Overweight and wanting to start Bikram Yoga

Hi Elle,

You’ve found a good place to get excellent info! Some of your questions are answered in threads around this site that deal specifically with what you’re asking, so I’d start there. These are posts on people practising who are overweight, beginners to hot yoga, and what to wear.

To get you started though, here are some thoughts:

1-I have had a long journey to finding any kind of exercise that didn’t become tedious very quickly. Hot yoga creates a natural kind of exhilaration that keeps most people motivated however. Also motivating for me was the constant surprise at the small but significant developments in strength and flexibility.

I found a difference in the first 6 months of practising yoga (not hot yoga, but a class of mixed styles), where my base energy level was greatly increased and daily activities no longer left me winded. My general strength and flexibility was increased simly by attending one class a week.

After beginning hot yoga 10 months ago, I have never felt better in my life. My body has certainly changed shape for the better – I still enjoy eating, so I could make much better progress in the weight loss I’d like to see by creating more balance in my overall diet, but I am extremely happy about the fit of my clothes and, more importantly to me, how I feel every day.

2-Yoga studios vary a great deal. You need to check out the ones near you and see for yourself. Some instructors (I have never had the experience myself fortunately) apparently use some negative reinforcement to get students to strictly follow instruction, but this usually seems to be intended to push students out of their comfort zone, even if the effect on the student is not what the instructor intended. The only way to know if you are comfortable with a studio really, is to take some classes there.

For the most part, people who practise hot yoga go in part for the meditation. This means that as you practise, you focus on yourself, not anyone else in the room. Does this mean no one will look at you? Of course not – you will see others in the room as well. But the point of practise is to keep re-focusing on yourself and your own practise.

The poses are always challenging. That is what I love about hot yoga. There is always something further I can do. But it is intensely rewarding. I am finally beginning (after 10 months of practise) to straighten one leg in a pose called Standing Head to Knee and it is making me ecstatically happy. I don’t know if that is sane or not, but it works for me. The good news about hot yoga is that you start with small goals: stay in the class; do as much as you can in each pose, even if it isn’t much; etc. It’s when you first have the revelation that you just stretched, and you remember when you couldn’t at all, that you feel the addiction beginning.

Some days I balance really well. Today I fell repeatedly in several poses. I just got back in again until the pose was over. My studio has a wide range of ages, weights and abilities. There are some seniors who have awesome flexibility and strength. There is one fellow practitioner, significantly larger than myself, who does almost an excellent toe stand when I can’t even bend my knee fully. I get freaked out by the tightness in the back of my thigh and can’t go further (yet!).

Yoga is very personal. There is nothing to do but try it. I hope you find the joy in it that I do.

By the way, I wouldn’t attend any studio that creates a negative environment through the kind of comments you mentioned. You might want to talk to the instructors when you visit about your concerns – how to begin with poses you think will be very difficult, your nervousness about attending, etc. Any instructors of any yoga class I’ve attended (different kinds over 12 years), have been accepting, positive and openly encouraging to new students.

I remember thinking that I would never wear the ‘nothing’ that hot yoga students wear. Now, I’m down to a very supportive bra (I think it’s Moving Comfort, or something like that) and shorts that go down to mid-thigh, and considering buying much smaller shorts. It is so hot that extra material in clothing is distracting. I would try fitted, or not too loose capris (they’ll just get soaked and cling to you as you sweat), and a sleeveless, fitted top to start. As self-conscious as you may feel, a top that slips up and down as you move from pose to pose won’t help you in class, and in fact will distract, and possibly annoy you.

I thought this would be a quick reply – I guess not. I wish you well on your yoga journey and hope you will post as you go along. There are always people who read and learn from others’ experiences.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Ilonka

Hi Elle – Just to add to what Ilonka has said – I have found that the teachers have been 99% wonderful. My advice is to make sure the teacher knows you are new to the class – they should be welcoming and patient.

The goal for your first class is really to stay in the room – adjusting to the heat may take some time and definitely be patient with yourself. Water and coconut water are what I bring to each class.

I wear a sports bra, a fitted tank top, and spandex-type shorts that come about halfway down my thighs. Everything is fully covered but you will find different levels of dress in the class.

