Hi! I'm looking for some helpful advice

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello, Yogis! I have a question that you might be able to answer, and I’d really appreciate it if you would. :slight_smile:

I’m an 18 year old male, and admittedly I’m not [I]very[/I] educated in Yoga. I know some poses I learned from doing P90X, but that’s about it. (I [I]CAN[/I] do a “wheel”, though, if that’s worth anything ;))

I don’t really do Yoga as much as I should, at the moment, though. It’s been a long dry spell. But I’m gonna get back into it this week, and I’d like your input on poses I should use.
See, I don’t really get too spiritual with it, no offense meant to anyone that does, but myself personally, I want to utilize it for its practical purposes; so I’m only looking for pose recommendations here, time length to hold them, etc.

My main goal: lengthen my spine.

I’ve already got all the amino acids/supplements/sleep/posture stuff figured out, so no need to worry about any of that. Just tell me the stretches that best work on the spine and back.

I know I’m not going to gain anything drastic, but 2-3 inches will make a fantastic difference.

Thank you so much! Oh, umm-- I mean [I]Namaste[/I].

:smiley:

#2

Ha, okay. I’d suggest googling “spine lengthening poses,” or some such, but… erm.

I’m no yoga teacher! But I do know - yes, wheel is good for the spine. Other backbends are as well, such as bow, bridge, and locust.

Down dog is a very basic pose and pretty much good for everything. Ha. Sun salutes, similarly, ruuule. :smiley:

Good luck! Sorry I can’t be of more help.

#3

Two or three inches is highly unlikely. an 1/8 of an inch is quite possible.
But to be clear, this isn’t growing taller.
It’s simply finding an optimal alignment int he spine.
However there can be some relief from the compression in which we live.

The question doesn’t specify whether length in the front of the spine or back of the spine is the intention.
Different poses work the front of the spine than those which work or open the back.
Furthermore, yoga is meant as a counter balance to living and therefore a person’s practice is coordinated with their context.

#4

Tadasana

Parvatasana (mountain pose also called downward dog)

You may find what your looking for in a routine called:

[I]Surya Namaskara[/I] or in English the routine is commonly known as Sun Salutations. The Surya Namaskara sequence contains both of the above asana forms in addition to other forms which balance the routine.

Search the Web for “Surya Namaskara Sequence”

All the Merit I receive from this post I give to - myself! :stuck_out_tongue: