I was overwhelmed by the support and response for my post “Yoga: Not Just For Young Skinny White Girls.”

It resonated with young skinny white girls as well as the not so skinny and not so flexible. I think at our core we basically all feel the same:

Will we ever be good enough?

Just because you don’t look like you don’t you fit in, doesn’t mean you don’t feel like you don’t fit in. Whoa, that was a mouthful right there. How do we change people’s perceptions? How do we change the media and society at large? How do we make the world see us for who we are? How do we feel better, and learn to love ourselves, when the world is constantly telling we are not good enough, smart enough, rich enough and my personal favourite, thin enough?

Yoga brings us all together in a common place of self-discovery. All of our experiences have brought us together on the mat. We need to accept ourselves first. We need to love ourselves, make peace with ourselves and where we are. What it truly comes down to is loving yourself. Through my experience of yoga I am finally accepting my curly hair, my brown skin and booty-licious big girl body. Believe in yourself, shine brightly, flip the script and invite your world to change by standing in your light.

Yoga has finally helped me realize that I have been giving away my power instead of embracing it. I think the years of people judging me based on my skin color and size are finally falling away as I open my eyes through the practice of Yoga. This year I have parted with things that used to define me, like my Anusara license and the size of my yoga pants.

I have come to some big realizations. I am not alone in my feelings of inadequacy. So to all the young flexible skinny white girls and everyone else, do yoga, do yoga, do yoga, share your light, be compassionate, be open and embrace your life by standing in your power. Make friends with someone: you. We need to see all body types, all ethnicities and ages doing yoga. Encourage your friends, tell your parents and share your passion for your life.

Enhance your beauty by helping someone else find theirs, be authentic, and listen to your heart. Come as you are to each moment in your life. Every day is an opportunity to be bold. We can change the world, it starts with us!

Dianne Bondy, owner of Eastside Yoga Studio, is a former Anusara inspired teacher who just doesn’t seem to fit in to most Yoga gatherings. In addition to being Black and a size 14 she is a typical Type A personality;  prone to overworking, being impatient and becoming easily annoyed. She practices yoga because it helps her breathe instead of yell, take a five minute break every three days or so and not completely fly off the handle when people annoy her. You can practice with her here, find her on Twitter, Facebook, and on her own blog Adventures in Yoga.

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Editor: Tanya L. Markul

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