"If Yoga is not being taught for the needs of every BODY, it is not true yoga. When you find a teacher and class that is right for you, it will be the best addiction you could ever have. When you are loving the feeling of a long slow delicious spinal twist - more than nachos- you KNOW you have found a form of self-care that you will do for the rest of your live." Lanita Varshell
When I went to my first yoga class in 1994, I knew that this was something I loved, and something I must do for the rest of my life. At that time, there were very few classes that were being taught safely enough for someone my size. Now they are a little easier to find, but I am still very concerned with the way that many yoga teachers and fitness instructors view the plus size population, and try to "fit them into" traditional classes and poses.
I invite you to attend my Weekly Classes, Weekend Retreats,
and Teacher Training
to experience a safer, smarter, softer side of yoga for the
Average American Body.
Gentle Yoga & Joyful Movement for Plus Sizes
Mondays: 5:45pm
Reservations Required - Aqua room holds 6 students
Thursday: 5:45pm
Reservations Suggested - Lilac Room holds 15 students
These classes get you ready for all our other yoga classes.
NEW STUDENTS - PLEASE CALL FOR A CONSULTATION BEFORE ATTENDING
MY STORY: Lanita Varshell, E.R.Y.T.500 Owner of A Gentle Way Yoga & Joyful Movement Center I have always had a larger body. My mother put me on Weight Watchers at age twelve, and I lived the dieting yo-yo life for over 20 years, starving myself to lose a few pounds, thinking my life would be better if I could just drop the weight, thinking that "who I was" WAS what the scale and mirror told me. If I could just get this weight off, I’d reason to myself, my life would be the way I wanted it to be; everything would be all right! Lanita speaks to Yoga Journal regarding dieting and yoga: I lost weight, hundreds of pounds, just to gain more back, over and over again. Rarely did I last more than a week or two with the latest diet. Each time I couldn't take eating another carrot stick or another can of green beans I would hate myself more. The vicious cycle of giving up and then gorging wore my health and self esteem down to nothing. Finally unable to work, diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, I went from doctor to doctor begging for help! They would say to me, "if you would just get up and exercise you would start feeling better," but a twenty minute walk would put me back in bed. I would plead with my doctors saying, "help me feel better so I can walk out my door and start exercising." but they didn't seem to know what to do with me other than to describe more pain medication. Their looks were always saying, “you’re just not trying hard enough,” or “you’re lying about what you are eating.” Severely depressed, but determined to keep trying, I ended up at a gentle yoga class, not because I ever thought that I could even do yoga, but because the teacher kept trying to convince me that her class was different. I finally showed up, figuring that one class of making a fool of myself would show this skinny little yoga teacher that this large, sick body would never be able to twist into a pretzel, sit cross-legged on the floor, or do a headstand. But this class WAS different. It was not intimidating, it was relaxing and very do-able. After just a few months of consistent weekly classes, I noticed such a physical and emotional difference that not only did I continue my classes, but I immediately began training as a teacher, and have now taught this wonderful method of "Gentle Yoga" since 1995. Gentle yoga has drastically improved my health, and changed my life. I had spent a lifetime of joining health clubs, working out for a week or two, and giving up because of the body pain, shame, and humiliation. I finally found a way I could begin to exercise without pain, in the presence of other larger women who were also committed to their health, and in the presence of other amazing women and men of all ages, sizes, and walks of life who do not judge us by how much we weigh.
Yoga is much more than just exercise. Yoga should be joyful movement.
Yoga means “union,” uniting the three aspects of who we are, body, mind, and spirit, by focusing on three things: 1. pranayama: focused aware breathing 2. asana: a movement or pose we hold and breathe into, and 3. savasana: deep relaxation. I no longer waste precious life "die-eating," but now focus on health: total health of body, mind, and spirit. Yes, I have lost some weight since beginning yoga, but I no longer believe that my worth is measured by the scale or my dress size. Gentle Yoga is teaching me how to nurture my body lovingly, gently back to health. It's never about how much you weigh, it's about how happy and healthy you stay, in body, mind, and spirit. What is weighing down your spirit??? Let yoga help you re-discover the lighter, brighter, healthier you.