"I'm Too Fat To Do Yoga"

I'm Too Fat To Do Yoga!

"I'm too fat to do yoga."  Sadly, many images on the internet, in magazines, and on television of people doing yoga are strong, skinny, and in very good physical shape.  This turns a lot of us bigger men and women away from practicing yoga!  Also, has anyone reading this who is larger than a size 12 gone shopping for yoga clothes?  They don't exist!!

I've spoken to many friends, encouraging them to give a yoga class a chance.  They tell me that they are ashamed because they're heavy and are embarrassed to be seen in a class struggling.  I must say, after a year of attending hard core yoga classes, I have seen the fittest of students struggle the most out of all the students during a session.        

The image above is of myself taken a few months ago.  I was climbing down the "steps of doom" as I like to call them to get to a beautiful northern Californian beach!  I weighed 200 pounds in this photo, I am medically considered obese.  

My point in showing you this photo is that  I don't feel that the chart of "if you're five foot four you should weigh between 125 to 145 pounds" is correct.  What about someone like me, or you, who are just big.  Big boned, and a lot of muscle.  I have many friends whom I work with in a very physically demanding job,  who by medical standards would be considered obese, but honestly look perfectly strong, and healthy.  

There are plenty of yoga instructors out there who are "obese" who do teach classes.  Google them and you'll find them.  They are beautiful, they look healthy, they look radiant, and most of all they look deeply and truly at peace with their body size.  One thing yoga has taught me is to love and appreciate the strength of my body.  It has taught me that despite my "obesity" I can do yoga moves that some of the fittest people in my surroundings cannot begin to do.  And that makes me proud.  

If you're overweight, and you want to give a yoga class a chance then please go for it.  Don't be embarrassed, just go and enjoy it.  If you're too shy then buy beginners yoga DVD's and work your way up (again, I suggest Wai Lana DVD's as they go from beginners, to intermediate, to more advanced levels).  

Be okay with your size and please don't let your heaviness take you away from trying yoga.  Yoga will give you such a positive outlook on your self image.  Don't fall into the media trap of "if I'm not skinny I'm not beautiful".  I guarantee you that yoga will help you to realize that your body is beautiful, and strong, and flexible.

I have to say as a Registered Nurse that if you are obese please talk with your health care provider about starting yoga.  Also, there are certain yoga poses that shouldn't be practiced if you have issues associated with obesity such as the shoulder stand.  Do a lot of research about yoga and learn about your body as you practice.  If any pose intuitively or physically feels wrong, come out of it, or use props to get into the pose.  

Namaste~~