STRETCH YOGA BRISBANE
  • ABOUT US
    • MEMBERS PAGE
    • Physiotherapy
    • Teachers
    • Styles >
      • Deep Stretch (Yin Yoga)
      • Simple Stretch (Hatha Yoga)
      • Flow'N'Deep (VinYin Yoga)
      • Flowing Stretch (Vinyasa Yoga)
      • Gentle Stretch
      • Pilates
    • Contact Us
    • Brand New to Yoga?
    • FAQs
    • Hire our Studio Space
    • Testimonials
    • Media
    • Our Philosophy
    • Community & Charity
    • Blog
  • Pricing
    • 2021 New Year Specials!
    • Student & Concession Passes
    • Gift Vouchers
  • Studio Class Times
    • Holland Park Timetable
    • CBD Timetable
  • Stretch Online Studio
    • Livestream and On Demand Unlimited Membership >
      • Casual Live Stream Classes
    • Downloadable Prenatal Yoga Course
    • Downloadable Restorative Yoga Series
    • Downloadable Chakra Yoga Course
  • Products
  • COURSES & EVENTS
    • Community Yoga Classes - $6 each!
    • Mini & Me Yoga (Dads, Mums & Bubs)
    • Mini & Me Mat Pilates (Dads, Mums & Bubs)
    • Prenatal Yoga Course
    • Beginners Yoga Course
    • Curvy Yoga Course
    • Gin & Yang (Yoga & Gin) Event
    • Valentine's Day Partner Yoga Workshop
    • Full Moon Yoga Nidra
    • Prenatal Pilates at Articulate Tarragindi
    • Postnatal Pilates at Articulate Tarragindi
  • Teacher Training
    • Student Testimonials
    • In Studio 350hr Yoga Teacher Training >
      • January 2021 Dates
      • July 2021 Dates
      • September 2020 Dates
    • Stretch 350hr Online Teacher Training >
      • Stretch Online Teacher Training Content Access
    • 150hr Postgraduate Teacher Training

Will Yoga Make My Thighs Thinner?

24/2/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
As a yoga teacher I’ve been asked lots of shades of this question. Will yoga make my thighs thinner, my ass rounder, my stomach flatter or my arms more toned? Will yoga help me lose weight or detox from Christmas? I get asked far more about how yoga can change the way you look than I ever get asked about how yoga can change the way you feel. For a practice that at its core is spiritual in nature, some days it really feels like yoga has lost its way...
Like many of the problems of society these days, I could easily blame social media for this. Type in #yoga on Instagram and you’ll find a million pictures of beautiful women (and men) wearing teeny outfits in picturesque locations performing feats of amazing strength, balance and flexibility. Next to these pictures you’ll often find a sales pitch for yoga classes, retreats, mats and very expensive pants, urging you to spend money and then bend and stretch your way into your best summer bikini body.

So, what do I tell people when they ask me these questions? Well, I could pander to their wants and simply say yes. I could use my background in nutrition to talk about the calories burned in any physical activity and how this in combination with a healthier diet can make a difference. I could show and recommend certain poses that work on the particular areas they wanted to target – perhaps turning my role from yoga teacher into more of a PT. Or, I could say the thing I truly believe – the one that doesn’t answer the question in the way that they want, and possibly doesn’t win me an instant fan, but that hopefully plants a seed for personal growth and change.

I answer by talking about self-love - how for me, the biggest benefit I’ve received from a regular yoga practice has nothing to do with how I look, how thin my thighs are or how toned my arms are. That for me, it’s taught me how to love myself, and to not worry so much about all my many imperfections. That getting on my mat day after day, week after week has done more for my self-esteem than having skinny thighs ever could.

To be perfectly honest, I rarely think about my toned arms or flat stomach as a benefit of yoga. Yes, they can result and yes, they are nice to have, but I know that without the inner change they would never have been enough to make me feel good about myself. Before finding yoga there was always something else I wanted, needed and had to change in order to be happy about myself. If it wasn’t my arms, it was my breasts, or my nose, or my hair or the fact that I didn’t have those jeans that I saw a super-hot girl wearing.

