If you’re like 99% of your peers, you have bought in to the media-driven belief that your body is not as attractive, fit, or perfect as it should be. That unfortunate belief leads many people to avoid yoga, because, let’s be honest, what we see of yoga participants are slender, outfit-rocking, “beautiful” participants. What could possibly motivate someone with a less-than-“ideal” body or body image to muster up the courage to join a yoga class?
Fortunately, there are several centers where yoga for the larger and less fit participant are becoming common. The attitude of the instructor can make all the difference for people to decide to join a class, so be on the lookout for classes that are welcoming of both men and women, large and small.
If there is a standard in yoga, it’s that if a pose doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. For many people with weight challenges, this can seem like reason enough not to try. “If I can’t even do any of the forward folding yoga poses, why bother?” The idea that you need to be able to do everything easily right off the bat is another unfortunate belief about yoga. Even the simplest of poses may present challenges for one set or another, so that good instructor will have equipment and modifications for everyone, whether they’re overweight, disabled, or just really inflexible.
Yoga’s beauty is in its ability to be adapted to the person practicing, not the other way around. If you are overweight, there are a few yoga poses that you may not be able to do. However, we do have some yoga poses that have been specifically created specifically for skinny individuals (you can find an array of those throughout our site). In fact, I think that in my first five years in the industry, I have only seen one yoga pose that was created specifically for a certain body shape. That one was the Bikram gymnastics pose!
While you are probably sure of what you want to look like (and many people do) at the start of yoga, you will be much more likely to fall in love with yourself, and your ability to pull together some amazing poses as well as your ability to take yourself completely out of yourself.
Do you have to wear those tight yoga pants to participate in a class? Of course not. Do you have to look and dress like everyone else in the class? No! All you need is the desire to pursue yoga to make your life healthier, inside and out. Yoga practice is just as much about the mind as it is the body, and as you practice, you’ll begin to understand the yoga pants are unimportant.
And that it’s a good thing you don’t look just like everyone else in the class. How you view yourself as a human being can change for the better with yoga, but you have to be willing and courageous to step out there and just take that first class. You may fall repeatedly, be frustrated that you can’t do a pose easily, and wonder why you’re even trying, but committing to the practice for a few months will begin to make the change you seek in your body and in your mind.
Our inner life is nothing but stories. Stories that start at birth, in every aspect of our being. As we go about our daily life, the stories we tell about ourselves are what matter to us. These are our inner stories about our relationships with each other, our jobs and our children, how we use our bodies, and who we relate to. All of this is determined and shaped by our stories.
Yoga and meditation are powerful practices to change your story and reorientate your inner world towards positive thoughts. It’s a really soothing, healing and liberating space to be in, and it puts you in a state of peace and appreciation. Our body can and should be a temple for our soul. It is when our body can become a temple that we are releasing tensions that have been building up throughout our lives. When we become more aware of our body’s functions in this state of accepting the body for what it is rather than what it wants to be.
There are many free yoga videos that will help with getting started. There are also many yoga classes that are available that will help the body, mind, and spirit move through the most complex and challenging poses. You can get advice and information on healthy nutrition, supplements, acupuncture and other complementary practices. You can find many websites that provides a plethora of resources and information to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
