I’ve found that it helps to stop following social media accounts that center normatively “fit” bodies and instead fill your feed with a diversity of bodies. Some of my favorite accounts to follow: @ihartericka, @tessholliday, @itsmekellieb, @nicolettemason, @jazzmynejay, @iamlshauntay, @themirnivator, and the late but great @mamacax. In other words, curate an online experience that’s perfumed with body liberation and fat acceptance.
And don’t let your people in your life kill your vibe either. Sometimes the people who are closest can reinforce our fatphobia. Or maybe they’re fine but not necessarily part of your journey to lose the body baggage. Why not work on your relationship to yourself instead?
One of my favorite ways to strengthen my love and respect for myself is to take myself on solo self-love dates. If you can take a walk or hike safely right now, spend some time outside. Turn your bedroom into a spa and give yourself a mani/pedi, or pretend to be a tourist in your own town and take yourself on walking tours of places you might otherwise not visit. Show yourself the love you crave from others and you’ll feel better over time.
Personally, I think your first solo self-love date should be to a yoga class—and there are plenty to do online.
Start from where you are—and with what you have—right now.
If you don’t have a yoga mat, don’t worry about it. You don’t need to buy special clothes—just find something that you can comfortably move around in, and if you’re at home don’t be afraid to practice naked.
Online classes, whether live or prerecorded, are a great way to anchor your home practice. If it’s too hard for you to follow along with the rest of the class, don’t sweat it. Trust me, it happens to all of us sooner or later. Just watch the teacher and focus on breathing and meditating. Sometimes we have to watch before our body can find its way into the postures.
Feel free to modify all yoga postures, all the time, even if your instructor hasn’t said anything about modifying and you’re kinda not even sure if what you’re doing is technically yoga. Trust me, it’s yoga. Everything is yoga. If you start taking an online class and get bored halfway through, feel free to ignore the teacher and make up your own flow instead.
Use props—even if the teacher hasn’t mentioned needing them.
Yoga props (I talk about my favorites here) make postures more accessible while allowing for a deeper, more integral stretch. In postures like Triangle Pose and high lunge, I love to slide blocks under my hands, and I love to throw a blanket under my knees in postures like Cat Pose and Cow Pose. A yoga strap can change the game up when it comes to seated forward bends, and a yoga bolster can make a simple Child’s Pose so much more accessible for those of us with more cushion for the pushin’.
