WHO KNEW THAT BEING A BIG-BODIED BLACK WOMAN WHO LOVES TO PRACTICE YOGA IN ALL ITS FORMS WOULD BE SO….. BIG? 

Yoga is about empowerment. I never felt empowered by what I saw in the studio around me or in the mainstream media.  I never saw anyone like me in class ever! I never saw anyone like me in magazines ever!

Developing my yoga voice  all started from a place of defeat. I was sad and vulnerable and feeling excluded. I am a big girl who practiced yoga and I can’t be the only one who feels this way.

I went to classes and was judged by my size and was excluded from poses because my body did fold that way. I ran away from arm balances because I felt I was too heavy to do them. I just felt left out, so I decided to talk about it. It started out as a rant. I shared  my feelings about how yoga was perceived. My yoga taught me to observe everything around me.

As I continued to practice and share my observations a conversation started to grow about the  changing face of yoga.  Now people are speaking more loudly then ever about who practices yoga and what that looks like. These have been some of the best and most empowering conversations of my life. This place of love and support  has helped me move away from feeling shameful about what I look like and to tap into how I feel when I practice yoga.  I hope it has done the same for you. As we continue to move forward on this journey more voices are being heard.