Plus size Yoga

There is a huge market about weight loss in our world. We can see skinny models in all the magazines and low fat yogurts in our supermarkets. But what is really healthy and what is not?

It could be difficult for people with extra weight to come to a yoga class to begin with. But yoga class is your safe place where you can find balance with your Personal I. Of course as for every beginner in yoga you will need some support with using props in your practice. Here are some excellent photos which will show you that you're free to begin with and where yoga can bring you to.

1. Wide Legged Standing Forward Bend (sanskrit Prasarita Padottanasana)

This posture could be an excellent start of your practice.

Position

Stand in the middle of your mat and step your feet as wide as you can. Keep your feet parallel to the sides of your mat. Engage your quadriceps and lift your kneecaps up. If you feel that you can go forward move your upper body parallel to the floor and keep your arms on your hips.

Controindications

Lower back issues (don't do extreme forward bend)

Benefits

Activates hips joints

Weight loss

Avoids depression

Helps with headache

2. 90 degrees angle

Position

Lay down on your mat and lift you legs up to 90 degrees, it's okay if it is hard for beginning, you are free to use yoga belt to support your feet or keep your legs on lower level.

There is no contraindications for this posture, but be aware of feeling what your body is ready for. If this posture is difficult for you, try to make it near the wall and place your legs on it.

Benefits

Excellent stretch of hamstrings

Very good for abdominal area

Helps to avoid depression and stress

Here are some more photos of yoga, which are very inspiring for me and I believe you will find them inspiring for yourself.

Did you order the Dog?

Downward Facing Dog (sanskrit Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Well-known posture for everybody, who was at yoga class at least once. I call this one The Mother of all poses. No matter which yoga style you’re practicing, you will do this posture at least once during your practice. So, here we go…

Position

Sit on your heels and extend your arms forward in your Child Pose.

We’ll start with your Down Dog arms.  Spread your fingers widely and firmly press them and every inch of your palms to the floor, keep lines of your wrists parallel to the front side of your mat.  Rotate your forearms inside and your upper arms outside, eyes of your elbows should look up to the ceiling. Push your shoulders to the shoulder socket to keep your neck relaxed. Come to your all four position, keep your legs on hip distance, tag your toes and push your hips up and backward. From the side this posture looks like triangle.

Lift your kneecaps with quadriceps , try to lift your sitting bones up to the ceiling, keep your heels up and then slowly forward them down to the floor.  Your heels should touch the floor after some time of practice, but it is not necessary. Main point here is keeping your neck relax and learn how to spread your weights between hands and heels.

Props

 If you feel that it doesn’t work in the middle of the room, go to the wall and try to use it as an additional holder. First time try a holder for your heels, place your heels on the wall and balls under your toes on the mat (exactly balls under toes, not toes) and feel what changes.

Second option is a holder for your hands. Place your hands right next to the wall and firmly press index and big fingers to the wall and spread others as much as you can go ahead with your Downward Facing Dog and observe all the changes.

If you feel discomfort with your hamstrings, try to bend your knees.

You can always use a strap right below your elbows which will help you to rotate your arms.

Take a block and squeeze it between your thighs, it will help you to rotate your thighs and to lift your kneecaps.

You can also use a block under your forehead here, very helpful with relaxation, headache, low/high blood pressure.

Benefits

Increase the movement capacity of shoulder joints

Extend the spine

Extend back side of your legs

Good influence for nervous system

Contraindications

Hamstrings issue

Wrists issue

Intervertebral disks issue

How cute is this little girl?

Little girl is sitting in Easy Pose (sanskrit Sukhasana).

Position

Sit down on your mat and move flash out of the sitting bones. Cross your legs in the middle of culves, extend your spine and roll your shoulders back and down. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.
Place your palms on your thighs and close your eyes. Keep your thighs relaxed but your back should be full of energy and power.
Although this called an Easy Pose, this one is not easy - it takes time while you will be able to spend sometime in it and will find your own way to realize it fully.
Good practice is to change the cross of your legs time to time.

Posture is perfect for beginning of your practice, for breath practice and meditation.

However a lot of people have tight hip joints and will need some additional props for this pose.

Props

If your knees are higher than your hips you should sit on a bolster or a block, which will help to keep this posture correct.
Also you can sit near the wall to be sure that your back is in a correct position.

Benefits

keeping your spine and back muscles strong
concentration
extremely healthful for nervous system

Contraindications

Knees injury

Yoga Practice during the period

Women should correct their yoga practice during the period. This is something what you always hear in your yoga class. The reasons are pretty obvious.