In EVERY class I take, there are people of all levels – all weights, all heights, all nationalities. And everyone is going to be focused on their own postures and not judging yours – you do what you can!

And I have great days in the studio and then some not so great days where I find I need to rest more often but I just put it behind me and concentrate on the next class.

In summary – be patient with yourself, and just get to your mat – that is the most important step!! Good luck!!

Hello Elle….I hope I can help 🙂 I’m so happy you asked this questions, because it truly inspires me to pursue following my dream of becoming a yoga teacher, despite my size….and to teach kids, pregnant moms, and people who are afraid to step on the mat because of their ability level, size, disabilities, or self-doubt.

I’m new to this forum as well, but am a yoga LOVER and am a plus-size woman (size 22-24 and only 5’1″) ….and want to encourage you to try yoga, you will never regret the decision to make any type of yoga a part of your life 🙂 I personally have not tried hot yoga or Bikram yoga, but have been doing yoga classes at my local gym off and on for about 5-6 years. I haven’t thoroughly studied all the philosophies of yoga, but from what I have read and understand, is that any yoga practice….be it in a group practice or solitary practice….is all about being NON-judgemental….of yourself, the others around you, and of everything around you. Each time you do a pose, it WILL be different from the people around you and it will be different from the last time you yourself did the pose, it’a about accepting what your body can and can’t do and letting go of any expectations and just going with what feels good for that moment.

In my class, there are people of all shapes and sizes, old and young, experienced and new….and honestly nobody cares….THAT is the yoga spirit 🙂 Everyone is friendly and supportive and you can feel the positivity in the room. The other night in class, the man next to me stood in a shoulder stand/head stand pose for about 10 minutes while the rest of us went through the flow of poses our teacher led….it’s what he needed to do at that moment…..and I remember feeling inspired that this man, probably in his late sixties, rather overweight….felt the strength and freedom to get into a pose I was always afraid to try. It was so cool! And there are days our teacher feels very tight and she modifies poses to meet her own bodies needs, even though she is very experienced and in great shape, no one is expected to be perfect in class, and everyone works at their own pace and ability level…and that is OK. A good yoga teacher should encourage the use of modifications, demonstrate them, and verbally remind her class to use them when their body needs less stretch, and you should never be made to feel uncomfortable with your size or ability level in class. If people in your class are judgemental, they shouldn’t be there….it brings negativity into the class….and then I would suggest looking for another class for your practice.

As for what to wear and how to modify poses, I would say wear comfy clothes that feel good and breathe well. You don’t want something too loose around the neck, or it drapes forward when you are on your hands and knees or similar poses. I like stretchy crop yoga/workout pants and a closer fitting, stretchy 3/4 sleeve shirt (cause I have really flabby upper arms..LOL!) Before your first class, you might show-up early….or contact the teacher ahead of time to figure out a time he/she can show you some modified poses for beginners. Let them know you are NEW to yoga and are not sure you can get into all the poses, and let them know you are a little nervous about it….a good teacher will put you at ease, and help you with modifying poses.

For myself, I have to often do things on my knees instead of toes, and I often drop out of poses early to let my body rest, or don’t even attempt the pose…and that’s perfectly OK. I can’t cross my legs into a traditional cross-legged pose, or do a lotus pose, so I always sit with my soles together in a butterfly pose instead. My legs are too chubby to cross over, but again….it’s perfectly OK. No one is perfect and no one can balance for 100% of every pose, and everyone needs a break from a pose and can sit it out or do a different pose if it’s too challenging…..you just listen to your body and be thankful to your body for what it CAN do on that day at that moment 🙂

After several classes, you will notice strength you never thought you had and will surprise yourself, and soon you will do poses you thought were impossible. I have never been able to do ANY one-armed balances, EVER…..and after 7 yoga classes (since May), I listened in detail as our teacher led us in a progression of stretches, and then she walked us slowly through each movement and breath in baby steps to get into a side plank pose, on one arm….and I DID it, and I didn’t think I could…..and it felt great! The next class, I wasn’t strong enough and stayed on my knee for the pose and it still felt great 🙂 I accepted that some day I will be able to do that pose, and some days I won’t.

