Unlocking Advanced Poses, Slow-Start Forearm Handstand Linking, Yoga Teacher Unlocks Difficult Poses
Being overly fat prevents you from doing yoga? That's a complete misconception. There's an American plus-size yoga instructor who has gone viral on social media for openly demonstrating a wide range of challenging yoga poses, including wide-leg splits and handstands – attracting nearly 230,000 fans on her Instagram!
This 27-year-old yoga instructor's full name is Jessamyn Stanley, but she prefers to be known as a 'FatFemme' advocate. She started practicing yoga when she was 16 and now teaches in her hometown of North Carolina.
This plus-size 'internet celebrity' says she actively shares photos and videos of her yoga poses to challenge public prejudices against larger bodies, and to prove that no matter your body type, everyone can do yoga. She also aims to help those with similar body types build confidence. She often encourages people to ask themselves, 'How do I feel?' rather than 'How do I look?'
Jessamyn currently teaches VinyasaFlow yoga in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and helps her students overcome internal and emotional obstacles. She also posts self-recorded stretches and movements online, which has deeply impressed and moved tens of thousands of netizens.
She says, 'People are too focused on how they look, and are therefore limited and afraid to do many things, including yoga. I want to tell everyone that no matter how you look, if you start trying, you will succeed.'
Jessamyn's early yoga experience was particularly unique. She received a yoga course gift voucher from her aunt at the age of 16, which led her to begin her 'yoga journey.' She quickly fell in love with yoga classes and became a regular student.
Before becoming a yoga instructor, she studied under Kimberley Puryear at AshevilleYogaCenter, and after completing 230 hours of yoga teacher training, she obtained her teacher certification. Now, besides teaching classes, she also shares her yoga tips and recommendations on her website and social media networks.
She states, 'I just want everyone to understand that you shouldn't be limited by your external standards. But this doesn't mean your body can do everything for you—that's not the core of yoga. It's just about knowing yourself and accepting it while loving everything about it.'
