Making Space for All Bodies with Size Inclusive Yoga with Christy Calahan

2024-06-05

Today we talk with registered yoga teacher, Christy Calahan who specializes in educating yoga teachers on plus size inclusivity in their classes and in studios. Yoga can be a way that many folks on their embodiment journeys learn to inhabit their bodies differently and more fully, but there are a lot of body hierarchies in Westernized yoga culture, so I really appreciate all of the work Christy is doing to shift perspectives to make yoga truly more accessible and inclusive for all bodies. Guest Bio: Christy Calahan is an E-RYT 500 and a yoga educator (YACEP) who specializes in educating yoga t...

Guest Bio:

Christy Calahan is an E-RYT 500 and a yoga educator (YACEP) who specializes in educating yoga teachers on plus size inclusivity in their classes and in studios.

With a teaching journey that began in 2010, Christy spent the majority of her career as a straight-sized yoga instructor. However, a few years ago, she experienced an injury that resulted in a rapid weight gain that had her transition into a larger body.

Navigating the transition of her practice and teaching to her newly plus-size body wasn’t intuitive for Christy. She questioned whether yoga was still feasible for bigger bodied people and contemplated giving up her practice altogether.

Determined to find a solution, Christy embarked on a path of self-discovery, characterized by trial and error, tears, trauma work, frustration, and lots of practice. Through this personal journey, she developed techniques, theories, and methods that are both trauma-sensitive and highly effective.

Drawing from her extensive experience of teaching herself and others, Christy is dedicated to making the yoga community more accessible to individuals with larger bodies. This commitment is the cornerstone of her life's work.

In this episode of Taking Up Space, we discussed:

Christy’s body story and how it impacted her yoga practice and current work as a size inclusive educator
Her frustration with how yoga studios and teacher’s exclusionary culture for size diversity
Christy’s priorities as a size inclusive yoga teacher and her activism through educating other yoga teachers about the importance of size inclusivity
Christy’s issue with the phrase “All bodies are welcome”
How Christy prioritizes choice and agency in her yoga teaching vs compliance and command
Some of Christy’s practice recommendations for all those in fitness spaces to authentically create space for larger bodied and disabled bodied folks

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