What X-Large Yogis should consider – with 5 Asanas!

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Tips for X-Large yoginis and yogis – with precise instructions for dogs, cats, trees, and Co.

“What do I have to consider if I want to do yoga as a fat person?” I am often asked by interested people, in interviews, and also by yoga teachers (I use the word “fat” or X-Large here on purpose because I find that this is no more an insult than “thin”).

First of all, I answer that the practice of hatha yoga is a way of mindfulness and respect for one’s own body and that asanas should always be carried out carefully and gently – regardless of figure and constitution. It’s important to keep reminding yourself: my body is different every day. The limits and possibilities of what my body can do today are sometimes wider and sometimes narrower.

As self-torture and with disciplinary rigor, as Hatha Yoga was taught in ancient times and in the context of a hierarchical system in India, yoga no longer seems contemporary to me today since everyday work demands excessive physical and mental performance from people anyway.

The following applies to my yoga teaching style: just as body and mind do well today, it’s about self-discovery and relaxation through the body.

Yoga for X-Large yogis: These points must be observed in practice

Note joint alignment to train muscles instead of over-stressing joints (Exercise 1: Tree)
Particular attention should be paid to the back and spine, as they are often the tensest or degenerated (Exercise 2: Cat).
Encourage the body in its natural flexibility for the time being in order to slowly master further challenges. (Exercise 3: Seated Triangle).
Stretch muscles regularly and more often per week before they can be trained progressively (i.e. subjected to more stress), and the yoga sessions become longer (Exercise 4: Dog).
Learn to breathe deeply again and consciously use it to support yourself during the asanas (exercise 5: pendulum).

Here are some asanas for people with more pounds, which are well suited for overweight people who are careful with their bodies. It is helpful to remember with every practice of Hatha Yoga that it is about body awareness on the one hand, but also a conscious feeling of the inner world and inner vitality.

A kind of ritual preparation for and attentive follow-up after the yoga session seems particularly important for the loving acceptance of one’s own body.

Before you start the exercises: Yoga for X-Large Yogis

Lie down on your yoga mat for a few minutes. Breathe, feel how your body feels today, and notice how your thoughts slowly come to rest. Then stretch, stretch and loll vigorously before you gently start your little yoga session with the following five exercises.

Take advantage: we prepared for our readers’ FREE Yoga kick start kit with a yoga mat inside. Take it as a motivational promo kit to make it easier for you to start!

Exercise 1: Asana “Tree” – train muscles and protect joints

There are different variants of the asana “Tree”. This variant is helpful for fat people to protect their knee and hip joints for the time being instead of overstraining the outer ligaments of the knee of the standing leg, for example, by restlessly swaying back and forth.

Stand up straight and feel the muscles in your body.
Position your feet close together.
Fixate on a point at eye level to “fix” your gaze.
Tighten your pelvic floor muscles and lift your right leg slightly.
Place your right foot on the top of your left foot.
Feel your physical balance and keep your gaze fixed.
Now raise your arms overhead and bring your hands or fingertips together.
Breathe consciously, feel the soothing outer and inner harmony and stay in a stable position as long as it feels good for you.
Then first, bring your arms down, then your right foot back to the ground.
Consciously feel the effect of this asana for a few moments before you do the exercise just as carefully with your left leg raised.

Exercise 2: Asana “Cat” – feel the vitality of the back

The back, like the entire musculoskeletal system, is nowadays mostly perceived as a sitting instrument. Revitalizing the back and spine flexibility is essential basic training for further yoga practice to feel the body as a lively companion in life.

Support yourself on your hands, knees, and lower legs with the backs of your feet on your yoga mat (this basic position is called a “four-footed stand”).
To protect your hip and knee joints, align your knees under your hips, i.e. your knees should not be straddled outwards.
Likewise, align your hands under your shoulder joints for height and width.
Now, beginning at the lumbar spine, arch up vertebra by vertebra toward the sky, gradually forming a rounded back like a cat stretching.
Make sure that the pointed sides of your elbow joints are pointing outwards, and your elbow bends are not turned forward – this way, you train your arm muscles and protect your elbow joints.
Breathe deeply and consciously in and out of this pose.
Stay as long as you feel good and feel the stretching of your back muscles and the pleasant expansion of your spine.
Then straighten your back again and relax in a comfortable body position for a moment.
Practice the “Cat” asana a few more times to feel the vitality of your back.

Exercise 3: “Triangle Seated” Asana – Promote natural flexibility.

