There are a ton of yoga Instagrams out there, but so few meet my needs.
I’m not inspired by people who look nothing like me. And there are so many accounts by thin yogis. Far fewer are from people who are fat and happy, who do yoga for the way it makes them feel and who are not trying to lose weight.
Fortunately for me, more and more plus sized yogis have been emerging. I even started my own yoga-specific Instagram to get in on the action. I did it for the same reason I want to become a teacher — the yoga world needs people who look like me.
Those two things tie together in a somewhat unfortunate way. I know already that I’m going to have to prove myself twice as hard as a yoga teacher or trainee. The fitness world is not exactly accommodating of fat people. So in some ways posting my yoga adventures is an attempt to legitimize myself. It’s also fun, and keeps me connected to a world I’m trying to learn more about.
I definitely prefer to see people with body types like mine doing yoga. And thankfully there are many of them out there now, showing their stuff and inspiring others. Some — like Jessamyn Stanley and Valerie Sagun — are better known and have written books on the subject. But others aren’t famous, and are just cool curvy people doing their thing.
It doesn’t matter how well-known someone is, if they are promoting a fat-positive yoga experience, then I want to see it. Below are just a handful of the accounts I like to look at for inspiration, but if you know of more, please leave a comment and let me know who I should be following.