Hey Y’all – I’ve been sharing scenes from my garden in my Instagram stories and this morning I decided to make a garden tour for you all.
I know that some of y’all are also gardeners so leave a comment and let me know what you’re growing (or planning to grow) this year.
Hey Y’all – I’m excited to share the most recent episode of Brave Conversations with you. In this episode, Tiffany Croww and I tackle issues of body positivity, fat liberation and everything in between. Huge thanks to Janessa Mondestin for guiding the conversation and Nam Chanterrwyn for his magic editing this podcast.
As always, please share links to any podcasts you’ve been on or that you’re loving in the comments!
Like everything else, my yoga practice has changed a lot this year. Prior to the pandemic and shut downs, I practiced asana three or four times a week in a yoga studio, as well as several times a week at home. But in April all that changed. In recent months my practice has mostly consisted of mediation, chanting, journaling, and reading sacred texts like the Yoga Sutras, Upanishads, and event books about St. Francis of Assisi. Today, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek into my morning practice. I usually meditate or chant for 10 or 15 minutes but I edited down to about 5 minutes in this video. I hope you’ll join me.
As we head into the final weeks of 2020, remember that you don’t need to do 108 Sun Salutations to practice yoga. You simply need to practice awareness. Through that awareness you may discover your true Self. That is yoga.
Occasionally folks will ask why I don’t teach yoga for back pain/cat lovers/teachers or some other ailment or affinity group. It’s not surprising that this question comes up since the West has appropriated yoga as a treatment for any number of issues. But, I’ve consciously decided not to offer yoga in such a way. Partly because I believe it’s beyond my scope of practice but also because I honor yoga as a spiritual practice.
That being said, I know there are very real physical benefits to practicing yoga asana. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite practices for undoing some of the effects that lock down life has had on my body. Sign up for Fat Kid Yoga Club today!
Stay tuned y’all!
-Marc
Jaclyn and I had a blast filming a segment about Fat Kid Yoga Club for Great Day Louisiana. If you don’t know Jaclyn, you should! She’s the owner of Jaci Blue – New Orleans’ only plus-size boutique, a self-love coach, and a curvy community organizer.
We know it can be intimidating to try something new – especially if you are in a bigger body. That’s why Jaclyn and I began offering accessible yoga for plus-size people in her shop last year. We quickly outgrew her space and that’s when we moved to Balance Yoga and Wellness.
At Fat Kid Yoga Club, we offer a fun, body-positive environment where you can feel good in your body in a truly judgment-free zone. It’s really healing to take time to be in your body – especially when the whole world is telling you that your body is wrong.
I have always been a fat kid and it wasn’t until recently that I got comfortable calling myself the F-word. For me, it’s been an important step in repairing my relationship with my body. I believe that EVERY body is a yoga body. Everyone, regardless of their age, size, or strength can practice yoga right now. In Fat Kid Yoga Club, we explore what’s possible in the bodies we have today.
Self-care is an important part of our practices. I encourage you to take water breaks and to ask questions. This is truly your practice and you are in control. I hope that by participating in Fat Kid Yoga Club you’ll feel confident to take other mainstream yoga or fitness classes without having to wrestle with your inner critic.
In the segment, I offer some really great tips on how you can make downward-facing dog feel better in your body – regardless of your size, strength, or level of flexibility.
I offer Fat Kid Yoga Classes Sundays at 5:30pm at Balance Yoga and Wellness located at 120 S. Cortez Street in New Orleans. Don’t live in New Orleans or can’t make it to the studio! No problem – I also offer Fat Kid Yoga Club Online!