Across all the fat yogis lessons I’ve taken, my body is usually the largest. It’s not shocking. Despite being an old Indian practice, yoga has been widely adopted as a wellness craze in the West. The majority of fat yogis-related photos on social media and in advertisements feature slender, Caucasian women wearing pricey sportswear. It can be difficult to mentally commit to signing up in the first place if you don’t match those descriptions. I reasoned, “It’s not for people like me.” I felt compelled to go ahead nonetheless. Why shouldn’t I be able to enjoy the same mental and physical advantages of fat yogis as everyone else?
The Mat’s Outlier
A few years back, I attended my first lesson at a studio in my neighbourhood. Since then, I’ve visited a few other places, but the journey hasn’t been smooth. It can be awkward at times to be the only person in the room with a larger build. Everybody occasionally has trouble with a particular posture, but when everyone believes you’re having trouble because you’re overweight, the situation becomes much more intense. One day, I talked to the instructor after class about how my physique was too short for some of the poses. “Perhaps it’s a wake-up call,” she added in a calm, kind tone.
She had no knowledge of my lifestyle, habits, or state of health. She concluded that I required a “wake-up call” based only on the contour of my body. Not all cases of yoga fatphobia are as obvious as that. Larger-framed individuals like myself are occasionally urged to force their bodies into unnatural postures or are prodded and poked a little more than everyone else. We occasionally receive nothing at all, as though we are unimportant.
Yogis with Similar Bodies to Mine
The internet is a blessing. Numerous obese individuals on the internet are demonstrating to the world that not only is it feasible to practise fat yogis being overweight, but also to become an expert practitioner and teacher. I never would have thought I could practise yoga at the levels I did until I came across these accounts on Instagram. They also helped me realise that stigma was the only thing preventing me from doing so.
Redefining Yoga Norms with Jessamyn Stanley
Jessamyn Stanley is a skilled yoga instructor, podcaster, author, and influencer. Her Instagram page is flooded with pictures of her performing powerful, amazing yoga poses and shoulder stands. She makes it a point to call herself fat with pride, adding, “It’s probably the most important thing I can do.”
It is only a reflection of society that there is fatphobia in yoga studios. The term “fat” has been weaponised and derogatory, connoting that persons who are overweight are indolent, stupid, or lack self-control. Stanley rejects the unfavourable connotation. “It is possible to be overweight, yet it is also possible to be fit, healthy, attractive, and powerful,” she stated to Fast Company.
There are always those who leave fat-shaming comments among the thousands of likes and supportive remarks left by fans. She is accused by some of encouraging a bad way of living. There is no way that this is not the case. Stanley teaches yoga, so her mission is to literally spread health and wellness to those who are typically left out of the wellness story.
Even research suggests that being obese does not always equate to being unhealthy. Actually, being stigmatised for one’s weight alone may be more detrimental to one’s health than being overweight. Above all, a person’s worth shouldn’t be determined by their state of health. Treat everyone with respect and worth, regardless of their health.
Promoting Diversity of Body Types in Yoga
Saw the lack of diversity in body types in yoga sessions and decided to become a yoga instructor. Her goal is to challenge preconceived notions about what big bodies are capable of and encourage more overweight persons to practise yoga and pursue careers as instructors. “Bodies that are not typical/average and people of colour need more representation in yoga and wellness in general,” Rihal stated in a recent interview with US News.
Rihal supports the use of props as well. There is a longstanding misconception in yoga that employing supports is “cheating” or a show of weakness. Props can be very useful tools for many overweight yoga practitioners to assist them achieve specific poses.
According to Rihal, it’s critical that instructors understand how to provide a modification for individuals who have large breasts or a tummy. Sometimes you may need to use your hands to adjust your breasts or abdomen into the proper position; knowing how to do this helps people achieve the desired results. As a teacher, Rihal aims to support students in making the most of their current bodies rather than giving them the typical advice to “someday be able to.”
Edyn Nicole: Accepting Your Flaws
In her YouTube videos, Edyn Nicole challenges popular fatphobic myths and has open conversations about body positivity, disordered eating, and weight stigma. Nicole considers herself a master of many things, including makeup, podcasting, YouTube, and yoga instruction, but she does not believe that mastery is necessary for yoga.
In her related YouTube video, she states, “This is what your pose looks like now, and that’s fine, because fat yogis isn’t about perfect poses.” While many people only use yoga as a physical form of exercise, Nicole discovered that the movement and meditations strengthened her Christian faith, mental health, and confidence. “Yoga is much more than just an exercise regimen. It’s transforming and healing,” she claims.
Burns, Laura E.: Radical Body Love
The founder of Radical Body Love, author, activist, and yoga instructor Laura Burns, feels that people may be content with their bodies just the way they are. You don’t need to practise yoga to transform your physique, as Burns and the fat yoga movement want you to know. All you have to do is utilise it to feel good. Burns does yoga on the same principles that she promotes self-love through her platform. Her website states that yoga is designed to “foster a deeper connection and a more loving relationship with your body.”
She encourages people to value what a body can accomplish for you and to stop demeaning it. She claims that “it carries you through the world, nurturing and supporting you throughout your life.” Burns designs classes to help you feel confident entering any yoga class by teaching you how to do yoga with the body you already have.
Power in the Stats
Individuals who embrace their body type and are overweight, such as Stanley, Rihal, Nicole, Burns, and others, are working to increase the exposure of this group. Seeing women of color doing yoga challenges the notion that slender, white bodies are superior. They inspire strength and beauty. It assists in rewiring my brain to believe that my physique is not an issue.
