Yoga For Weight Loss | Thoughts, All These Years Later

I am not Indian and didn't grow up with Vedic wisdom. I am indebted to the people and cultures that shared Yoga's wisdom, and I've made plenty of missteps along the way.

When I started this practice, I was 14 and had zero concept of what it meant to participate in a tradition of someone else's culture. My introduction to Yoga came from a white dance teacher at a public high school, which sparked an interest. Later, I practiced Yoga using DVDs I bought from Target. Eventually, I saved up and attended Bikram classes. The sign simply said "Yoga" — I assumed the extreme heat and 90-minute sessions were typical for Yoga studios. If you haven't seen the documentaries I'll give you the TL:DR: turns out there's more than just a little bit wrong with that dude. I've been affiliated with expensive aspirational brands that don't quite hit the mark when it comes to understanding cultural appreciation versus appropriation. I've taught at studios that outright fail, willingly, at that aim. I've stumbled through my own version of the above as a teacher and a business owner.

As my cultural awareness I wanted to learn more about philosophy and do better.

Yet, the one series that continues to bring new people to me who are healing their relationship with their body, supporting their mental health and becoming curious about Yoga's roots, is the one that approaches a problem attached to Western, capitalist, patriarchal, culture of excess: a desire to lose weight.

The more we are separated from nature, pushed to hustle, are caught in addiction, left with less opportunities to build true self esteem, and surrounded with easy access to excess, substances and habits that temporarily soothe the disconnection we feel but don't truly serve us - we see this problem.

When I was younger I struggled to reconcile my budding desire to honor Yoga's roots while also being well known for a seemingly superficial yoga program. Now as I continue my philosophical studies, and experience the benefit middle age (and aging in general) brings, I don't struggle with this angst. Growth and learning are the gifts of aging, and I'm fortunate to get the opportunity.

Some people want to lose weight because, for their health, it would be a good choice. Some people want to lose weight because they feel it might improve their self image.

Some people want to lose weight because they feel that other people will treat them better. I've heard from thousands of people regarding their weight and desires, and every story is very personal.

When I had weight loss goals, if I'm being honest, they were never with the intention to benefit my health. I've never been medically overweight. But, I did absolutely grapple with self-esteem, body image issues, and confusion about how to take good care of my body as a young person. When I was young I achieved physical aesthetics that were in line with the cultural expectation but that didn't solve a single problem in my mind, mood, or emotions. I figured that out pretty quickly.

This is actually why I put together the program the way that I did. When a production company liked my teaching style and my expertise and said the words "Weight Loss" had to be in the title to ensure the right amount of clicks - I was resistant. But, I also needed a gig to pay the bills. Amazon Prime wasn't even a thing at the time. It was all about YouTube and they were the experts in that domain. So, I said yes, but with one caveat -- I wanted them to know that my intention was not to help get 'skinny'. It was my intention to help people struggling with body image actually feel more empowered to enjoy physical exercise, get curious about their nutrition, and stick with a program that gave the more energy to be in the world - not less. To that end they were reasonable, and agreed. The rest is immortalized on the interwebs which may live on forever.

If someone loses weight, gets stronger, and improves their mental health - this felt like a very good outcome to me. So I set my aim to do my very best with the knowledge I had. The outcome? I have had hundreds of thousands of people connect with their body, their mind, their mood, and their emotions... and with me! It's been overwhelming. It's been embarrassing (I used to feel very shy.) It's also been humbling. And now, it feels like a home movie I never want to watch. So much life has happened since then. In many ways, I'm a completely different person.

Are there many things I would change about that original program - you betcha.

But, I don't own it. I don't continue to earn from it. I do not receive royalties. I do not have any rights to changing it. Therefore, it lives on as a reminder of where I was and where I am now. I've developed a peace with that.

Where do I sit now with Yoga for Weight Loss as a concept and a program?

I'm humbled that this program has become a gateway to better physical, energetic, and mental health. I also appreciate that in Yoga we are asked to take care of these outer layers not because they are more important, but because while we are in human form they are inseparable from our wisdom and our Bliss. We have more potential to do good in the world when we are well.

After years of educating myself about taking good care of your exercise, nutrition, and mental health and receiving certifications in all of the above, and as I wrap up an advanced degree in clinical mental health, I finally feel I have something somewhat valuable to say about the complexity that is the way we perceive ourself and the way we allow ourselves to participate in the world.

I also feel like I'm still just a beginner.

Yoga philosophy points me in the right direction.

Who am I to invalidate your agenda to begin a new program?

Maybe you do want to lose 20lbs because you believe that will help you feel better about yourself at an upcoming event.

Ok -- does that mean you aren't going to get something good out of Yoga class that might help you get stronger, and also begin to like yourself now before any aesthetic goals are met? Research suggests that is so. Yoga practice and exercise in general are well-researched and have established themselves as not just physical interventions but mental health interventions as well.

And, if get stronger from your practice and you feel more capable, aren't you also more likely to participate in the world in a more powerful way?

And, if you like yourself more because you feel stronger and more centered, isn't it possible that you might project that appreciation out into the world?

And if you continue to build the habit of self-discipline, isn't it also possible that you will show up to other responsibilities in your life with the same endurance and stamina?

And, if you are willing to expand your endurance and increase your window of tolerance for discomfort, isn't it also likely that you might expand your window of tolerance for disagreement - you.

You might even open your eyes to the union that truly is all around you and begin to show up, work, vote, and love others in such a way that upholds their self-sovereignty instead of strips it away from them.

If you come to your mat to change what you see, I have found that time and time again what really happens is that you actually begin to change the way you see. With fresh eyes you approach yourself and the world with more love, honesty, and accountability.

I'm still a student practicing this too.