Almost a century ago, people used to have rapunzel Long Hair. It was a general trend that our ancestors, regardless of gender, used to keep long hair. These days it looks almost impossible to find someone with long healthy hair. Hair falls, or alopecia, have affected everyone in today’s generation. You will never find a scalp without a hair fall issue due to increased stress levels, genetics, and environmental pollution.
A person’s harmful habits and careless attitude towards health also contribute to hair fall issues. These habits include smoking and over-shampooing. Although it is a personal choice, let’s put some facts straight that nobody can deny. Smoking reduces the blood flow to the upper body and thus reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches hair follicles through blood. Over-shampooing also restricts hair growth as it deprives the hair of its natural oil and leaves the scalp extremely dry. Due to our haphazard and stressful workaholic lifestyles, we are mostly so indulged in balancing our work and family life that we forget to pay attention to our daily attitude which slowly and steadily degrades our health.
Conventional Hair Treatments and Yoga Asanas
The healthy activities of daily living can help in tackling modern health issues. Besides all the conventional tips and tricks like scalp massage, egg yolk mask, and hot castor oil hair treatments, there is something else that will work wonders for you if you add it to your workout or fitness routine.
As yoga is: a disciplined method to attain a specific goal, it will give what it promises because that is yoga. Yoga needs no introduction. Whenever we hear the word yoga, it reminds us of an ancient posture-based physical fitness and stress relief technique. It originated in India but is practiced worldwide and is called “modern yoga.” Modern yoga includes yoga poses that mainly encompass sitting postures.
These Yoga asanas include the following postures:
1. Standing Forward Pose
Image: Pexels.com
If you crave beautiful shiny long healthy hair, then you must incorporate this into your fitness routine. It is the most effective asanas for hair regrowth. It will increase your blood circulation towards your scalp and release the pressure from your head. This yoga stretch is essential for thicker, more robust, and healthy hair. Stand on your mat, bend forward, place your hand beside your feet, and exhale and inhale deeply. Pro tip: Bend while moving your sacrum and pelvis at the same time. This will protect your lower back.
2. Shoulder Stand
Image: Istockphoto.com
This is another easy posture for fast hair growth and is an effective strategy to fight hair fall, grey, and rough hair issues. Just like all other mentioned poses, this pose will also increase blood circulation towards your scalp. The increased blood pressure on your scalp will stimulate the nerve endings that reach your follicles.
The nerve impulse that messages the brain to stimulate the hair follicles to uptake required nutrients from blood vessels becomes activated. Thus, the majority of the global population lacks essential nutrients in their bodies.
This pose is a bit tricky. It would help if you had two folded blankets plus your regular mat. Place your folded blankets on your mat, one above the other. Then lie on your mat, lift your hips off, and come in a bridge pose, extending your arms flat on the mat while supporting your upper back with the blankets. Straighten your body by bringing your hips over your shoulders, and keep your legs perpendicular to the floor.
3. Child’s Pose
Image: Pexels.com
This pose goes by more than a single name. It is also called the Balasana. People practice this yoga pose to relieve stomach problems, but it also releases stress from the body. Digestive issues, as well as stress and tension, play a vital role in hair problems.
The stunted hair growth and increased hair fall issues mainly arise due to digestive issues. Now the question is how to practice this pose. Just Sit on your knees such that your legs touch your hips and inhale. Now stretch your hands up in the air parallel to each other, exhale, and bend down until your forehead and palms touch the mat. Breathe deeply, Stay in this pose for 2 minutes.
4. Downward Dog Pose
Image: Unsplash.com
Also called the Adho Mukha Shvanasana, an inversion asana, the most popular and widely practiced yoga pose. This pose rejuvenates and revives the dead hair cells and damaged hair follicles and helps in hair growth. This pose has certain modifications and is practiced differently across different areas of the globe. Stand on your mat and bend forward such that your head touches the ground.
Raise your hips and stretch your arms forward and at an arm’s distance to each other. Keep your legs straight and at a 1-foot distance from each other. Place all the weight of your body on your feet and palms to support your body. Relax and breathe deeply—repeat two rounds for 2 minutes.
5. Crescent Moon Pose
Image: Unsplash.com
The crescent moon pose is also known as” Añjaneyāsana.” This pose mainly supports the knee muscles, but it works wonders for hair growth if we modify it a little. This equestrian pose is a deep lunging back-bending asana. A lunge enters you to this crescent moon asanas. To do this, first, raise and alleviate your arms over your head and lower your back knee towards the ground; keep your spine arched. Point your feet back as we do in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, while the top of one foot is on the floor, and tuck your toes inward. Keep the front foot in a standing position while you lower your hips, keeping them close to the front foot. Place your front knee fully bent, pointing forward. The bending position will release all the tension from your muscles and improve the circulation towards your upper body. The improved blood circulation replenishes the hair with all the required nutrients and aids your hair growth with full strength to a long length.
6. Camel Pose
Image: Unsplash.com
In the words of traditional yoga practitioners, the camel pose is also called “Ustrasana.” It is a highly effective pose for people suffering from hair thinning and breakage issues. It is as simple as it is effective. It’s better to untie your hair before practicing to relax your scalp muscles. Now all you have to do is stand on your knees and bend your back backward till you can touch your heels. Do it for 2 to 3 minutes and breathe normally meanwhile.
It is a highly effective pose, and it helps to release stress and bad energy from your body, which improves the overall mood. As this pose is a stress reliever, if you merge this practice into your daily routine, it will surely help hair fall issues that arise due to prolonged stress. It is important to remember that this pose is not for those who suffer from back pain.
7. Rabbit Pose
Image: Pexels.com
Stand on your knees, bend forward, bring your head closer to your knees, and place your head on the floor near the knees. After that stretch, your arms and grab your ankles. You will feel the rush of blood to your head. This posture improves the blood circulation to your scalp. As the blood reaches your hair follicles, nourishes them will all the required nutrients present in your blood. This pose has multiple benefits. It not only helps in hair growth but also is the best solution for hair fall. It improves the facial skin and improves the eyesight.
8. Yoga Ear Pressure Pose/Plow Pose
Image: Pexels.com
This pose is a bit tricky and isn’t easy to pin down, yet it is exceptionally beneficial for the entire body, let alone the hair and scalp. This is an advanced-level inversion pose that is also known as the Halasana pose. This pose works on the overall body. This pose has a second non-English name, that is “Karnapidasana.” Just lie down and place your hands on your sides in a resting position, then raise your legs straight in the air. Exhale. Then bring your legs above your head. Now put your hands under your lower back and your knees. Take deep breaths. Open your knees and press them against your ears. Repeat thrice for 5 seconds.
Closing Thoughts
Stunted hair growth, hair greying, and hair fall issues indicate an underlying alarming cause, an imbalanced body system. The root causes may include an immune system fighting against its cells and causing Alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair to fall in patches. The other system may be the Circulatory system. Blood is the carrier of all the required nutrients in our body.
If blood circulation to the scalp is limited or hindered, then the people suffering may never feel the bliss of longer tresses. These people include you and me too, as today we have adopted materialistic approaches of living, we follow the diets that deprive us of our primary requirements. Yoga asanas are indeed a blessing in disguise for those suffering from stunted hair growth due to stress and blood circulatory system issues. These sitting postures must be practiced with caution, keeping in mind to respect your body’s limits and not to stretch far beyond what it can tolerate.