The Fat Girl at Yoga

You won't be alone -- there are plenty of people in Yoga working on making lifestyle changes -- it is a good place to be.

I take a yoga class and including me, there are about 3 overweight ladies in the class. Honestly, nobody really cares and if you try your best in the postures, they might even admire you.

I do yoga with a bunch of skinnier people, but it doesn't bother me. I usually stay in the back of class (but that's the norm for me because I'm tall and I don't want to be in the way). Talk to the instructor before class; there's usually modifications for some of the poses that might be too difficult to do right away. And in all seriousness, in some of those poses, it's not easy to hold in your farts.

Hey, I've been that girl. Try it what have you got to lose? If someone judges badly you for trying to get fitter and healthier they clearly aren't a great person themselves and therefore their opinion doesn't matter.

I struggle with some of the moves but hey you try and slowly you get better.

I've been the fat girl, and I'm still the wobbly chick with crap balance even though I'm skinnier and there's less of me on my mat. Then I took a gal who is incredibly fit and tiny to yoga with me, and she said that I was so graceful and flowy and she hopes one day to look like me. I've also had other people tell me they can tell I do yoga a lot because it looks so natural on me. Perception is everything. I still feel wobbly sometimes and I still feel I sweat like a pig. But it feels good.

Over time yoga becomes easier in that you can find your downward dog, and you can find your plank. It's about knowing where your body goes. It's hard to describe how you'll be holding a pose and suddenly you can feel your body figure it out. Once that happens, you can find your breath and everything feels awesome. That being said, I dread boat pose and haven't found mine yet. It's a continuum.

People I know at yoga class checking me out aside, the beauty of yoga is that it is non-competitive and non-judgmental, and what happens on your mat is perfect. I've had some yoga instructors try to correct my form, but they're doing so based on their perceptions, not how far my not-very-bendy body can go without me losing balance. The best instructors are the ones who encourage you to notice how your body holds poses and adjusts to find and maintain balance.

And there's nothing wrong with doing yoga vids once you've had some practice with a real instructor. I don't feel like driving 40 mins each way to class on weekends when I can't do them after work. A DVD will just give you the prompts you need to follow a routine

Namaste.

Been the fat girl in yoga, and kept going

noone pays attention to you apart from the teacher, since you are meant to be listening to your own body throughout it.

(they are trying to not fart during a pose or snore during relaxation).

I am the fat one in my class, but believe it or not I am naturally quite bendy and flexible, so I can get into a lot of the poses that the others can't. In saying that, there are some poses I think I will never get into because for example, my arms don't seem long enough, lol.
I my experience, everybody in yoga classes have an area that they are better at....it may be the breathing, the stretching, the relaxing, the balancing etc. You will find your strong points and celebrate them, and your weak points and work on them.
Just go for it. I love it and have always found most yoga bunnies to be really friendly.
By the way, my husband went to a men only course and always used to make me laugh when he spoke about the relaxation part at the end, as the men (him included!0 would be burping, snoring and farting! I think us women are usually there trying to look relaxed and all serene, when secretly inside we are all tense trying to hold a fart in! Oh to be a bloke!
make sure you shop around and find a class that's right for you and come back and tell us all about it!

Lucy x

Thank you all so much! You all have given some great advice. Our community center here in town does yoga classes, and I think I might check them out once we get our membership.

Welcome to the Yoga community!
I have been the fat guy at Yoga - recently lost 20lbs and have a further 14 or so to go. I never felt out of place at class and my yoga friends are a wonderful community to be apart of.

Please do go along to yoga. I am sure you will be welcome and you will love it. :flowerforyou:

I know it's hard to do something when you feel self conscious, but try to remember this: everyone has the right to take care of themselves. And everyone (for the most part), feels odd or different in a situation sooner or later. For example, the best athlete may feel ackward giving a speech. Or maybe a runner is a star marathoner, but can't dance worth a hoot. So just do it and enjoy yourself.

This post totally makes me think of this great book i read:

http://www.amazon.com/enLIGHTened-Pounds-Fresh-Pineapples-Beagle-Pointer/dp/1616088311/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365893096&sr=1-1&keywords=how+I+lost+weight+with+yoga

It was about a girl who was the "fat" girl at yoga and over time she wasn't the fat girl anymore...and then one day she was the instructor! It was also a lot about her journey with eating and changing her life in general...i loved it.

In the words of my instructor, worrying about how you look in the mirror is just a distraction from your practice. Nobody is judging you. And if they are, they don't belong in a yoga class. We come to yoga to practice our poses, build strength and endurance and become a little more peaceful. So don't worry! Focus on yourself and do the best you can.

My core is so effed up I cant even stretch before workout without weeble wobblin' so I dont fall down. I have a yoga video I am waiting to attempt it until me belly goes down a little bit lol I would def find a class that has other fatties in it though I would feel like all eyes are on me if I was the only one.

My core is so effed up I cant even stretch before workout without weeble wobblin' so I dont fall down. I have a yoga video I am waiting to attempt it until me belly goes down a little bit lol I would def find a class that has other fatties in it though I would feel like all eyes are on me if I was the only one.

Try Zumba!! I've had women in their 200+ lbs taking my class and they did great! You just modify accordingly. And nobody cares what you look like, they're too busy focusing on their own routine.

I've done yoga with fat, thin, young, old, people missing limbs, pregnant women and disabled. If you find the right class, nobody will judge you. As others have said, yoga is all about you and finding out what you are capable of.

I hope you do find a class that is right for you, if you can't there is always one on one instructors, or videos. Try myyogaonline.com the site has plenty of great videos for beginners. Maybe give a few beginner videos a go and once you feel more comfortable with the poses, then try a class?

Yoga is wonderful for opening up your body and mind. I'm about to start up again this week after a long break. I have self-doubt/confidence issues and was telling myself I wasn't doing good enough. I've now realised that it's not about how well you do, it's about connecting with yourself.