Now, I know that those things don’t matter. That people don’t love you because of your shapely booty of the size label in your clothes. How you look doesn’t define you and being skinny doesn’t equate with being happy. Yoga forces us to take a good hard look at ourselves, sit with ourselves and be ok with everything exactly as it is. Yoga teaches us that everything is perfect, and most importantly that we are perfect exactly as we are.

So, if you want skinnier thighs then maybe yoga isn’t for you. I hear that bootcamps are fun and hot pilates is the new rage. If you want to feel good about your body exactly the way it is, then definitely give yoga a try – you can thank me later!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    July 2020
    May 2020
    November 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Stretch Yoga Blog

    Just like you we are constantly learning about yoga, health and wellness. We love sharing our knowledge, musings and favourite healthy recipes - let us know what you think!

    Categories

    All
    Corporate Yoga
    Home Yoga
    Kids Yoga
    Meditation
    Pregnancy Yoga
    Prenatal Yoga
    Recipes
    Spirituality
    Yoga Benefits
    Yoga For Beginners
    Yoga For Stress Management
    Yoga Humour
    Yoga Music
    Yoga Philosophy

    RSS Feed

Stretch Yoga Brisbane City  & Stretch Yoga Holland Park
Turrbul and Jagera Country

 Level 2, 129 Margaret St, Brisbane, 4000 | Level 1, 967 Logan Rd, Holland Park 4121 | info@stretchyoga.com.au
 07 3061 5050

    Contact Us

Send
Holland Park West, Holland Park, Greenslopes, Tarragindi, Mt Gravatt, Mt Gravatt East, Camp Hill, Coorparoo, Moorooka, Annerley, Whites Hill, Salisbury, Macgregor, Mackenzie, Runcorn, Eight Mile Plains, Mansfield, Wishart, Woolloongabba, East Brisbane, Carina, West End Brisbane City, Spring Hill, South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, Red Hill
  • ABOUT US
    • MEMBERS PAGE
    • Physiotherapy
    • Teachers
    • Styles >
      • Deep Stretch (Yin Yoga)
      • Simple Stretch (Hatha Yoga)
      • Flow'N'Deep (VinYin Yoga)
      • Flowing Stretch (Vinyasa Yoga)
      • Gentle Stretch
      • Pilates
    • Contact Us
    • Brand New to Yoga?
    • FAQs
    • Hire our Studio Space
    • Testimonials
    • Media
    • Our Philosophy
    • Community & Charity
    • Blog
  • Pricing
    • 2021 New Year Specials!
    • Student & Concession Passes
    • Gift Vouchers
  • Studio Class Times
    • Holland Park Timetable
    • CBD Timetable
  • Stretch Online Studio
    • Livestream and On Demand Unlimited Membership >
      • Casual Live Stream Classes
    • Downloadable Prenatal Yoga Course
    • Downloadable Restorative Yoga Series
    • Downloadable Chakra Yoga Course
  • Products
  • COURSES & EVENTS
    • Community Yoga Classes - $6 each!
    • Mini & Me Yoga (Dads, Mums & Bubs)
    • Mini & Me Mat Pilates (Dads, Mums & Bubs)
    • Prenatal Yoga Course
    • Beginners Yoga Course
    • Curvy Yoga Course
    • Gin & Yang (Yoga & Gin) Event
    • Valentine's Day Partner Yoga Workshop
    • Full Moon Yoga Nidra
    • Prenatal Pilates at Articulate Tarragindi
    • Postnatal Pilates at Articulate Tarragindi
  • Teacher Training
    • Student Testimonials
    • In Studio 350hr Yoga Teacher Training >
      • January 2021 Dates
      • July 2021 Dates
      • September 2020 Dates
    • Stretch 350hr Online Teacher Training >
      • Stretch Online Teacher Training Content Access
    • 150hr Postgraduate Teacher Training