YogaZonePLUS offers Yoga Classes for Bigger Bodies in Toronto

A short while ago, I was invited, by owner/creator Suzanne Gracan, to attend a complimentary yoga class at YogaZonePLUS, a yoga class designed specifically for those with bigger bodies. It was a fantastic experience.

The studio was bright, open, and clean. It was a lovely night out, and so the windows were open and a lovely breeze came into the studio. Suzanne lit candles and placed them at each of the windows and dimmed the lights so that the atmosphere was very relaxing. All the equipment was laid out for us before we entered the studio, and the uses of each piece was explained to us in case we were unfamiliar with it.

It was very comforting to be in a body positive space while practising yoga. Often times, I have been to yoga studios and I feel as though some of the slimmer students are looking at me (even though they're probably not) and just knowing that I am in a non-judgemental space helps me to focus on my practice instead of what other people might or might-not be thinking about me and my body.

Both Suzanne and Mary (the instructor) were very welcoming and made me feel totally at ease. They both demonstrated each of the asanas (yoga poses) so that you could see what the posture should look like from the front and the side.

We started the class with shavasana, a pose where the student lies on their back with their eyes closed and meditates on their upcoming practice.

Mary came along and gave us each a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil to help invigorate us and our practices. It was lovely!

Then we began some of the more active poses.

Owner/Creator - Suzanne Gracan (left), Instructor - Mary (right)

Warrior Pose

And for our final shavasana, Mary came around, gave us some lavender essential oil to ease us in to a very relaxed state, put a bolster underneath our knees to ensure our backs were making perfect contact with the floor, and tucked us in under a blanket to make sure we were nice and warm. I could have fallen asleep right there! It was like mixing a yoga class with a spa session. I can't remember the last time I was so relaxed!

All in all it was a really great yoga session, and I think that uniting plus size women for exercise in a body positive space is a wonderful idea. If you are interested in taking yoga or other fitness classes with Suzanne, check out her page here. Many thanks to Suzanne and Mary for a wonderful class!