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The Way I See It

August 2, 2012

Lantern

The way I see it, the more curves on the mat, the better.

The way I see it, “modifications” in yoga are the norm, not the exception.

The way I see it, “advanced” means more mindful, more subtle, more aware.

The way I see it, we ALL need a body positive yoga practice — no matter our body shape or size.

The way I see it, yoga is a tool for self-acceptance, not making yourself feel worse because you can’t “do” a pose.

The way I see it, yoga is home.

The way I see it, yoga can teach you how to truly listen to your body, which (interestingly) doesn’t mean pushing yourself too far to “stick” a pose.

The way I see it, there is NO place for body shame in yoga.

The way I see it, yoga should always be a way to feel really good.

The way I see it, there is a yoga for all of us — on mats, in chairs, inside, in beds, outside — whenever/however we need.

The way I see it, if someone tells you — implicitly or explicitly — that yoga isn’t for you, then the problem isn’t you — it’s them.

The way I see it, placing one hand on your heart and taking a deep breath in a difficult moment may be the most important yoga we can do.

The way I see it, yoga poses are a step along the way to the goal, not the goal itself.

The way I see it, more and more curvy people are getting on the mat — and we’re only just beginning.

The way I see it, your practice may change your life in ways you weren’t expecting.

The way I see it, you’re awesome. End of story.

Photo Credit

  • http://www.thesimpleboxcar.com Ani

    Beautiful post.

    Namaste,
    Ani

    • Anna Guest-Jelley

      Thank you — so glad you enjoyed it!

  • http://www.yogaandalatte.blogspot.com Cindy

    awesome post and very well said – i feel the exact same way, thank you!

    • Anna Guest-Jelley

      My pleasure!

  • Ellen

    The way I see it…your blog is inspiring. So nice to see women my size living yoga.

    • Anna Guest-Jelley

      Oh, thank you — much appreciated!

  • Amy

    the “way I see it” … Anna knows her SH*@! ty ty ty

    • Anna Guest-Jelley

      Haha! This literally made me LOL — thanks! :)

  • Jamie English

    here, here….and an echo of Amy :)

    You know, you are an inspiration. I deeply wanted to do yoga but was afraid….I’d dabble a bit at home, yet I wanted to go to a class. This past Monday, I followed my heart and went to a class. I believed there were folks out there that embraced curvy girls doing yoga, but I was still afraid. In my head, I pictured the teacher and all the others in the class as….well….thin and perfect. But….I said to my husband as I left, “I wonder if they’ve had a curvy girl before”….then I paused and said, “well if they haven’t, they are about to.” Hoping not to be judged, I walked into the class. Hoping the teacher embraced the individualism of yoga and that I bring to the mat what I bring to the mat, I set up my mat. I tried not to look at anyone, still a bit scared, but also wanting to respect the spirit of yoga. And you know what? When I dared to take a breath and be present, I noticed something absolutely beautiful! The teacher was curvy, too! And as she lead the class, I knew….it isn’t about your body size and shape!

    For me, it started with you….where I first heard of curvy yoga and how it isn’t about having the perfect, little body….it’s about your own body and connecting with it!

    • Anna Guest-Jelley

      YES! Wow; I am SO thankful that you shared this. THIS is what Curvy Yoga is all about. I’m so thrilled to hear you had this experience — go you!!

  • lila

    loved this ! gonna print it and hang up on my wall.

    • Anna Guest-Jelley

      Aww…that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know!!

  • http://marianne-elliott.com Marianne

    Amen!

  • http://www.zingsessions.co.nz Nat Allan

    That just says it all Anna…just gorgeous.

  • Margarite

    Every post makes me shed happy tears.. how do you do that?

  • http://ktmoxie.com kt moxie

    Love, love, love. Thanks!

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  • http://www.thewovenmoments.com Ryan (The Woven Moments)

    Oh, I love this so much. My husband and I have started doing yoga once or twice a week together. It’s such a restorative time – and it’s WAY tougher than we ever thought it would be! I’m grateful to have found a teacher – and classes – that are super supportive and not competitive. Wonderful!

  • http://www.legupcreative.com Julie

    Beautiful!! I’m passing this along to all of my yogi friends :)