Super sized yoga

Small classes. Individual attention. Soothing environment of acceptance and encouragement. Boutique yoga? No, this is Buddha Body Yoga. Yoga for the big bodied.

At nearly sex feet and 240 pounds, owner Michael Hayes grew tired of not making any progress with his yoga classes. He started bringing his own props to class to help support him in awkward positions, enabling him to achieve the poses. He has now taught yoga for 14 years.

“There are heavy people who are fit and not necessarily fat,” he explains. “We have body builders who can’t stretch because they’re muscularly tight. If you think of a sumo wrestler as fat, then you have a problem.”

And his class is much more interactive than the skinny people classes. “People don’t really ask questions, won’t tell you when something hurts,” he said. “I teach a very rowdy crowd, there’s a call and response. It’s very easy going.”

Yoga, no matter what your achievement level, is good for the body, all bodies. “People think of yoga as these really complicated poses so they shy away from it,” said Dr. Kara Mohr, a weight loss expert with the American College of Sports Medicine. “They’re moving more freely, able to get to the floor more comfortably, and sitting cross-legged more easily. There’s an emotional component. They trust more.”

Source: Reuters