a
and the way I looked.
Yoga seemed to relax me.
Yet in those classes, all I felt was
dejected and rejected.
The odd one out among a sea of
flexible yoga goddesses.
They could effortlessly bend
forward and into the downward-
facing dog position.
Meanwhile, my tummy
prevented me from even reaching
the end of my toes.
It just made my anxiety worse,
not better.
So I started practising yoga at
home, instead.
Working from books, I’d find all
sorts of poses that worked for my
body shape.
That’s when I decided to focus
not on what my body couldn’t do,
butwhat it could.
en, in September 2017, my
er-in-law, Davi, 60, gave me a
yer advertising a yoga teacher-
t i iencouraged.
‘I think you’d be
great at it.’
‘I’m not sure,’ I
worried.
‘Everyone will be
so much smaller than
me again.’
I feared I’d still feel
out of place, but my
family were really
encouraging.
‘You’ll be great,’
my husband Dan, 36,
insisted.
So off I went.
At the evening
classes, I didn’t just
learn complicated
yoga poses.
I learnt much more
about what my body is capable of.
What all bodies are capable of.
My tutor and fellow trainees were
welcoming, and I no longer felt out
of placeand like I was an outsider.
2018, I graduated,
ed to set up my own yoga
here in California.
t for big girls, either.
one will be welcome,’ Iating empowerment, no
hat your body shape, size
r gender. I posted my
ses online, too, to drum upbusinessandinspireothers,andit
gotquitea reaction.
Ofcourse,theyattractedthe
attentionof trolls.
Carryingthatmuchweightis
goingto killyou, onewrote.
Othersaccusedmeof promoting
beingobese.
ButI ignorethem.
I havelotsof muchmorepositive
reactionsto myposts.
MostpeopletellmeI inspire
them,andthattheirconfidencehas
soaredbecausethey’veseen
someonelikemebeableto getinvolvedin yoga.
That’sthereasonI keepgoing.
NooneshouldfeellikeI didin
thoseearlydays.
I wanteverygirloutthereto
know,nomatterwhatyourshape,
sizeandabilityis, youcando
anythingyousetyourhearton.
Whatevermakesyouhappy–
whetherthat’syogaor not– don’t
letanythingholdyouback.EAL LIFE
Love Jess x
I enjoy what I can do- not what I can’t
I ignore the
haters and focus
on all the goodEveryone is
welcome to
my classes!