Publications
Partners
But such an image at the front of a gym classroom can create an experience of aspiration rather than inspiration, taking much away from the true experience of yoga.
Jessamyn Stanley, a great yoga enthusiast who also identifies as a ‘fat femme’ is slowly breaking down the traditional image of a ‘yoga body.’
She shares tons of photos and short clips on her Instagram, encouraging an increasing amount of plus-size folk to join the art of yoga.
“We just continue to sow the seeds of negative body elitism,” says Stanley, dismissing the habit of women who draw ill-comparison between their own yoga pose progress to other yoga-practitioners.
Practicing yoga for over four years, Jessamyn’s ask the question, ‘How do I feel? Rather than, ‘how do I look?’
If you’re interested in practicing yoga but cannot suppress feelings of skepticism, here are a few tips:
· When finding a yoga studio, give yourself at least three classes before determining if you wish to continue.
· When trying a yoga practice for the first time, its best to start within the classroom environment. It gives you the chance to develop a strong foundation in pose knowledge along with feedback before establishing a home practice.
· When starting off your yoga practice, give yourself a week to allow your body to get used to the new level of activity.
· The outlook of a yoga teacher has just as much of an effect on your practice as the clothes you wear or the amount of water you drink, so don’t hesitate to look for another yoga instructor if you’re not connecting with your current one.
It is a great disservice to use your personal body issues as an excuse to avoid yoga.
An inspiring facebook comment on Stanley’s profile read: A photographer gets people to pose for him. A yoga instructor get people to pose for themselves
To this, we say namasté.
Watch Jessamyn in her warm-up morning sequence
Follow Jessamyn Stanley on Instagram and Twitter.
For more on Fashion and Beauty:
It's no surprise that Cindy Crawford's daughter is entering the modelling world
Two-tone nails are our current obsession
9 make-up tips for women who wear specs
How to perfectly pull off the denim-on-denim trend
Follow Women24 on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
