Te zwaar om aan yoga te doen? Deze yogi bewijst dat dat onzin is!

Dat het gezond is om aan yoga te doen, weten we ondertussen allemaal. En dat echt iedereen aan yoga kan doen én er ook baat bij heeft, dat bewijst Dana Falsetti.

Yogi Dana Falsetti (22) uit Pennsylvania (USA) getuigt dat ze dankzij yoga haar lichaam heeft kunnen aanvaarden. Toen ze op een gegeven moment 136 kilo woog en zich ellendig voelde, besloot ze af te vallen. Ruim 32 kilo verloor ze, maar gelukkiger was ze niet. “Ik was nog steeds verdrietig en voelde me verloren”, zei ze tegen de Daily Mail. “Toen ik het echt wou opgeven, heb ik yoga ontdekt. Ik was vooral op zoek naar stilte en reflectie. Ik had er echter geen idee van dat net het fysieke aspect van yoga me meer innerlijke kracht zou geven en zo’n grote verandering in mijn leven zou teweeg brengen.”

Dana geeft toe dat ze twijfelde of yoga wel iets voor haar was: “Vanwege mijn omvang. Vooral de hoofdstand leek mij onmogelijk, ik was ervan overtuigd dat ik te zwaar was. Ik zat echt in een spiraal van negatieve gedachten. Maar ik bleef proberen en uiteindelijk lukte het toch.”

My beliefs have shifted. I don’t believe in time or limits. I do believe in endless possibilities, I do believe we are all capable of more than we’ll ever realize. When I don’t believe in myself, I have discipline to keep me strong. And that’s why I love to prove myself wrong. I’ve been doing it for the last year or so, and I will continue until I truly believe I know nothing. ? @brookemichellej

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Dec 31, 2015 at 3:47pm PST

Ook haar manier van denken veranderde: “Ik was altijd een alles-of-niets-persoon, meteen de reden waarom ik jaren last had van vreetbuien. Ik heb geleerd die eigenschap te gebruiken voor mijn yoga oefeningen, in plaats van mijn emoties weg te eten. En de beperkingen van mijn lichaam bleken uiteindelijk denkbeeldig en alleen in mijn gedachten te bestaan.”

Dana is ondertussen zelf yogaleraar (www.nolatreesyoga.com), en om ook andere mensen ervan te overtuigen yoga een kans te geven, deelt ze foto’s van haarzelf in ingewikkelde yoga houdingen op Instagram. Haar account telt bijna 80.000 volgers, wat haar tot een echte Instagramheld maakt. You go Dana!

One room left (can fit 1-3 people) on my Salt Lake City retreat with @samseesworld – offering a big discount to book last minute! January 3-8, twice daily yoga, meditation, discussions, optional snowboarding and skiing, breakfast and light lunch/dinner included. Counts as 25 hours continued education for yoga teachers. Email me!

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Dec 27, 2015 at 4:58pm PST

Real practice. Working on what does not come easily, and giving myself permission to enjoy these small victories. Don’t glorify and praise what you didn’t work for. Celebrate the discipline to work on what’s hard, and let the lessons resonate along the way.

A video posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Dec 24, 2015 at 6:56am PST

Wasn’t sure I would ever be able to get my leg behind my head until one day, I did. Then I didn’t think I’d ever be able to keep it there on its own, and yesterday I did. Why are we always so sure when the truth is we mostly know nothing? I believe doubt, ego, and fear convince us otherwise. Here’s what I know: we are limitless, all bodies are capable, and excuses won’t lead us to our highest selves. ? @brookemichellej

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Dec 15, 2015 at 11:46am PST

Let’s practice together in 2016!! @samseesworld and I have a couple spots left for our January retreat in Utah – optional 25 hours of continued education for yoga teachers. 200 hour spring teacher training @bodhimovement is open for registration and early bird pricing ends January 1st. Come learn with me, @samseesworld, @tessasana, @fitqueenirene, and many other amazing teachers. See you there? ?

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Dec 17, 2015 at 10:53am PST

Ask for the things you need. I’ve never been good at this. I always wanted to be strong and independent and would never ask others for help. I saw it as a last resort or not an option at all. In relationships, I’d keep my needs quiet because I didn’t want to drive the person away, which of course only left me unhappy and harboring resentment. But now I have a better understanding of what I need to be happy, and I’m learning how to ask for it because I believe I’m worth it. It’s an important part of self care that I ignored for a long time. Now taking care of myself comes first, and doing so allows me to better care for others. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Know your worth. We get what we believe we deserve.