During their period women loose a lot of iron and energy even if we don’t have any symptoms as PMS, stress and pain.

Ladies, let’s take care about our bodies, here you can find some must-have postures during this time in our lives.

Corp Pose (Sanskrit Savasana)

Everybody knows this posture very well. Guidance through this posture will follow up a bit later. Usually this one is final posture for your yoga practice, but during your period I would recommend to start with Corp Pose and breathe in your body, feel it before you will start active practice.

Child pose (Sanskrit Balasana)

Sit on your heels, spread your knees a little bit. Slowly move down to the mat until your forehead will reach the floor. Position for your arms could be different, you can extend them forward and use you Downward Facing Dog arms or you can move them backward and just relax. The main point here is to relax your pelvis on heels and relax abdominal area, which should be in connection with inner thighs. In case if your buttocks are not on the heels, take a blanket between.

Bound Angle Pose (Sanskrit Baddha Konasana)

Sit on your sitting bones and extend your legs, bend your knees and bring your heels closer to your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of feet together. Try to move your feet as close to pelvis as it is comfortable for your body. In case if your knees are not on the mat yet, take two blankets, roll them and use under your knees, bolsters will be very useful here.

As a variation to reach more relaxation in this posture, try the variation called Supta Baddha Konasana.

Prepare two bolsters and when you’re already sitting in Bound Angle Pose place first bolster approximately under your floating ribs and use second bolster for your head, lay down and relax.

Bridge Pose (Sanskrit Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) only with props

Prepare your base. Place first bolster under your spine, and place second bolster under your feet. Lay down on first bolster, move backward until your shoulders will meet the floor, as in Shoulder stand, and extend your legs to meet second bolster. Relax and breathe.

Hero Pose (Sanskrit Virasana) only with props

Prepare your props. Place one bolster on your mat and place one or two blankets on the top. Sit on the floor close to bolster and lay down forward. Relax your abdominal and your pelvis.

To avoid:

-       Any inversions and “legs up” postures

-       Deep close twists

-       Postures, which compress abdominals (as Boat pose)

-       Extreme backbends (especially if these postures are not your favorites)

Keep your practice patient and calm, listen to your body and enjoy. 

Yoga Practice to avoid cellulite

Cellulite is a very common problem for a lot of women all over the world. Reasons for this illness could be very different, starting with nutrition problems, hormones misbalance, passive life and etc..

Here are some postures, which will HELP to fight and avoid cellulite.

Warrior I, II (sanskrit Virabhadrasana I, II)

Will fill your blood with an oxigen, will tone up thighs and buttocks.

Starting in Downward Facing Dog. Lift your right leg up to the sky and place it between your hands on the mat. Keep 90 degrees angle between your thigh and calve, ground your back foot under 45 degrees angle and extend back leg. For Warrior I keep your hips square and lift your torso up. On inhale raise your hands up to the ceiling, but keep shoulders in your shoulders sockets. For Warrior II lift your torso up and open hips, lift and extend your arms on shoulder level. And of course don’t forget to breathe.

Eagle pose (sanskrit Garudasana)

This posture is great to refresh blood in thighs and hamstrings area.

Starting in Mountain Pose. Spread toes widely. Lift one leg and catch the balance with your base leg. Bend your knees and twist your base led with upper one like a hug. Be sure that front part of foot is on the calve of base leg. Bend your elbows and twist arms, keep palms together and lift your hands up a little bit. You can always keep your hands in prayer in this posture.

Locust Pose (sanskrit Salabhasana)

Stimulates blood circulation.

Lay down on stomach, extend your arms back, on inhale lift head, chest and arms, but keep your floating ribs on the mat. Extend and lift your legs, hold for 30 seconds and release. Repeat three times.

Shoulders stand (sanskrit Salamba Sarvangasana)

Improve lymph flow and blood circulation. Lay down on your back, bend your knees and lift them up towards your head slowly lifting your spine up, bend your elbows and place palms on the back as high as you can. Keep your elbows close to your body. Ideal position literally stand on your shoulders. 

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Namaste

Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana)

Extended Triangle Pose (sanskrit Utthita Trikonasana)

Benefits

- Improves spine flexibility

- Stretches thighs, hamstrings, calves

- Therapeutic for flat feet, osteoporosis and sciatica

- Helps with backache 

- Improves balancing

Contraindications

- Diarrhea

- Low and High blood pressure (don't turn your head, keep it centralize)

- Neck injuries (don't turn your head)

Variations

- Use a block for palm

- Keep upper arm on your hips, which will help you to open your chest

- Try this posture near the wall