Living Large

Hatha yoga isn't just for the slim and slinky. A few basic modifications can make its gifts--flexibility, balance, strength, stress reduction, and increased awareness--accessible to every body.

By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg

The biggest challenge can be the stomach. Because the weight and bulk of the belly can change the way many poses feel, shifting it with the hands can improve a student's experience, says Genia Pauli Haddon, a retired Kripalu Yoga instructor who in 1995 made two Yoga for Round Bodies videos with fellow teacher Linda DeMarco. "In belly-down positions, like Cobra, it is necessary for someone who has a large belly to reach beneath it and smooth those soft tissues up toward the diaphragm," she explains. "That allows your pelvic bones to more readily come into contact with the floor."

Other teachers stress the importance of manually positioning the belly in many different asanas: lifting the flesh and centering it on the forward thigh to avoid becoming unbalanced in lunging poses, for instance, or shifting it to the side to improve comfort and balance in standing twists like Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose). Along with repositioning the belly, large people may also need to modify poses to make room for it--by spreading the legs in Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) or Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend), for example. Some teachers advise spreading the knees and using props under the forehead or beneath the hips to modify Balasana (Child's Pose), while others say this pose simply may not be appropriate for big people.

Yoga props can be invaluable for large students. A sturdy chair supporting both hands can gently ease any less fit practitioner, over time, toward the full demands of Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose).

Placed beneath the lower hand in Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), a chair can also help bear the weight of a heavy torso. In general, a chair or wall can be enormously reassuring in balancing poses. A strap can help bridge the gaps for students who can't quite grasp their toes or clasp their hands behind their backs. And sometimes props can be essential for safety. If done without support under the buttocks, Virasana (Hero Pose) can damage large people's knees. Sitting on a bolster or a low bench can prevent bulky thighs from really overstressing the knee joints in this pose.

A final area to consider in hatha yoga practice is the selection of asanas. There are no universal guidelines for this. Some specialists in teaching large yogis believe it’s critical to include many hip-opening poses; others stress chest openers. Some downplay balancing poses; others omit Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) and other flowing sequences. The most important thing is to simply be attentive to how you respond to each pose and to learn to trust the messages you get from your own body.

Embrace Yourself

Along with the unique physical demands of practicing yoga with an expansive body, another set of challenges can exist: the ones in your mind and perhaps in the minds of those around you. People who practice yoga aren't necessarily free from the belief common in modern Western culture that thin is good and fat is bad.

Some yoga instructors have come out against having large yogis teach, saying it sets a bad example for students. There are even some teachers who have been known to single out large students during class and grill them about their eating habits. Conducting careful research before selecting your yoga environment will usually help you avoid many of the attitudes you find least appealing.

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