Stress and strain of daily routine, unhealthy diet,digestive problems, poor blood supply to scalp, hormonal imbalance and immune system disturbances are some of the well-known reasons for hair loss and infection. Although, yoga does not directly deal with the hair problems, but yog-asanas and breathing techniques help to address the root reasons causing them.
Regular yoga practice helps enhance circulation of blood in the scalp, improve digestion and reduces anxiety and stress which in turn reduces hair loss.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog):
- Begin on your hands and knees. Your wrists should be underneath your shoulders, and your knees underneath your hips.
- Inhale as you tuck your toes under your heels. Then exhale to lift your hips, coming into an upside down “V” shape called Downward Facing Dog.
- Spread your fingers wide and create a straight line between your middle fingers and elbows. Work on straightening your legs and lowering your heels toward the ground. Your heels should be slightly wider than your toes, so the outside edges of your feet are parallel with the outside edges of your mat. Relax your head between your arms, and direct your gaze through your legs or up toward your belly button. Work on holding for five breaths.
Uttanasana (Intense forward-bending pose):
- Stand in Tadanasana. Separate your legs to a distance of 30cm (1ft). Keep your feet parallel to each other, with the toes pointing forward. Pull up your kneecaps.
- Inhale and raise your arms toward the ceiling, your palms facing forward. Push your spine up..
- Bend from the waist toward the floor. To increase the stretch of your spine, vital for correct practice, press your heels down on the floor.
- Rest the crown of your head on the blocks in front of you, and place your palms on the blocks beside your feet. Pull in your kneecaps. Extend your hamstrings and pull your inner legs upward. Feel one single stretch from the crown of your head to your heels. Hold the pose for 1 minute.
Vajrasana (Diamond pose)
- Sit with legs extended together, hands by the side of the body, palm resting on the ground, fingers of the hands together pointing forward..
- Fold the right leg at the knee and place the foot under the right buttock. Sole will remain inside.
- Similarly folding the left foot, place it under the left buttock.
- Hands resting on the respective thighs.
- Sit erect, gaze in front close the eyes.
- While returning to the original position, bend little towards right side take out your left leg and extend it.
- Similarly extend your right leg and return to the original position.
Apanasana (knees to chest):
- Place the hands on the knees and without taking your head off the floor, exhale, while bringing the knees towards the torso.
- Try to let the abdominal muscles do most of the work, letting the hands help a little toward the end of the movement.
- On the inhalation, allow the knees to move away to the starting position, while bringing the arms overhead to the floor behind you.
- Repeat slowly 6 times, being sure to breath out as the knees come towards the body and breath in when they move away.
Ushtrasana (Camel Pose)
- Press the top of your feet to the floor and avoid your feet cycling inward.
- Set your feet and shins parallel to each other. If your knees slide out you will jam your sacrum.
- Slide the buttock muscles down away from your low back. This can be done manually as you go back into the pose
- When entering, it is initially important to go upward. Imagine that you are like a high-jumper going over a bar. Don’t hit the bar with your trunk by going straight back.
- Press your thighs forward, away from your feet.
- Externally rotate your arms and draw your collarbones away from one another
- Lift your sternum and side chest as much as possible, creating the characteristic dome shape of the chest
- If you perform with the strap, the stretch in the central quad is more profound, as forces in the legs cannot pull the legs apart.
Uttanpadasana (Raised feet pose):
- Now start raising your legs and hold them at 30 degrees. Continue normal deep breathing.
- With right leg up, the left foot starts traveling down slowly, till the left heel touches the floor.
- Start raising your left foot till it joins your right foot at 30 degrees. Now left leg remains up and right foot starts traveling down till the right heel touches the floor. Relax.
- Now start raising your right foot till it joins your left foot, knees straight toes out stretched and slowly bring both feet down till both heels touch the floor and relax.
Note : There should be no jerk at this point.
These asanas allow blood circulation to the scalp and thereby hair follicles allowing it to re-grow. Some other poses that help growth of long and beautiful hair are Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand pose) and Sirshasana (headstand pose).
There are certain breathing exercise that can help to oxygenate your body and scalp while strengthening the muscles of your stomach and abdomen for e.g. Kapalbhati pranayam and Anulom vilom.
Kapalbhati pranayam (KB)
This is a double-nostril breathing exercise. This consists of a series of quick exhalations accompanied by an inward drawing motion of the stomach. You must sit in the same position as you did for bhastrika, to do this exercise. You must concentrate only on the exhalations; the inhalations take place involuntarily. Thus an exhalation and a an inward stomach movement per second set the pace for Kapalbhati. Do this continuously for five minutes without stopping. However, if you are a beginner, you may take anywhere between a few days to a few weeks to achieve this speed. You can start off slowly; maybe do it continuously for two to three minutes, stop, and then start again. You must work towards doing KB for 15 minutes at a time, with a rest period every five minutes.
In addition to eating a well balanced diet, keeping hair clean, regular massage one must understand that hair loss in natural process and cannot be reversed, however the process can be restricted or slowed down with the above given tips.