While yoga is mostly seen as a remedy for weight loss, a lesser-known fact reveals that these asanas can also contribute to weight gain. In addition, it helps address problems related to poor metabolism, digestion issues and lack of appetite.

Are you planning to take help from yoga poses for weight gain? Check out these 15 simple yet effective asanas for weight gain.

You can choose the suitable yoga asanas for your practice with the following list.

1. Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)

You can start by lying down on your back and placing your hands behind your shoulders. Then, taking support from your palms and feet, slowly raise your body doing an arch. Hold the position and concentrate on breathing. Gently lower your body once you are unable to stay in the pose. This asana is good for blood circulation while enhancing the flexibility of your spine. It also strengthens your body parts and balances the hormones.

2. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

You can start by lying on your stomach while keeping your feet apart. Then, it would help if you folded your knees while taking your hands behind and catching your ankles. Next, pull your legs up towards the back while lifting your chest and looking straight ahead. As another effective yoga mudra for weight gain, this asana enables you to strengthen your back and abdominal muscles. It also massages your thyroid gland and improves your digestion.

3. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

You can start by lying flat on your stomach with your legs stretched out and feet facing down. Your elbows should be on your sides while your palms flat on the surface. Then, while taking a deep breath, lift your chest and abdomen, placing the entire weight of the body on your palms. Your navel should touch the floor. Slowly release the breath and come back to your starting position. It is one of the standard yoga asanas for weight gain, improving digestion, metabolism and oxygen circulation in the body.

4. Vajrasana (Diamond/ Thunderbolt Pose)

You will need a yoga mat for this yoga asana. Start by placing your thighs on your calf muscle while keeping your toes pointing out behind you. Next, concentrate on deep breathing while placing your hands on the thighs, and make sure that your back and neck are erect. Hold this position for about 5-10 minutes before stretching out and relaxing. This yoga pose for weight gain improves metabolism by removing constipation and increasing appetite.

5. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

For this asana, lie down with your legs together, keeping hands by the side. Then, while inhaling a deep breath, start lifting your hips first and then the legs. Keep your legs initially in a 30° angle and then a 90° angle while taking support from the hands-on lower back. Hold this position for at least 30-60 seconds. Apart from contributing to blood circulation, this asana also removes indigestion and constipation issues while improving spine flexibility.

6. Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

You can start by lying on your back while keeping your feet and hands together alongside your body. Now, slowly lift your body and curve the back till the head touches the ground. Keep inhaling and exhaling while holding the position for a few seconds, and then return to your starting position. It is often considered the best yoga pose for weight gain because it improves the functioning of the digestive, reproductive and cardiovascular systems. Moreover, it enhances nutrient absorption in the body.

7. Pavanamuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose)

For this pose, lie down on your back and start lifting your legs and bending your knees. First, lift your upper body till your thighs touch the stomach. Next, hug your knees and hold this pose for 20-30 seconds. It is considered an effective yoga asana for females’ to gain weight because it addresses menstrual problems. It also strengthens lower back muscles and reduces digestion issues such as acidity, indigestion, constipation and flatulence.

8. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

For this simple yoga pose, lie down on your back, keeping your legs separated. Keep your legs close to the body but not connected to the torso. Start relaxing your body and face muscles, and breathe in and out evenly. Stay in this position for at least 5-10 minutes. This asana mainly aims at rejuvenating your body and mind while shifting its attention to the inner-self. It lowers blood pressure, depression and fatigue.

9. Supta Badhakonasana (Reclining Butterfly Pose)

Start by sitting straight on your yoga mat and folding your knees. Now, press the soles of your feet together, taking support of the hands, and start leaning on your back. Keep your hands beside you and continue until your back is resting on the yoga mat. Next, put your hands above your head in a prayer position and keep inhaling deeply. This yoga asana helps relieve stress and depression by acquiring control over body and mind.

10. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

For this yoga asana, start in a standing position with feet together and your arms to your sides. Next, start lifting your arms above your head, pointing your finger to the sky, and keeping them close to your ears. Start bending your knees to get into a partial squat position, keeping knees and thighs parallel. Next, move your hips back like you are sitting in a chair. Now, slightly lean your upper body forward and reach through your fingers. It is one of the effective yoga poses for gaining weight if you plan to boost muscle strength and size in the areas of thighs, hamstrings, and glutes.

11. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-facing Dog Pose)

Start by lying face down with arms bent and palms flat on the floor. While pressing your palms on the floor, start lifting your torso and engaging the glutes and hamstrings. Then, taking support from your extended hands, lift the torso higher while bringing your thighs off the floor. Finally, tilt your head back to look up to the ceiling. This yoga asana for weight gain strengthens your spine, arms, and wrists. Furthermore, it stimulates abdominal organs and stretches your lungs, chest, and shoulders.

12. Chaturanga (Four-limbed Staff Pose)

It would help if you start this yoga asana in the traditional high plank pose, engaging your core and glutes and bending the elbows. Then, start hovering over the floor with your upper body and legs, lifting about 2-3 inches off the floor. Then, while opening up your chest and upper back, look slightly forward. Hold this position for about 10-30 seconds. When done correctly, this yoga asana helps strengthen your core, biceps, triceps, shoulders, quads, and glutes.

13. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II Pose)

Stand on the ground keeping your feet about 4-5 feet apart, and start extending your arms on both sides. Next, turn your right foot in a way that it faces the short end of your mat, and make sure that your front heel aligns with the centre of your back instep. Then, bend your front leg in a lunge position with the knees above the ankle. Next, turn your head to the right and hold the pose for 30 seconds. This asana is considered an effective yoga pose for beginners to gain  weight since it strengthens your inner legs with an effective workout.

14. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III Pose)

Start in a lunge position on the ground by bending the forward leg and straight back leg. Lift your arms above the head while looking forward. Now, lower your arms and keep them together to touch the palms in a prayer position. Next, straighten your bent knee and start leaning forward until the back leg is off the floor. Reach the arms forward, keeping your gaze down. Keep balancing with your back leg and maintain the position for at least 30 seconds. This position effectively strengthens your core, quads, and glutes, which contribute to your future weight gain.

15. Kapal Bhati Pranayama

Sit comfortably on the ground with your spine erect, and keep your palms on the knees. As you inhale, pull your navel back towards the spine, and continue as much as you can while being comfortable. As you exhale, slowly relax your navel and abdomen. Take 20 such breaths to complete one round of this asana. This asana improves your metabolism and stimulates the abdominal organs. In addition, it improves the digestive tract and nutrient absorption.

There is a common myth that yoga only helps shed the extra pounds. However, according to experts, yoga can enhance muscular strength and endurance. It can hardly cause direct weight gain. A muscle needs to grow in size to get bigger. Two mechanisms are essential in this regard. Hypertrophy represents an increase in the size of individual muscle fibres, while hyperplasia is an increase in the number of muscle fibres.

Being underweight often originates from a poor immunity system, causing irregularity in metabolism and digestion. In other cases, lack of nutrition, improper nutrition absorption and inadequate physical activity can also make you underweight. Yoga asanas can circulate blood and oxygen, depositing nutrients throughout the body. It addresses issues regarding lack of appetite and metabolism.

Furthermore, a proper diet is essential if you need your muscle fibres to grow in size. This entire process can be a long and difficult one. However, if you are diligent and practice some effective yoga poses for weight gain, you are more prone to seeing the results quicker.

Yoga asana is effective for helping both beginners and experienced individuals who are trying to gain weight. Underweight people with problematic digestion and metabolism should mainly practise these yoga asanas. However, practising these for a long time, particularly in illness or exhaustion, can cause severe health conditions. Furthermore, women should avoid heavy yoga routines during their menstrual periods. Moreover, it is suggested to avoid practising yoga immediately after a meal. Finally, people with injuries should avoid practising yoga poses for weight gain.