"Fat bodies can't teach yoga'...I was trapped in that mindset for years"
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"7 years ago, I walked into my first yoga class with a busted body & unbearable sense of shame about myself
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I'd pushed my poor body to its limit, taking classes to burn, torch, shred, shake the fat off, while also starving it. I triggered a severe hip injury; leaving me in chronic pain, prevented me from exercising as I had before. So I did nothing. I thought movement was only worth something if it shrunk my body
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Up until my first class, I thought yoga was boring stretching
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I accidentally took an “advanced” vinyasa class @vpoweryoga for my first go! 75% of the way, with my knees propped on my elbows in tripod, I saw neighbors lift into headstands & others remain in a wide folds. The instructor didn’t tell people to go further than they could because “that’s where the magic happens.” She reminded the class to respect what their bodies were saying to them. I'd never heard this before
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I went to more classes. One of my favorite instructors, Lisa, would take a moment at the top of the class to tell everyone to respect their bodies and only do what feels good. This was revolutionary! Do something to be kind to my body and not as an act of battle?! 💚
I discovered if I became frustrated, impatient; the more I struggled in poses. Yet, the more I took my time & gave my body positive encouragement- the more I could progress, or just be joyful in whatever variation
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I practiced for a handful of years before yoga teacher training: I'd held off & still felt caught in the trap that fat bodies can’t teach yoga, that my body was unworthy of being a teacher
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After a year of counseling though, I learned about fatphobia, Health at Every Size, thin privilege... read The Beauty Myth... I was no longer willing to waylay my life because our culture pits fatness against fitness. Yoga gave me a way to move my body with kindness. Teaching yoga a platform to act out against body shame
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I’m a fat girl with a bum hip, but I joyfully do what I can do & accept working on things I cannot do...yet 🙏
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📸@mollyrose._.photos
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