Due to the stronger physique and the bone structure, the entire pelvic area is usually wider in obese people. This often gives amazing yet natural flexibility in the pelvis and hip area, so, for example, various asana variants of the “triangle” work particularly well. Here is a simple variation for beginners that is performed while seated.

Sit on your yoga mat with your legs spread.
Bend your left leg as shown in the photo, or keep your leg straight throughout the exercise.
Twist your torso and head to the left.
Grab the toes of your right foot with your right hand.
Put your left arm behind your back.
Breathe consciously and deeply, and stay in the pose as long as it feels good for you.
Feel the stretch in your leg and hip muscles and take in the beneficial effects of the asana on your lower back and entire upper body.
Then release your left arm from your back and your hand from your right foot, rotate your upper body back to the center, and stand up.
With your legs straight, stay in a relaxed posture for a moment (for example, with your upper body bent slightly forward).
Then perform the exercises (with the right leg bent or straight) with the torso and head turned to the right and the left hand on the left foot.

Exercise 4: Asana “Dog” – stretching and training muscles for X-Large yogis

On the one hand, the asana dog stretches the back muscles and back leg muscles. On the other hand, this exercise also strengthens the arm, abdominal, and front leg muscles. This asana is an all-rounder and a sensible basic exercise that can give particularly X-Large yogis the self-confidence of “mastering” their body.

Get in the four-legged position on your yoga mat (see Exercise 2).
Plant your toes.
Take a deep breath and lift your buttocks, knees, and torso.
You can either straighten your arms (Photo 1), making sure the tapered sides of your elbows are turned outwards.
Or you can leave your forearms on the mat (photo 2) here to make sure that your forearms and elbows are straight under you and are not stuck out.
Breathe consciously and deeply and linger for as long as it feels good for you while you joyfully feel the flexibility and strength of your muscles throughout your body.
Then, slowly and mindfully return to all fours, relax on your stomach, and perform the asana a second time.

Exercise 5: Asana “Pendulum” – experience deep breathing

Fat or thin, most people breathe too shallowly, unconsciously, and often not in the physiologically intended way by nature.

During natural breathing, the abdominal wall moves outwards due to the initial movement of the diaphragm (main respiratory muscle) in the abdomen when inhaling, followed by the inflow of respiratory air into the lungs, which expands the chest, chest, and shoulders lift.

During exhalation, this process takes place in reverse order: the shoulders and chest sink, the ribs of the chest contract slightly, and finally, the abdominal wall sinks or, if the exhalation is consciously increased, it pulls into the abdominal cavity.

Knowledge of this physiological breathing process is essential for a successful and, above all, lastingly healing yoga practice and should definitely be conveyed by yoga teachers to yoga students.

The exercise below helps deepen the natural cycle of breathing and develop an awareness of the wonder of breathing.

Sit on your yoga mat with your legs stretched out, or if you can, depending on your thigh circumference and the flexibility of your knee joints, sit on your heels.
Now support yourself with your right hand on the ground to your right (the position of your hand should be in line with your hips, i.e. not placed behind your upper body to protect your arm joints).
Bend your torso to the right as well while leaning on your right hand.
Raise your left arm wide and then bend it to the right in an arc over your head as well.
Now begin to deepen your breathing consciously.
Feel your abdomen rise and your chest expand as you inhale.
As you exhale, feel your chest shrink and your abdominal wall drop.
Stay for at least 10 breaths or longer.
Then lower your left arm, carefully straighten your upper body and feel the different flow of energy in your left and right half of your body.
Then, perform the Pendulum asana with your upper body bent to the left and become aware of the miracle of Life-giving Breathing.

At the end of this yoga session: X-Large yogis “Cool Down”

Lie back on the yoga mat and feel the calm in your mind and the vibrant vitality in your body. Become aware of your body in all its dimensions inside and outside, and give yourself grateful and loving feelings.

Take advantage: we prepared for our readers’ FREE Yoga kick start kit with a yoga mat inside. Take it as a motivational promo kit to make it easier for you to start!

All beginnings are difficult, but you can feel the changes and progress very quickly with yoga. Fat people, in particular, often trust their bodies less than they can.

For me, “Yoga X-Large” and Hatha Yoga, in general, is the path of body and life love, which grows with constant practice. When practicing Hatha Yoga, I recommend starting with the motto “Less is more”.

Five exercises every two days are more helpful and appropriate for the body than a two-hour hard workout once a week. Everything needs time and leisure to grow – for all people, in life and yoga.

As you go better and better, consider “jump” on my bikini yoga fast program I wrote about in this article.

I wish you many beautiful moments in yoga practice and send you Love and Light.