Fat Yoga NYC: The Best Plus-Size Studios In New York

Yoga’s not for everywhere. Many people don’t feel comfortable doing downward-facing dog or tree pose in body-hugging spandex, bending and stretching in ways that don’t always appear flattering to the outsider. For those who aren’t a size 0 but still love the calming benefits that yoga provides, there’s always yoga for plus-size people, or what many yogis are dubbing “fat yoga.”

“Many fat people have had terrible experiences at a regular studio, where the teacher assumes they’re a beginner, is unwilling to touch them or is condescending and sees them through their own prejudice,” blogger Ragen Chastain told the New York Times on Wednesday.

During an era that’s slowly beginning to embrace plus-size models and actresses, “fat” yoga may be a welcome change for devoted yogis who don’t appear to fit the physical stereotype. These classes seem to be the opposite of fat shaming, encouraging yoga practitioners to embrace their bodies.

“I wanted something that was unapologetically and enthusiastically voluptuous, and not as p.c. as ‘Yoga for people who have pleasing curves,’ ” Megan Stancill, a teacher at MegaYoga studio in Chelsea, New York, said. “People pussyfoot around saying it, and I wanted to make it really clear who this was for. It’s for people who are large.”

Because New York City is the metropolis that has it all, we discovered a moderate selection of plus-size yoga studios in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Check out our list below:

Mega Yoga

135 W. 29th St., Sixth floor

$20 per class

Buddha Body Yoga with Michael Hayes

39 W. 29th St., #302

$150 for a four-class series, first class free

Gibney Dance Plus Sized Yoga: Level 1

890 Broadway, Fifth floor

$25 per class