By Hugh C. McBride
Yoga? You mean those classes with all those skinny people wearing tight clothes and contorting themselves into those strange positions? You’re kidding, right?
If you are struggling with your weight, the thought of attending a yoga class may well prompt a response similar to the one above. Yoga is often seen as the province of the young, svelte and fashionably fit, and people with weight problems may believe they are excluded – or cannot benefit – from participating in this ancient practice.
In truth, neither of these perceptions is correct. Yoga should never be viewed as an exclusive experience, it has much to offer to people of all sizes, it can be a safe and effective form of exercise for overweight individuals.
A Nurturing & Inspiring Experience
Standing 5’10” and weighing 210 pounds, Megan Garcia does not have the body shape that many people associate with yoga – a fact that she not only acknowledges, but uses to her advantage in her effort to change perceptions about both yoga and overweight individuals.
“Now is the time for there to be exercise instructors that reflect the body type of the American population,” Garcia said in a May 25, 2005 Associated Press article about “plus-sized” yoga. “If you are aware of your body, you can then see what you need to do to make you a happier, healthier person.”
A certified yoga instructor, model and founder of MegaYoga (which her website describes as a “complete yoga program for plus size practitioners”), Garcia is one of a growing number of teachers, practitioners and health experts who are advocating yoga as an empowering activity for overweight or obese adults and young people.
“Exercise had always been something I had to do because I was ‘bad’ and ‘fat,’ but yoga really nurtured me in a way I never thought moving my body could,” Sally Pugh, an instructor at San Francisco’s Yoga for Large Women, told writer Susan Weiner’s for an article in the September 2009 edition of Energy Times.
“Shame is a killer; it kills the human spirit,” Pugh told Weiner. “Yoga is the magic elixir that can erase the shame. It’s the only thing that works for me.”
A Supportive Environment
Taking a yoga class for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience for anyone. For overweight or obese individuals it can verge on the overwhelming, with concerns ranging from the reactions of classmates to the challenge of completing the postures (or asanas).
However, as evidenced by both Garcia’s and Pugh’s classes (as well as the establishment of many other yoga programs for larger students), these fears do not have to be deal-breakers.
In an article that appeared in the March 2007 edition of Ladies Home Journal, writer Wendy Rodewald addressed the ways in which some yoga teachers and programs are addressing these issues:
More and more teachers are now recognizing the demand for a yoga style tailored to shapely figures. Plus-size yoga adapts the traditional postures … to accommodate the body's curves.
Unlike competitive fitness activities, yoga focuses on the individual student's journey. No preordained requirements (or barking instructors) dictate whether a person is "good" at yoga or not: you keep the pace that feels right to you. …
Basic equipment can also help make classic postures doable for plus-size yoga practitioners. Chairs, straps, yoga blocks (or phone books), and even an unoccupied wall can compensate for lack of balance or reach.
Of course, the physical component isn’t the only reason that many overweight people shy away from yoga. Body shame or fear of being mocked may be even more powerful than worries about holding a particularly difficult pose. These fears are not lost on many of the men and women who are behind the rise in plus-size yoga classes and programs.
“A lot of plus-size people are very embarrassed about sweating and struggling in front of people,” Garcia told New York Times writer Sara Eckel for a May 13 article on the increasing popularity of plus-size yoga. “Yoga can get very sweaty and awkward, so it’s easier to do when you’re surrounded by people who look like you. You don’t want to be the one sweaty, fat person in class.”
A Range of Benefits
Once the roadblocks have been removed and the necessary accommodations have been made, overweight or obese individuals who begin to practice yoga are able to reap a world of benefits related to their minds, their bodies and (perhaps most importantly) the relationship between the two.
“The dramatic improvements [related to yoga] are numerous: from stronger and more limber muscles to relaxation and improved heart health,” Rodewald wrote in Ladies Home Journal. “One of the outcomes that you won't hear plus-size yoga teachers pushing, though, is weight-loss. Students may drop pounds as they challenge their bodies, but yoga's true focus remains set on the mind-body journey toward self-awareness.”
Though weight loss is not the focus of yoga, the practice’s ability to hone both minds and bodies often leads to this development. For example, researchers with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that regular yoga practitioners are more likely to engage in mindful eating, a practice that is associated with achieving and maintaining healthier weight.
An Aug. 16 article on the medical news website ScienceDaily provided the following information about the mindful eating study:
The study was prompted by initial findings reported four years ago by Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., and colleagues, who found that regular yoga practice may help prevent middle-age spread in normal-weight people and may promote weight loss in those who are overweight. …
The researchers found that people who ate mindfully – those were aware of why they ate and stopped eating when full – weighed less than those who ate mindlessly, who ate when not hungry or in response to anxiety or depression.
The researchers also found a strong association between yoga practice and mindful eating but found no association between other types of physical activity, such as walking or running, and mindful eating.
"These findings fit with our hypothesis that yoga increases mindfulness in eating and leads to less weight gain over time, independent of the physical activity aspect of yoga practice," the study’s lead author (and longtime yoga practitioner) Dr. Alan Kristal said in the ScienceDaily article.
Finding a Program That’s Right for You
As with any form of physical exercise, taking up yoga should be done with health and safety foremost in mind. If you have been leading a relatively sedentary lifestyle, or if you have health conditions that could be exacerbated by physical strain, you should consult with your physician before beginning.
Once you have the medical thumbs-up, educate yourself about the types of yoga programs that are available in your area. Check out programs online, contact teachers or facility owners to determine which classes are best suited to your needs, and if you so desire, ask if you can take a tour or talk to current or former students.
Yoga is an ancient discipline that is designed to promote harmony through the integration of the mind, body and spirit. Any reputable yoga instructor or facility owner will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and should be eager to introduce you to yoga in a way that will be both safe and beneficial to you.