big girl yoga

I don't usually get on my soap box about plus size issues on this blog, but this ridiculous shit made me so flippin mad I wanted to yell.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/health/nutrition/14fitness.html?_r=1

Buddha Body yoga? Separate classes for overweight yogis? As a yogi with an intermittent practice that spans 10 years across a range of practices: Bikram teacher training to dog yoga in the park, and a variety of weights: from 140 to 200+. I can say if you are so self concious that you can't do yoga with a skinny mini on the mat next to you, you've missed the point of yoga before you've even gotten started. And maybe I practice in some utopia but none of the other students or teachers have ever done anything but offer support and community. We all line up 45 min early for awesome pamela and her awesome flow class. We all drink our tea stunned that we survived it, while feeling eerily relaxed and exhuasted. We've all got limitations... a shoulder that pops out, tight hamstrings, short arms and legs, obesity is no different.

I'm still tipping the scales far from my "goal weight" but I haven't dropped the 40 lbs I've already lost through speed walking, fat yoga and water aerobics (all recommended for the heavier set). I've lost my weight by working my ass off at the activities I love. Trail running, triathlon, hatha flow classes.

I'm not saying its not scary to meet up with a bunch of jocks with zero body fat that run 3x faster than you, or stand at a triathlon swim start in your swim suit and bike shorts (because they dont make cute tri suits for anyone bigger than a size 10) but by excluding yourself you let yourself be labeled, and if you want to do fat stuff, guess what, you are gonna stay fat.