I'm an ex-ballerina deathfattie who dabbles in yoga! You absolutely do want blocks and a strap. They're really useful for modifying poses if, say, it takes you awhile to get bendy again, or if, like me, the ol' gut gets in the way occasionally, or you need help balancing. Go! Have fun! You'll love it!
It really depends on the kind of yoga you're doing. I don't think they use blocks and straps etc in ordinary Hatha yoga, or if you're doing a flowing form like Ashtanga yoga. I do Iyengar yoga, and props are an important part of the classes as they allow you to accurately experience the pose, even if your body can't actually reach it alone. All Iyengar classes I've been to have their own props though, you're not required to bring them with
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I just started my first yoga class ever and I absolutely love it. I can recommend a great book (and also DVD) by Megan Garcia that talks specifically about fats and yoga (how to adjust the positions for a larger size body). Here's the Amazon site for her book (http://www.amazon.com/Megayoga-Megan-Garcia/dp/0756619475) but you can also check out her website at megayoga.com.
I usually wear black stretch pants and a fairly tight t-shirt (loose t-shirts kind of "flop" around and can end up over your head for some of the inverted positions!!).
Fellow deathfat here. One thing I'd add to the advice above is that depending on your shape, you may want something to rest your head on. I found that my belly meant that when I was lying flat, putting my head down put a lot of strain on my neck without something to raise it a bit. I just used rolled up blankets that were in the yoga studio, but you could also use a sweater or something. A folded blanket can also be useful for your knees, if you're doing a lot of poses where you're putting your weight on them.
I've never bought a yoga mat, but I've noticed many people bringing their own and then putting them on top of the studio mats, so if the one you buy isn't as cushiony as you like, know that doubling up with the gym mat is an option.
Hopefully the teacher will be the kind that offers variations on poses to account for different sizes/fitness levels, but if not, basically just listen to your body and don't try and do something that basic physics suggests is a bad idea (like balancing 300 lbs on your wrists, for ex.)
Stretchy stuff for clothing. Leggings and something on top that fits about that same way. You want your teacher to be able to see what you're doing easily, and you don't want to worry about things falling off, but at the same time you don't want your clothing to constrain your movement. I haven't done yoga in years, but when I did, I wore leggings and a stretchy tank top.
Also keep heat in mind - I've never encountered a yoga room that felt cold, but some people get cold really easy and you don't want that interfering with stretching, either. And some people, myself included, have a tendency to feel too hot when most other people are comfortably warm. If I get back to yoga and go to a class somewhere, I'll be layered at first and probably wind up in cropped leggings or bike shorts and a sports bra.
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I usually wear black stretch pants and a fairly tight t-shirt (loose t-shirts kind of "flop" around and can end up over your head for some of the inverted positions!!).
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I've never bought a yoga mat, but I've noticed many people bringing their own and then putting them on top of the studio mats, so if the one you buy isn't as cushiony as you like, know that doubling up with the gym mat is an option.
Hopefully the teacher will be the kind that offers variations on poses to account for different sizes/fitness levels, but if not, basically just listen to your body and don't try and do something that basic physics suggests is a bad idea (like balancing 300 lbs on your wrists, for ex.)
Reply
Also keep heat in mind - I've never encountered a yoga room that felt cold, but some people get cold really easy and you don't want that interfering with stretching, either. And some people, myself included, have a tendency to feel too hot when most other people are comfortably warm. If I get back to yoga and go to a class somewhere, I'll be layered at first and probably wind up in cropped leggings or bike shorts and a sports bra.
Reply
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