My Favorite Instagrams for Yoga Inspo

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Yoga

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.

Valerie Sagun is one of my fav fat yoga Instagrams

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.

My Favorite Yogi Instagrams

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I fell in love with the high quality + stylish @JCPenney athletic wear that I wore during the #HereIAm shoot- the shorts, leggings, and tops made me feel very strong, sexy, and confident. However, we rarely see fat bodied athletes wearing revealing clothing. I think it’s because we’re expected to hide our bodies beneath layers of fabric. However, feeling good about ourselves should be a universal value- and what better way to manifest self-love than by wearing the clothes we actually WANT to wear, instead of the clothes we’re expected to wear? Regardless of body shape or size, we’re all meant to live our best lives right now, at this exact moment. But let’s face it- confidence can be hard to maintain in the face of opposition. It may not come easy, but confidence is more worthwhile than almost anything else in this world. I maintain confidence by reminding myself that I am meant to be unique- and the unexpected bits of my body and personality are the best parts. How do you maintain confidence? #sponsored

A post shared by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn) on

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🔥I wanna talk about props in yoga asana! 🔥 Props empower us to personalize our yoga practice and truly make it our own. . Props are not a crutch or a cheat or less-than. I think there’s a misconception about props that you’re not doing the “real yoga” or that someone who doesn’t have to use props is more advanced or stronger than someone who does. . In reality the purpose of props is to make the practice tailored to each and everyone of our unique bodies. Props can bring the floor up to you, make your arms longer, provide resistance to make a pose more challenging or help to engage the correct muscles. . Props can help us to adapt to the practice of yoga for those of us who have different limb proportions (short torso and arms, long legs) that might keep us from finding sustainable alignment in a pose. Props can help us to find that alignment if we have a larger body that might be changing the way that our yoga practice looks. . I love using props in my practice, and I use them in pretty much every class and workshop I teach. And I’m always the one (in a public yoga class as a student) to go grab props even if the teacher doesn’t tell me to. . One of my favorite things is working with yoga practitioners to learn to use props to personalize their practice, which gives them agency to take some of their power back, and put the practice back into their own hands. . Newsflash: You are the expert on your body, not some yoga teacher. Having the tools to make your practice your own is a powerful thing. Props can help us do that. . If you’re a teacher that wants to learn to incorporate props into your classes in a seamless way, @diannebondyyoga and I would love to have you join us for our free Yoga For All mini course. I’ve got three free videos waiting for you at the link in my bio. . . . . . . #bodypositiveyoga #accessibleyoga #yogaforall #yogateacher #yogateachertraining #yogateachers #yogaprops

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Hello!! I have gained some new followers recently, so I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Rachel Townsend and I teach plus size yoga in Lisle, IL (USA) at Prairie Yoga. My favorite things about teaching yoga are making yoga accessable and helping people with modifications. So many people feel like they don't have the "right" body to do yoga, but that just isn't true! There are as many ways to practice yoga as there are to have a body. My classes focus on anatomy and alignment, and building strength as well as flexibility. But I also want everyone to have a good time! Expect to learn some, move some, and laugh some. If you are in the area, I hope to see you in classes (new sessions starting this week!), and if not, I hope you enjoy my posts!! <3 #yoga #plussize #plussizeyoga #fatyoga #bigyoga #modifiedyoga #accessibleyoga #yogabody #nowrongwaytopracticeyoga #thisiswhayayogabodylookslike #lisle #lisleil

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