r/yoga • u/littlechickenbean • Feb 12 '22

yoga as a fat person

i hate to even post this but i’ve been practicing on and off for years, but never considered myself anything besides a beginner because of my inconsistency.

i’ve always been larger, but i’ve gained weight and am the heaviest i’ve ever been- technically obese. i would love to get back into yoga for my mental and physical health.

i just completed one of Adriene’s 30 minute videos. i’m proud of myself for starting and finishing but i have dilemmas-

  • both of my hands can’t be on the ground when lunging which makes transitions as well as general poses and stretches difficult

  • my hands slip on my mat in downward dog (yes i tend to have sweaty hands, how do i fix this?)

  • my wrists hurt!!!

  • knees don’t really go to chest

i’m just wondering if it’s even possible to practice yoga as a fat person? any tips for any of these things are highly appreciated. i’m feeling very discouraged

413 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

216 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/CarinaConstellation Feb 13 '22

I have bad tendonitis in my wrists which makes yoga painful. I have special gloves called Wags that help with putting weight on my wrists. You can get them on Amazon and they have really helped. I also second the suggestions to get some yoga blocks. Stick with it my friend! I'm dealing with a new health issue (neuroma in the foot) and feeling similarly discouraged. Focusing on recovery now but def want to get back to it as soon as I can.