When people think yoga, they often think of the perfect yoga Barbie.
You know who I’m talking about. The girl who always has her perfect long blonde hair in a bouncy ponytail and shows up to class in the newest yoga trends.
She’s thin, but not too thin, and she’s fit, but not masculine fit. This is the picture that a lot of people have of who can and should do yoga.
But you know what the truth is about that?
It’s bullsh*t.
There is no such thing as a yoga body or a yoga person.
Yoga is for everybody. It’s for muscular men, it’s for children, it’s for pregnant women, it’s for people with thick thighs, it’s for thin people, it’s for tall people, for short people, for old people, for twenty-somethings, for happy people, for sad people, for stressed people, and so on.
It’s for everybody. But for some reason, the group that often feels the most unwelcome in yoga is the plus sized crowd.
Finally, that perfect yoga Barbie stereotype is dying.
While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with people who fit that description, we’re finally moving into a world where yoga is being thought of as an activity that anybody and everybody can get into.
A big part of what has helped this shift in perception is bloggers and social media influencers who show that there’s absolutely nothing in yoga that a big girl or boy can’t conquer!
A Deeper Look into The Stereotype
The yoga Barbie stereotype doesn’t just exclude plus sized people. The idea of a perfect woman doing perfect yoga hurts a lot of people, even those that are seen as being conventionally attractive.
With so many people having self-esteem issues (yeah, hi), we all have things we don’t like about ourselves or things that make us question whether we fit in with a certain idea of something.
Frankly, the idea of yoga Barbie is intimidating for most people, and it turns them away from the practice before they even get a foot in the door.
However, that’s not to say that things aren’t different for plus-sized people in the yoga world.
At a bigger size, our bodies need different things and do things differently.
It’s just physics, and it’s not an inherently bad thing, it’s just a different thing! There’s a lot to be gained from yoga no matter who you are or what size you wear, all you need to do is do it.
So, let’s look at some ways that you can overcome some potential difficulties you might encounter in yoga so that you get what you need from your practice and you make the most out of every pose!
These tips also work for people who are just nervous about how good they’ll be at yoga, period. Regardless of size, these tips are for you!
Tips & Tricks for Making Yoga More Comfortable
- You’re allowed to modify poses.
Even at a conventional size, I find that one of my hips is far more flexible than the other. Okay, maybe not far more flexible… but it is more comfortable for me to do hip opening poses on my left side than it is on my right. Because of that, I have to modify poses. Almost everybody has to modify a pose at one point in their practice. The idea is that if you don’t do the pose how it was demonstrated by a teacher or your mat neighbor, you aren’t getting the benefits out of it. But this is nonsense. There is no perfect pose and aiming for the perfect pose can lead to injuries at worst and discouragement at best. So, if you feel you need to, modify a pose. A good teacher will be happy to help you find a variation that works for your body!
- Skip poses if you need to!
This is a tough one because I know exactly what it feels like to not be able to/want to do something that literally everybody else in the class seems perfectly able to do. Planks are something that took me a long time be able to hold. Downward dog was hard for me as well because my hands would slip. So, when these poses would get too difficult to hold (like my hands and arms shaking uncontrollably), I’d let my knees fall and I’d rest. I always hated myself when this would happen and would have nothing but negative thoughts. But over time, I learned that I was making a big deal out of nothing. I learned that if I can’t do something or don’t want to, it’s perfectly fine to skip it. If, and that’s a HUGE if, somebody in your class does judge you for skipping a pose, that’s not a good person to have in your life anyways and you shouldn’t care what they think. You’ll get that pose eventually. Just keep moving forward and try some modifications to it when you can!
- Find a teacher that understands what you need.
If your teacher won’t help you with modifications or doesn’t try to incorporate some things you might need into the practice, it might be time to find a new teacher. Not every teacher is created equally, and it’s totally fine to move on and find one that works better for you!
- Find classes that are made for plus-sized people.
There are a ton of videos online that teach routines for people that are larger sized. These poses and routines are designed with the needs and comforts of larger people in mind. There are also classes out there, namely in bigger cities, that are for plus-sized people. It’s not a necessity by any means to stick to things designed for plus-sized people, but it can make getting into yoga a lot easier and make you feel more comfortable being around other people who understand you better than others in a regular yoga class might.
- Incorporate props.
There’s 100% no shame in using props in yoga! Props are aides that help deepen, stabilize, and support poses. There are blocks, blankets, bolsters, straps, elastics, and more. Using them will help you to master those tough poses that need a little extra help without taking away any of the positive benefits that come from doing it. They’re a great way to start with yoga and to move on to more advanced poses.
Go forward with these tips and proudly take on the world of yoga. There’s no need to feel shame or disappointment in your body. Yoga is a world for everybody, and you are welcome here exactly as you are!
Namaste. The yoganum family
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