This Curvi Yogi is COURAGEOUS!
Meet Maggie, a yogi who is pressing past the opinions of others to cultivate her yoga practice!
1. What is the affirmation that resonates with you right now in your life? Why did you pick this affirmation?
I will keep going for me!
This is my favorite affirmation because I want to stay focused on who I am doing this for. I have to constantly remind myself not to be so caught up with social media that forget my own reasons for why I do yoga. I’d like to think of my practice as something so beautiful and pure and I would like to keep it that way.
2. How did you start your yoga practice?
In 2015 I researched yoga and thought I would try it because of some fitness goals I set; plus I hated cardio so much! In other words, I thought I was taking the easy way out. Well as I began to take classes in my area, I found out how it took the same energy to practice yoga as it did to do anything else. It taught me how to personalize any goal that I set for myself big or small. Turns out that I was stronger than I actually I gave myself credit for. I can truly say it helped mold me into the person I am today.
3. As a Curvy Yogi, what obstacles have you had to overcome in your practice?
I am from Shreveport Louisiana and yoga is not so popular in that part of town. One of the toughest obstacles that I had to overcome was getting people to understand what it was that I do while practicing yoga. Everybody always made fun of what would be described as sitting on the floor with my eyes closed making humming noises. Wow were they judgmental or what? Therefore, once I decided to keep going I also had to overcome all the chatter and I must say that at first it was very discouraging. I had to realize that people often made fun of what they did not quite understand. So then I started to turn those negative remarks into something positive! Whenever I was faced with silly remarks, I would use that as an opportunity to educate about what I really do while practicing yoga and its benefits.
4. What is your favorite yoga pose? Why?
I have always suffered from anxiety so one of my most favorite poses to do are any inversions. It is a mixture between balancing and being able to be upside down. I feel empowered in these poses as if I am strong and soft all at once. With life’s daily challenges, I seek to stay grounded, so it is normal for me to do a quick headstand in the hallway, or living room. This is the perfect example of how you can personalize your practice.
5. What is your least favorite yoga pose? Why?
Just like anything else, I tend to avoid certain poses also because they make you feel uncomfortable. I must say there is a part of my mind that I am still trying to tap into but it is a struggle. My least favorite pose is the corpse pose. The name says it all. While lying there motionless may look easy to some, it is fairly harder than you can imagine. My mind flows all over the place in this pose. It is like trying to capture my thoughts in a mason jar similar to the way you would do fireflies. I hope that one day I can unlock this blockage so that I can see this pose for what it really is.
6. Do you use props in your practice? If so, what is your favorite prop to use? Why?
Sometimes while practicing yoga I will use a variety of props to assist with achieving a pose. My main props are yoga blocks, a stability ball, and yours truly, the wall. Whenever I need to rejuvenate with a gentle practice, I use the yoga blocks for my restorative poses. The stability ball is used when I feel too tensed or stiff and may just need a stretch out challenge. The wall is always there to help me find my center in plenty of my famous inversions. People do not really talk about props but I love to use props for they are safer whenever you need correct alignment in your practice.
7. What advice would you give to other Curvy Yogis who are trying to build their practice?
If I could reach out and give advice to the next curvi yogi, I would say hold your head up and Yoga like no one is watching. I would want them to pay only close attention to what drives them and inspires them. To trust the process keeping in mind that progress is not perfect.
Thank you Maggie for sharing your practice with us!
You can find Maggie on Instagram here
#ThisCurviYogiThursdays