Hebat, Wanita Bertubuh Ekstra Gemuk Ini Adalah Instruktur Yoga

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Yoga perlahan-lahan menjadi salah satu olahraga pilihan banyak orang, terutama di kota-kota besar. Kombinasi olah tubuh dan meditasi dapat menenangkan tubuh yang penat dari kesibukan yang rentan stres. Seorang bernama Jessamyne Stanley dari North Carolina adalah salah satu wanita yang jatuh cinta pada olahraga yang berasal dari India ini. Padahal, Jessamyne bertubuh gemuk yang bila dilihat sekilas rasanya takkan mampu menahan pose yoga yang cukup sulit.

Jessamyne berlatih yoga pertama kalinya pada tahun 2016, dan langsung tertarik untuk mendalami olahraga ini dengan serius. Lima tahun berlalu, Jessamyne kini adalah seorang instruktur yoga dengan sertifikat. Pandangan orang-orang terhadap tubuhnya tidak menghentikannya mempelajari yoga dengan mendalam. Semangatnya dalam menjalani olahraga ini tanpa  hari Senin (11/4/2016), rasa malu terhadap bentuk tubuhnya mendapatkan dukungan dari wanita dari berbagai belahan dunia. Dikutip dari situs Brightside.me pada Jessamyne kini memiliki 165 ribu follower di akun Instagramnya. 

 

I am in your debt. Yes, you. I appreciate you. I could not do my job without you. I would not be here on social media were it not for you. I would never get to travel the world or meet my long distance students or work with interesting companies or practice with people like @geraldsaluti & @cbquality & @nolatrees or have snapchat laugh attacks with my teacher @amyippoliti or exchange emails with @kathrynbudig & @tarastiles. None of that would happen without you. And this wasn't always my life- not too long ago I was hustling through a tapas bar every night, scoring writing assessments during the day, and sneaking in my yoga practice whenever I could. That reality isn't so far in my rearview mirror that I've forgotten what a privilege it is to live this life. Not everyone gets to spend the month of March in London and Dubai, for instance. And every time I step out on an adventure, I carry the energy of those of you who are hustling hard at home, desperately trying to make ends meet, dreaming of even a momentary getaway. I share these successes with you. This is for all of us, because I could never do this without you. Thank you for helping me live my yoga. Thank you for being part of my life. Snapchat has the unedited, less classy shots- Same name over there, but w/o the last letter (mynameisjessamy)! Throwback to a fun afternoon in San Francisco with @modestories during #mynameisnola West Coast, practicing #headstands in a studio meant for people much fancier and less ratchet than yours truly. Top- @vonscher_active Leggings- @mandukayoga Mat- @liforme (btw, saw your message guys- y'all tryin' to kick it while I'm in London Town?)

A photo posted by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn) on Mar 6, 2016 at 3:58pm PST

 

I'm always confused when students berate themselves for not being able to perfectly practice poses- and then I remember that this mentality is compounded by people on social media (aka me) acting like we always do everything perfectly. Examples of poses I NEVER thought I'd be able to practice? #downwardfacingdog, #lowlungepose, #ekapadarajakapotasana, the list goes on. Were they hard as fuck from the jump-off? Um, DUH. Do I think my current practice of these poses is perfect? Not hardly. But that's why we PRACTICE- no one says we have to be perfect. This is very hard to remember, especially when you begin practicing #yoga at home without the visual guidance of a teacher. I blame filmed yoga classes that make yoga look like a dance class- they make us think moving slowly, slightly out of step, or to a different beat entirely are all reasons that we're not #madeforyoga. But that's just straight up not the case. Getting on your mat is an opportunity to learn from past mistakes, to get stronger and more focused. But none of that juicy journey is possible without releasing the need to be perfect. Once you do things perfectly, there's nowhere else to go. Stop trying to be perfect, stop talking shit about yourself and your practice, and just get on the mat. Don't distract yourself from the real journey at hand. That's why I'm still working that #hollowbackhandstand game all the way across the pond. Practice makes Practice. 👊🏾 I'm here, London! So excited to practice with y'all at @hotyogasociety1 this weekend- click the link in my Instagram header for more details! Also, there are a couple of other places you can find me next week: On 3/10 at 7:15pm, I'll be a guest on the live podcast #TheGuiltyFeminist w/ @sofiehagendk & @dfdubz at Canal Cafe Theatre! If you want to talk feminism + body politics/be part of the live audience, check out my Facebook page for ticket info! On 3/11 at 7pm, @curvesomeyoga is hosting a conversation @ Siobhan Davies Studio about starting and maintaining a yoga practice, especially if you're larger bodied. It's free, see you there! If you want to follow my London journey in living color, follow me on snapchat- I'm @mynameisjessamy!

A photo posted by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn) on Mar 3, 2016 at 6:10am PST

 

Y'all, it's official- I'm teaching at NYC's @yogacollectivenyc on January 6th at 6pm! It'll be an hour long vinyasa flow- all levels, all bodies! I wish I could do classes like this all the time all over the country, but until teleportation is a thing, occasional appearances will have to do. No matter your level, whether you're new to vinyasa or if you've been sweating it out for years, arrive with a positive attitude and you'll reap all the benefits. $20/person, & you can find registration info at jessamynstanley.com/tour- link is in my bio! (Maybe we can all go for coffee/juice/kombucha afterwards and talk about yoga dreams?) I've been sick as a dog since I got home from NYC- a stuffy nose turned into an ear infection and I've been Charlie Brown/George Michael Bluth walkin' it out all over my house ever since. I'll be in Denver next week so hopefully it'll clear up before then- speaking of which, any Denver #yoga studio recommendations? This trip will be heavy on the R&R, so I definitely want to take more than a few classes if I can. Also, apropos of nothing, I finally got an iphone and it's AMAZING. Seriously, I have been using the most bobo ass phone for ages and this phone is a revelation. YES, I'M OLD AND I'M RHAPSODIZING ABOUT MY SMARTPHONE 287937 YEARS AFTER EVERYONE ELSE FOUND ABOUT IT. It's a brand new day. This photo is a throwback to a sunny beach day last summer when I taught my dad how to use my GoPro. Papa Stanley is an O.G. hipster who still doesn't even trust Facebook. Technological weirdness runs in the family. Leggings- @maleshactivewear Top- @paramitadesigns

A photo posted by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn) on Dec 11, 2015 at 2:28pm PST

 Jessamyne menjadi bukti bahwa yoga dapat dilakukan oleh siapa saja dengan bentuk tubuh apapun. Semangatnya untuk hidup sehat dengan rutin berlatih yoga dapat dijadikan inspirasi dan patut diacungi jempol.