I hope you will give yoga a try and will try several classes before you decide if you like it, once you get into it and start enjoying the class, you will start to gain inner calm and happiness and start feeling really good. Yoga is a beautiful thing…..on EVERY body 🙂 Have fun!

Namaste…

Sara 🙂

Elle….your welcome! I’m excited for you too….I remember my first yoga class, years ago 🙂 It’s nice to find others you can relate to and who may be going through some of the same issues,or have the same questions, maybe we can support each other throughout our “getting healthy” journeys! I’ll share a little more about my journey and hopefully encourage you to enjoy your first classes and help you feel good about who you are, so you don’t worry about how you look.

I have been “overweight”….or what others perceive as overweight… since i was a teen, and it’s often a hard road, and I always worried about what others thought of me. Most of my self-doubt feelings stemmed from a dance teacher who continually berated me for having “curves” and for being overweight in comparison to the other girls in my class. Now that I’m no longer a self-doubting, ashamed-of-my-body teen….I can look back and see that her actions were wrong and I never should have allowed her to make me feel that way. I quit dance and I’m SO thankful I did. It took a really long time for me to shake the negative body image she had created and I was terrified of what others thought of me….and now I realize I was in excellent shape! I was a curvy size 12 that worked-out and danced daily!! What I wouldn’t give to have that body back again!! And now I have the courage to move and dance freely and not feel bad about how I look, and have tried many other forms of dance and creative movement over the years….it’s very liberating. All shapes and sizes are beautiful when celebrating the spirit of dance or creative movement!

So how I got over these feelings were by listening to my parents and a dear friend. My parents always encouraged me to be happy with my body and to be an individual, and never made me feel bad, despite the mean dance teacher. My best friend constantly encouraged me to love my body no matter what, that I was beautiful inside and out, that it didn’t matter what others thought. She encouraged me to wear clothes that were cute and showed my shape, she encouraged me to date, she encouraged me to feel confident….and after a few years of her and my parents constantly telling me these things, I started to believe it and feel good about me. We are still best friends and sisters today, almost 20 years later, and of course both of us are about 100lbs heavier than back in high-school, but we both continue to encourage each other and remind each other to love our bodies no matter what. I can’t thank her enough for giving me that joy and I try to share that self-love joy with other women I meet, and share the encouragement and motivation to get healthier both in body and mind, to accept and love your body for what it gives you every day!

After giving birth to 3 children, and being very overweight for all of my adult life, there are parts of my body that I really wish were different. But instead of focusing on how much I hate those parts of my body, and focusing on what others will think of those parts of my body….I try to focus on feeling good, and doing my best to change my lifestyle. If I am eating healthy things, drinking more water, exercising, and doing things to create joy in my life…..then I can look at those parts of my body and know that they are getting healthier from the inside out….and that if I smile and feel confident, that is what others will notice….not the jiggly belly or saggy arms. I don’t care as much about the change in shape of my body, as I do about the health benefits of eating well and exercising, so that I live a long, happy and healthy life….and have the energy to enjoy it.

I hope your first class goes well and that you enjoy feeling the “good” you are doing for your body, it might be hard for your first class, because you haven’t built up strength….but don’t lose hope, it gets easier after a few classes. If you smile and think about having a vibrant, healthy inner glow of light shining through your body….and then let that light shine out into the room to share with your fellow class mates and then let that light shine out into the universe…..you will find that you enjoy class more and will be at peace with whatever your body is capable of doing today, hopefully your other classmates will be sharing the same inner light and joy! Our teacher reminds us to radiate our light into the whole room, it feels good, and you know you have the support and encouragement of the other people around you 🙂

I would love to hear how things go, and how the different classes/teachers compare! You are making a huge step forward, just by going to your very first class. You are welcome to email me anytime, if you would like to stay in touch. I’m at [email protected]…..or you can find me on facebook under Sara Stauffer Florence. Happy first class!!

Namaste~~~

Sara 🙂

Have you heard of Health At Every Size? It really helps me to just take care of my body and let go of my weight or size. I hope you are enjoying your body as you get strong. Be gentle with your miraculous body!
: )