Yoga is not for the faint of heart — nor is it exclusively for the slender of body. While traditional yoga classes certainly don’t bar overweight people from joining, it can be difficult to perfect a pose (or feel comfortable trying) when your body is not as slim or flexible as some of those enrolled in the class.
To combat this, women and men across the United States are making waves by starting “body-positive” yoga classes that are inclusive of all shapes, sizes, and ranges of motion.
With celebrities like Amy Schumer bringing media attention to the intense pressure women feel to be thin and beautiful and major brands signing “plus-sized” models, body positivity is, thankfully, on the rise. But it’s not just those in the spotlight who have made it their mission to teach women to cherish and accept their bodies as they are.
Here are five inspiring body-positive yogis to follow on Instagram who prove that no matter your shape or size, you can still be healthy, strong, beautiful, and amazingly talented at yoga.
Jessamyn Stanley (@mynameisjessamyn)
https://www.instagram.com/p/23e0g_MuAT/
Dana promotes “self-love and yoga for all,” according to her bio. She frequently posts almost-nude Instagrams of herself in various yoga poses — that’s some serious body-positivity.
Omega Jefferson (@phatgirlyoga)
https://www.instagram.com/p/xYCUpLGmFb/
Omega is an East-coast based yogi who has been practicing for over a decade, and says on her website that she is “an every woman, a real person who will no longer be held back by some narrow view of what it is to be beautiful, healthy and whole.”
Photo via Jessamyn Stanley/Instagram