Do fat people do yoga?

i do yoga, and i have been doing it even while i was quite fat. i'm probably one of the fattest handful in my class, and even though i've been doing it for over 10 years, i will never be able to do certain moves because of my dodgy knees.

If you have a good instructor and are doing a beginners class, they should have alternatives for all ages and all levels of flexibility.

I once did a class where it was full of grannies, the instructor was 86 years old and a super yoga freak! She was awesome.

i do a reasonably advanced class now, and there are plenty of things i can't do. but even really fit people, especially people who run and have tight hamstrings, can't do many of the moves. and they are watching me (fatty over here) being able to do twice as much as them probably wondering whats wrong if i can do it and they can't.

it's not about getting to the same position as the instructor, it's about getting to your limit, and working there. It should never be painful. That is the most important thing about yoga, you do what you can do and stop, don't try and stick your head up your butt, if you just aren't that flexible. many classes i've done in my time have older people, injured people and all sizes. it doesn't matter if you can touch your toes or if you are still only half way there, the benefits are still there. It's very important not to overdo it.

I, and several other women I know who are my size, do yoga all of the time. Look up pictures of Indian women doing Yoga. There are LOTS of us "fat" women doing it.

Yes, I believe you had bad videos and/or expected yourself to be able to do the poses/stretches perfectly right out of the starting gate.

Getting into Yoga is like getting into Martial Arts. You don't start off busting boards and wielding katanas on your first session. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not become Mr. Universe the first time he picked up a dumb bell. The base lesson of Yoga is patience. Patience with your body. Patience with your breath. Patience with becoming one with the moves you are doing. In Yoga, you go at your own pace and not of someone else's. If the instructor is expecting you to hit poses perfectly, they are not a teacher you want.

Yes, I would suggest joining a class. It may teach you the basics.

As for videos, my personal favorite is "Crunch Fitness: The Joy of Yoga". It's very low impact, yet high work out too.

Soooo true, thanks for this comment! I am a martial arts student and I try to get yoga in a few times a month atleast. I have a yoga video called "My Size Yoga" by Megan Garcia. It's great for us "fluffy" girls and it tells you how to improvise some of the moves until you can do them. It's even available on Netflix!!

I have a friend that is about the same size as you (height and weight) and she has gone to many yoga classes...and has never felt out of place!! If you would rather start with a DVD to get the moves down...I recommend Denise Austin's "Yoga Burn", or The Biggest Loser's "weightloss yoga"!!!

but yes...I am gonna say it...."never let anyone's opinions stand in the way of your health!" you are doing great, and just keep on going!

i recently started collecting yoga dvds left and right because i found it to be a great way to start my day (ive always been a super intense cardio junkie so this is a change of pace for me) and i heard that it is actually the BEST way to tone your body and not bulk up, etc etc... and it's totally portable so if you're traveling you can still do it, since all you need is you! i actually downloaded some short 10-minute yoga routines from exercise tv off of itunes to put on my iphone while i was on vacation, as well as a yoga app for the iphone that has routines from 25-60 minutes long... all really great. my favorite yoga workout right now is jillian michael's "yoga meltdown" - its 35 minutes and has a level 1 and level 2 (im still on level 1 and it's kickin my BUTT!!) there are modifications and it goes quickly but still burns lots of cals. as tara mentioned, the biggest loser's "weight loss yoga" with bob is also another good one, with various levels (im on level 1 on that one too!) and this way you get both trainers from the BL in your house hehe. i also recently got "body by bethenny" from bethenny frankel (real house wives of nyc...which i've never seen haha) but it's a great yoga routine, 40 minutes for both beginners and more advanced students. these are my favs as of now when i see myself in the mirror i sometimes still feel like a fool doing the poses, but MAN do i feel great a the end of the routine! and as all yogi's say, it's called "yoga practice" for a reason... no one is perfect at it, and everyone is continuing to improve


...so yea, i totally recommend it

I just started an "absolute beginners" yoga class and I love it, despite my size making some poses harder for me! Good luck, I hope you enjoy it as well!

I won't go to a class for that very reason, but I do love Yoga! I have a few DVD's and the one I like the most is "Yoga: Just My Size With Megan Garcia" I found it very beginner friendly and Megan is just a doll. I really enjoyed her teaching. She's also "plus size" so it was a nice change from most DVD's I use, someone more like me! If you still don't feel comfortable doing a class, I highly recommend that DVD.

another point... yoga isn't about the proper form or flexibility it's about knowing your body and meeting your limits with compassion. You should never feel ashamed or out of place in a yoga class. Making it to your mat is all the effort you need to make, yogis respect you just for showing up.

Great comment.

I practice Bikram yoga and there are people of all sizes in the class. It's not about perfecting pose but trying it. As they say at my studio, you get the benefits just from setting up the pose.

In my class this evening, the girl next to me probably weighs over 200 pounds and she was much more flexible than me. So don't feel intimidated by the skinny bodies, because what you can do in the room has nothing to do with your size.