I really love it when I find out about new resources for curvy yogis. It feels like such a treat to get new tools for my curvy toolbox!
The fantastic Marilyn Wann, author of FAT!SO?, recently connected me with Sally Pugh. Sally is Marilyn’s yoga teacher, so right away I knew she was someone I’d want to know. Sally teaches yoga for large women, and she just released a DVD! I ordered a copy immediately, and as soon as I received it I began practicing with it regularly.
The DVD, Expanding into Fullness: Yoga for Large Women is a complete delight. Sally has sequenced a lovely, gentle class for practitioners of many different sizes, abilities, and experience levels. Throughout the video, she offers many modifications, including many using a chair (and finding a good video with chair modifications is difficult!).
Besides Sally’s warm presence and the obvious care she put into developing this resource, my favorite thing about the DVD is that Sally’s students are the people demonstrating the poses! These women are seriously amazing. They are graceful and demonstrate the modifications in ways that are easy to follow. I wanted to befriend all of them immediately. And because of the interviews included with them on the DVD, I was able to feel like I did.
If you’re looking for an excellent DVD to add to your collection or to begin practicing yoga, I highly recommend this one (check out the trailer below).
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
The title of the video is spectacular. They look serious as heck in those warriors.
I agree! They’re totally fierce.
We could all expland into fullness (no matter our size!) I had a curvy private client for two months and she blew me away with her grace!
If you hadn’t visited my blog, I would’ve never known about your FABULOUS blog. Thank you! I love it! It’s going up on my list rightaway!
Thanks for your kind words, Nikki! Glad to have you here!
Great information, Anna. I’m curious though why it is for “large women” and not “large people”? Can’t big guys get into yoga too?
I believe that Sally’s expertise is in teaching large women specifically, which is why this DVD also focuses on women. This isn’t to say that yoga in general is only for large women, but rather that women are the focus of this particular resource. After practicing with the DVD, though, I can definitely say that men could also practice with it with no problem.
Thanks so much for your comment. You are absolutely right about the DVD and yoga classes being for men as well. We (my students and I) talked a lot about how to include men in the title and then decided to go with “large women” since that’s what I actually say on camera — because that’s what the classes were called at the time we shot it. While some of my students feel comfortable with having only women in the class, the majority are completely open to having men. Over the years of teaching these classes (since 2001) we have actually had only 1 man attend — an average size man who came with is wife. But you make an excellent point. We certainly want to be inclusive. Namaste.
Great post! I love the softness in the teacher’s voice, and the music is lovely too. If you’d like to review my new book, Big Yoga: A Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies, I would be happy to send you a copy.
Blessings in the New Year!
Hi, Meera! Good to have you here! I love your book _Big Yoga_ and recommend it often here on the site. Blessings in the New Year to you, too!
the world wide web amazes me – I got here from many Facebook page layers, and I love this site and video! I work with large bodied women (and a few men) and yoga has helped them to land back in their bodies.
Too cool! Glad to have you here!