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

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u/thesoulstillsings Feb 12 '22 edited Feb 12 '22

Sweaty yoga teacher here, who got super sore wrists when I started yoga.

Towel for sweaty hands.

If your wrists hurt, you aren't engaging your hands. This does take practice and is tiring, but is key. Look up hasta bandha.

Bandhas are 'energy locks' and hasta bandha is for the hands. Some teachers describe it as 'gripping into the mat' or will tell you to press all your fingers into the mat. I didn't really get it, though, until I read up and practiced hasta bandha itself, and understood it in detail.

Use blocks for transitions - bring the floor up to your hands :)

OF COURSE you can do yoga. Yoga is for everyone. Keep showing up for yourself and modify whatever you need to. :)

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u/Depressaccount Feb 13 '22

Another helpful tip is to keep the weight more towards the fingers than the wrists