross-legged meditative pose like padmasana, sukhasana or vajrasana.
• Bring your hands closer to your chest curling the fingernails inwards towards the palm. Make sure your palms comes closer to each other.
• To start balayam yoga, start rubbing fingernails each other in such a manner that you will feel enough friction at the roots of the fingernails.
• While rubbing your nails together you will hear a scratchy sound of nails.
• Practice it for 5-10 minutes at one stretch.

This Balayam Yoga aka the nail rubbing yoga for hair works because it balances all the doshas of the body preventing dandruff or hair thinning. The pressure by this practice on the fingernails also functions on acupuncture and reflexology ⁴ which stimulates the central nervous system relieving stress increasing blood flow to the head.

Another theory on which this nail rubbing yoga benefits hair is the Adult stem theory that stimulates the stem cells present in the hair follicle for the rejuvenation of damaged hair.

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana

Adho mukha svanasana for hair growth works by providing nourishment to the hair roots. It brings the head into an inverted position that increases blood flow to the scalp.

Down-dog pose also benefits the digestive system by stretching and stimulating the abdominal organs. Proper digestion indirectly helps the hair follicles to absorb more nutrients and promotes hair growth.

Instructions

• Begin assuming a table-top position.
• Curling the toe in lift your knees pushing the hips back.
• Extend the arms straight and drop the head between the arms.
• Move the shoulder blades away from ears and lower your heels to the floor.
• Hold this pose for a few seconds then come to the tabletop position bending the knees.

3. Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

This is an effective asana for improving natural hair growth issues quickly. It stimulates hair growth by improving your mental state. Practicing this pose expanding the heart and dropping the head relieves stress and irritability.

By releasing any tension from the body physically and mentally, it brings in serenity, reduces anxiety, and gives you a healthy hair growth.

Instructions

• Lie on your back keeping the hands under the hips.
• Lift your chest off the floor and tilting the neck back touch the crown of your head to the floor.
• Firm the hips and heels on the floor and balance the lifted upper body on the elbows.
• Hold this pose for 15-30 seconds breathing slowly.

4. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose)

The standing forward bend helps the hair both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. It implies that this inverted pose improves the blood flow towards the head alleviating the hair fall and also enhancing the texture of the hair.

It also brings fresh supply of oxygen to the brain and relieves stress as well, hence, cuts one of the major causes of the hair fall.

Instructions

• Stand keeping the feet together on the floor.
• Raise your arms overhead with arms touching the ears.
• Bend forward at the hips pushing them back and keeping the spine straight.
• Reach the floor by placing the hands beside the feet and bringing the forehead to the knees.

5. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose)

Thunderbolt pose is practiced to promote better digestion and relieve constipation. It is the only pose practiced after the meals which makes it unique and easy than any other yog asana.

With improved digestion, it helps in hair growth because it prevents breakage and any kind of damage to the hair. Thus, it’s easy procedure that is approachable to anyone makes it a must try yoga for hair growth.

Instructions

• Sit on the floor extending the legs forward and keeping the arms by the sides with palms facing the floor.
• Fold your left leg bringing the feet under the hip followed by folding the right leg in the same manner.
• Place the palms on your thighs and keep the spine straight.
• Relax in this pose breathing in and out deeply for 5-7 minutes.

6. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

As the name suggests, it is practiced inverting the body and balancing on the shoulders over the floor. It is a challenging posture but the benefits derived from it does wonders for the hair growth.

This pose stretches the neck muscles stimulating the thyroid gland which regulates hormonal flow and enhances metabolism. Also, the complete inversion of the body improves blood circulation to the head which makes it a plus for strengthening the hair.

Instructions

• Lie on your back and breathe deeply slowly raising the legs so that the toes point to the ceiling.
• Balance the body on the shoulders and neck.
• Place your hands at the center of the spine or lay the arms flat on the floor.
• Keep the legs and spine straight and breathe deeply feeling the stretch at the neck muscles stimulating the thyroid gland.
• Hold the pose for at least 30-60 seconds.

7. Sasangasana (Rabbit pose)

Practicing rabbit pose engages the spine, neck, head, as well as the digestive system which eliminates every possible reason of your hair loss.

This pose also brings relaxing effects relieving stress, anxiety, and improving sleeping patterns which eventually promotes healthy hair growth

Instructions

• Begin relaxing in child’s pose and then draw your arms back to grab the heels.
• Drag your forehead in towards the knees as close as possible.
• Holding the heels tight, lift your hips off the heels rounding the trunk and rolling the crown of the head.
• Do not strain the neck and hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds.

8. Ustrasana (Camel Pose)

Camel pose is like providing natural remedy to promoting hair growth by directing improved flow of blood to the scalp. This is equally beneficial to regulate the secretion of the thyroid gland.

The proper secretion of the thyroxine hormone helps in production and multiplication of hair matrix keratinocyte. Keratinocytes form hair follicles and controls stem cells of the hair follicle, thus helps in reviving hair.

Instructions

• Begin with kneeling position keeping the spine straight.
• Arch the spine opening the chest to place the hands on the soles of the feet.
• Along with arching the back drop your head backward stretching the neck and keep your face towards the ceiling.
• Stay in this pose for a few seconds breathing normally.

9. Pawanmuktasana (Wind-relieving Pose)

This pose works by stimulating the relationship between the digestion and hair growth problems. It is practiced in reclining position bringing the knees to chest.

Pawanmuktasana helps in curing gastric issues by relieving the gas trapped within intestines thereby facilitating proper digestion. It opens the hips muscles where most of the emotional and physical stress is accumulated. Thus, by relieving stress and digestive disorders it benefits hair growth as well.

Instructions

• Lie on your back bending knees and placing the feet on the floor.
• Bring your bent knees close to your chest wrapping the arms around the shins.
• Lift your head and shoulders off the floor to bring the chin closer to the knees.

10. Uttanpadasana (Raised Feet Pose)

Practicing this pose rushes enhanced flow of blood to the head and also stimulates the abdominal organs to improve the digestion. It strengthens the hair nourishing then from the root.

It improves the hair quality by removing the dryness and brittleness from the hair follicles and can be practiced as a yoga for hair growth also.

Instructions

• Lie down on your back keeping the arms by the side with palms facing the floor.
• Keeping the back on the floor intact raise your legs at a 45-degree angle.
• Hold the pose keeping the legs lifted for at least 60 seconds.

Additional tips to improve hair growth

Besides practicing all the above-mentioned yoga for hair growth, give your hair additional care by following these tips:

• Massage your scalp well after practicing yoga this well enhance the effect of improved blood circulation to the scalp.
• Always take a balanced diet including fresh fruits, diary products, cereals, green vegies, sprouts, etc.
• Consume about 1.5-2 liters of water everyday.
• Use cold water while shampooing and conditioning your hair.
• Avoid brushing the wet hair that causes hair breakage and do not wash your hair too often or too rarely.
• Apply shampoo only the scalp and condition the tips of the hair well.
• You can use vitamins and other supplements for hair growth along with these practices and yoga.

Conclusion:

Say bye to all your hair problems and improve their quality eliminating the root causes of hair fall or hair thinning by incorporating the yoga for hair growth into your regimen.

Eat healthy, stay hydrated, and count on these natural yoga poses for getting long, shiny luscious hair easily.

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