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Nov 17, 2015 at 8:29am PST

Backbends tomorrow (Sunday) 1-3pm @lifeyogaboutique. This is my last workshop until 2016 when I’m done hibernating 🙂 ? @mixtapedonthate

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Nov 7, 2015 at 10:47pm PST

I’m here because I enjoy sharing my passions and connecting with others, and I hope to inspire the way so many have inspired me. And it’s not all about yoga. Yes I’m passionate about it but it doesn’t define me. I wouldn’t even call myself a yogi. I’m a person doing the practice. I’m not here to sell anything, whether it be fancy asana, yoga pants, other random shit, whatever. Yes I get emails daily from companies who want plugs, but I know they are just making their marketing rounds and most of the time I respectfully opt out. If there is something I believe in and want to support then I will, but beyond that I just don’t care for it. It may be for others and I’m not saying it’s bad or wrong, but it isn’t for me. All I want to do is what makes me happy, and I hope that it encourages others to do the same. It’s easy to get caught up in the social media madness, but remember what you see here is a single moment in time, a little glimpse into who I am, who anybody is as a person. Take inspiration where you find it, but allow it to be more than a comparison or a goal to meet. See it in yourself and share it with others. Namaste.

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Oct 12, 2015 at 3:36pm PDT

Alexandria VA: There are a couple spots left for my arm balance workshop @mindthemat tomorrow! Come be strong AF and do some shit w/me. (channeling my inner @samseesworld). Photo by @khancreated

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Oct 9, 2015 at 7:03pm PDT

Alexandria, VA! I’m coming to you Saturday October 10th for an all levels arm balance workshop @mindthemat that I am so excited about. When I started practicing I never dreamed I would be able to pick myself up or balance on my arms. I thought I was too big and that my body would always be in the way. I remember face planting in bakasana over and over again, so convinced I’d never be strong enough. And now I know I was wrong. Wrong not to believe in myself. Naive to think I could never be strong. I’m 5’8 and about 210 pounds, and even stronger because of it. You can do it too!!! Come join me and together we can find a little faith and maybe even fly 🙂 Tag a friend in the area!

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Sep 28, 2015 at 7:24pm PDT

Today is the first day of #selflovig and my first day of YTT @bodhimovement. I had such an amazing day and met some absolutely beautiful people. I am at peace and beyond inspired. Love to self: I love myself for finding the courage to be vulnerable. To open up enough to realize that being stubborn, that running away doesn’t equate to strength. True strength comes from love, and that starts with me. Love to another (or in this case, others!): Today I’m sending love to my Bodhi Squad – the amazing group of people I spent today with. Some are teachers, some aspiring teachers, but we are all students and all inspire the light in each other. I am extremely grateful to spend the next 6 weeks surrounded by such amazing beings. Tonight is a full moon, a fitting reminder that we are all connected, that our thoughts and energies are powerful, and that we can choose to love everyday. || @doodledog || @gordonogden || || @eriecalee || @jirodgreene || || @asanafordays || @trevmcgrev || || @gorjusshan || @buddhamom76 || || @itsyogagirl || @greenideas80 || ||@nolatrees || @reganwarner || || @daughteroftheuniverse || || @joe_lizzzzzz_yoga || @deandreyoga ||

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Jul 1, 2015 at 5:17pm PDT

Today I was reminded that my yoga practice is just that, mine. I’m never going to look like anybody else in any particular pose, and nobody else will look like me. And that’s ok. In fact, it’s great. It’s fucking perfect. We spend our whole lives trying to find the thing that makes us who we are as unique individuals… and then we spend so much time comparing ourselves to others. The irony of the human experience, right? Sometimes in twisty poses like this I have to physically move my belly or rotate my thighs, and maybe I can’t twist as deeply as somebody else. That’s ok. This is me, uniquely me, present in my own body – Allowing myself to find the joy and contentment that already exists within me, and expressing it in my own way. Remember you are perfectly, beautifully, uniquely… you ☺️ inspired by @mackenzieyoga and @elisheva_yoga – two beautiful ladies who always keep it real

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Apr 14, 2015 at 9:19pm PDT

I showed up to this @aerie shoot with 3rd day hair, a little mascara, the necklace I wear everyday, and myself. I don’t want to be made up or retouched, I just want to be me. I wear my hair in a bun or down and messy and hardly wear makeup anymore. So that’s how I want to be photographed. I think a lot of us spend life wishing we were different, even wishing we were someone else. It takes a lot of acceptance, and often healing, to be in a place where we can just be ourselves more often than not. Worth the effort, though. The payoff is contentment. ? @matthias.khan

A photo posted by Dana Falsetti (@nolatrees) on Jan 18, 2016 at 9:42pm PST