I’ve tried to do yoga a few times in my life. The practice has always appealed to me, but I didn’t make or have the time for consistency.

A girlfriend and I took a community center series for a month or two, and then never again.

I was more consistent with my practice during pregnancy because I found it made me feel very good, and it was a great way to make sure I moved my body in an intentional way while pregnant, especially as we approached the due date. Postpartum was hard because I was dealing with an untreated and unacknowledged pelvic issue, and getting to the class on time was difficult and while the teacher was lovely, the experience was ultimately overwhelming negative - body aches and general headspace were not ready yet.

I tried taking a body positive class a few months ago, but I didn’t feel like I meshed well with the instructor, and didn’t enjoy the flow of classes and stopped going at the first opportunity.

More recently, I’ve been attending a weekly body positive yoga class with some familiar people with a very nice instructor that I feel in tune with for the most part.

I leave class feeling grateful for attending, and happy to have taken the time. The environment is generally positive and friendly, the studio is close to me, and I enjoy the walk home afterwards (and usually stop in at my favourite bookstore on the way. It’s just all around great.)

I’ve recently signed up for The Underbelly, and the first class I took was accessible and inviting. And I’m looking forward to making it a regular thing… perhaps even daily if that feels reasonable.

The BoPoYoga class has made me start to think about potentially most seriously considering taking yoga teacher training at some point.

That said, I’m conscious of being another white body, albeit a fat one, in the sea of white bodies in the yoga space - I don’t know quite how to reconcile that with my desire to do more. At the moment, I’ll have to keep reading and learning more. The knowledge and the debates are already out there.