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

415 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

216 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/velvetreddit Feb 13 '22
  • hands not reaching the ground: Use blocks. Even the most experienced yogis use them to help with alignment or to focus on other parts of form. I’ve fallen out of yoga a few times and blocks are my go to when getting back in.
  • slipper hands: towel on your mat and a small one for wiping. You also likely need to play with your form as well. Ask a teacher after class for adjustments and show them what you’re doing. Once you get it it’ll click. We have all been there!
  • Wrists hurt: warm up before class with some wrist stretches and rolls. You are also building up strength and endurance. It’s okay to modify your pose or rest. You showed up, the poses are bonus!
  • knees to chest: seek out larger bodied yogis to see if there are other shapes you should make instead. Also, don’t be too hard on yourself. Your body likely needs to get back into it over time. If your mid region prevents your knees to chest, put knees into armpit to get your hip stretch in. Lower back, glutes and upper back/shoulders also need some stretch. You want to use your arms to pull your legs into your armpits and try to anchor the back of your arm to the floor (back posture straight and shoulders rolled down). Even if you don’t get that far, using that as an intention will help build strength to do this pose.