Plus-Size Yoga for Natural Weightloss

Yoga is a $3 billion industry in the U.S., but the way it is marketed often makes yoga seem appropriate only for thin, young and very flexible bodies. This approach is a misrepresentation of what yoga really is. Yoga is not only for lithe, thin-bodied people but for everyone regardless of age, size, shape, physical ability, etc. Yoga can be practiced by anyone; thin as well as overweight people enjoy the same benefits of yoga – a growing sense of inner peace, deeper empowerment, and, well yes, the very real possibility of achieving natural weightloss.

While the ancient practice of yoga is far beyond the confines of such modern hangups as weightloss concerns, for those with that agenda in mind,  yoga does offer a very natraul approach to weight loss. One approach to yoga seeks to embrace this possibility, while also doing away with the misconception that you have to be thin to practice yoga: plus-size yoga.

Plus-size yoga recognizes that while yoga is for everybody, the plus-size body may need a different approach in executing yoga postures. The standard steps prescribed for yoga postures are better suited for slim bodies, but plus-size yoga introduces some modifications to enable overweight bodies to perform the yoga asanas in a gentle way.

Plus-size yoga classes also help overweight persons resolve the shyness or self-consciousness they may experience when attending standard yoga asanas sessions.  Plus-size yoga classes cater to people of similar sizes, which makes many people struglling with weight concerns more comfortable and at ease.

Many people enroll in yoga to achieve natural weightloss. However, the notion of using yoga for weight loss is not discussed at all in plus-size yoga classes. As students progress in their plus-size yoga sessions, they eventually realize that keeping a narrow focus on weightloss is too limiting. Through yoga they gain something else: more energy, better concentration, the ability to move their body in different ways and, most of all, greater confidence and well-being.

Plus-size yoga classes have expanded over the last few years. These include Buddha Body Yoga and MegaYoga in New York; HeavyWeight Yoga in Austin, Texas; Yoga for Round Bodies in Seattle, Washington; Yoga for Large Women & Men in Berkeley, Yoga for Round People in Placerville, and A Gentle Way Yoga in San Diego, California; and Big A#%! Yoga in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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