Let me tell ya’… First and foremost: Yoga is doable for everyone. Any shape, any size, any age. You do not have to do the most advanced poses to get a full range of benefits.
Whether you take 3 minutes to do basic stretches—touching your toes, doing squats, or reaching to the sky—or commit to a 45-to-60-minute full session, every bit counts. We also have chair yoga where we do basic movements that get your circulation going, move your muscles, and build your endurance and strength.
Just like there are many types of yoga, there are so many different people practicing all the time.
“Never ever believe you are too big, not flexible enough, or that you’re going to look bad at it… All the benefits, how your body and mind feel afterward, far outweigh (no pun intended!) all the negatives you will overcome.”
Unwinding Modern Stiffness
Especially in this day of modern technology, we often sit at our desks for hours in rigid stances doing our work. We sit and scroll on our phones for hours, holding our bodies rigid just to keep the phone steady. All of that tightens up the muscles and fascia of your body.
The more movement you cultivate in your body, the better your fluids circulate—and in the long run, the less pain and stiffness you experience.
Overcoming Class Anxiety & Finding Your Space
Being a plus-size woman myself, and a practitioner-turned-teacher of Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga, I know the exact struggle of walking into a class full of people who do not look like you and feeling that instant, gut-tightening anxiety.
Even now, as a certified teacher, I still get nervous going to a class with people I’ve never yoga’d with before. People can be hurtful, without even saying a word. And honestly? None of us deserve that.
We are all here, trying to do our best and become the best versions of ourselves. No one should demean you for that.
“Yoga is meant to pull you into your body, to make you listen to your body, and to slow you down enough that your mind and body reconnect. Yoga is meant to help you feel the world around you through focus on the present moment.”
Start Small, Start Easy
Start small, start easy. Find movement that feels good in your body. The point is to enjoy the movement—not fear it, and not be anxious about whether you can do it. You want to start where you feel comfortable and work your way into new asanas (poses).
🌿 THE 3-MINUTE STANDING MICRO-FLOW
1. CENTER: Stand with your feet together, hands clasped in prayer in front of your chest. Breathe in deep… then breathe out. Do this until you feel centered and grounded into your body. (If you’ve never felt this before, you’ll notice you feel strong without ever moving!)
2. FOLD: Gently bend forward and try to touch your toes. Don’t push yourself—just bend forward as far as you are comfortably able with your hands dangling, without pushing past your normal range. Inhale here.
3. RISE: Exhale as you slowly pull yourself back up into a standing position, returning your hands to prayer in front of your chest.
4. REPEAT: Bend forward, hold, and stand back up 3 or 4 times. Inhale on the way down, pause, and exhale on the way up.
If you do this just 3 or 4 times, this is Yoga. In its most basic form, you just completed an asana. Moving more oxygen through your body improves circulation, clears your mind, and sparks energy in your being after just a couple of minutes.
✨ The 60-Second Mid-Day Body Reset
I like to show people just how simple yoga can be. I know this isn't a full-on yoga session, but maybe you don’t want that. Maybe you just need to take the first step—the smallest of steps—to give you the courage to try more.
I really don’t think most people know how to just stop in their day, get still, open their mind, breathe, and rest. Try doing this in the middle of the day, even at work:
1. The Scan: Take one minute to stop and breathe deep. Feel your feet, your ankles, your calves, your knees, your thighs, your seat, and your back up to the shoulders. Feel your arms to the elbows, to the hands, and down into the fingertips.
2. The Energy Rise: Follow that feeling as it rises up through your arms, into your shoulders, through your neck, and into the base of your skull—all the way up to the top of your head, and then just beyond it. Feel the energy pool right above the crown of your head.
3. The Release: Take a deep breath in. As you breathe out, allow that energy to pour down onto the top of your head and flow back down through your body, all the way to your feet.
4. The Reset: Drop your hands to your sides, shake them out, and feel the energy in your body.
🛍️ Recommended Yoga Essentials for Every Body
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High-Density Yoga Blocks (2-Pack): Essential for bringing the floor closer to you during forward folds so you never have to strain.
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Extra-Thick Yoga Mat (6mm–8mm): Gives much-needed cushioning for joints, knees, and wrists on hard floors.
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Gaiam Yoga Bolster Pillow, Soft Meditation Cushion: Delivers deep restorative support and effortless elevation to make long holds and quiet moments truly comfortable.
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