Back in the early 90's, I was priveleged to be living at Yogaville, where my two boys, Sam and Dave (Tyagan and Deva) attended the Vidylayam. I made a sankalpa to attend the noon meditations at LOTUS. Being a busy mom, that became my main practice. These were sweet meditations, full of revelations and miracles. The vibration of the LOTUS and the gathering of the sangha to meditate together is a heady mix! During these times, I often observed myself entering meditation Effortlessly.

One day in meditation, I found myself musing on the word INTEGRAL. As a certified Integral Yoga teacher and also a professional songwriter, I had always found "integral" to be an awkward word. It just doesn't sing! People can't pronounce it; they don't know the meaning. I silently asked, "What's another word with a similar meaning to integral?" Immediately I heard the word "BIG". The answer intrigued me. First I understood that BIG meant expansive, inclusive of all branches of Yoga. But I also realized it had a special connotation for a Yoga that could serve BIG people.    

 

I encouraged my students to give me feedback as many of them were larger than I and carried their weight in different areas of the body.

I am an unabashed fan of Sri Gurudev's Hatha I class, so I knew that the class had to be true to the Integral Yoga template. Big Yoga begins and ends with chanting. I love the way chanting OM at the beginning sets the tone for the rest of the class, and the Hari Om chant harmonizes the energy in the room. It's almost as if it flips a switch in the brain that calms the mind. To aid the students in staying focused during the class, we do the eye exercises. By this time, the students have brought their awareness inward and the rest of the class is a meditation in movement.

We continue with a wonderful adaptation of the salute to the sun, done at the wall, which I got from Ren Fields by way of the IYTA newsletter. I've tried a similar adaptation using a chair but I find youget a better stretch using the wall. I personally find props distracting. The wall is sturdy and comforting in that I know it's not going to slide off somewhere.

The Big Yoga Hatha I video is designed for students who are basically fit but large. If your students are in that cycle of "it hurts to exercise because I'm big, but I'm getting bigger because I'm not exercising," you may want to try an even gentler approach. An audiotape of this type of class, by Linda Varshell is available from her website www.agentleway.com. I also highly recommend the IY Extra-Gentle TT, where you will see how yoga can be adapted for every body. (Plus it will give you a reason to get to Yogaville!)

After Sun Salutation the rest of the "Big Yoga" class is standard IY fare. Instead of the bow, we do the boat; doing a few repetitions rather than holding the pose. As an alternative to shoulder stand we do Legs-up-the-wall. For students with large bellies, teh full forward bend can be done with legs apart. A small book placed under the chin can provide support in the locust, if upper body weight prevents the chin from coming to the floor. Some poses may need self-adjusting; for instance, gently pushing the belly out of the way of the upraised knee in the half spinal twist. Deep relaxation is long and lovely, with pranayama for dessert.

I remind my students not to strain and to keep breathing deep quiet breaths. Because fo the larger body, there may be some strain involved just in moving from one pose to another. I give students plenty of time between poses for their breath to come back to normal.

Everyone has body issues, but big people may have shame about the way they look and/or the way they eat. It can be a revelation to hear "I'm not the body, I'm not the mind, Immortal Self I Am."

My intention with Big Yoga is to create a safe space for plus-size students who want to try Yoga but would never go to a regular class. If yu can start a class specifically for this clientele, this is ideal. When you find large people in your regular classes (and, you have enough wall space) teach the whole class wall adaptations. This may come in handy some day! I often use these when teaching a mixed class.

I am pleased to announce the Big Yoga teacher training at Yogaville in May 2005. It will begin with a three day intensive Integral Yoga workshop, mandatory for teachers certified in other Yoga traditions, and optional for IY teachers. Certification for Big Yoga will enable the teacher to use the Big Yoga logo, which is now trademarked.

Yoga is everywhere these days. We are bombarded with images of yogis who are beautiful and buff, doing extreme poses. But Sri Gurudev always maintained that the basic Hatha One was all you needed to keep the body in balance. Using the adaptations of Big Yoga, your plus-size students will see for themselves, "You don't have to be thin to enjoy the benefits of Yoga!"