Customer Reviews

Megayoga

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For too long yoga instruction has ignored the needs of larger woman. I have been in yoga classes where the question "what do I do with my boobs?" was greeted with a puzzled look from my teacher.

Last year, I once again embarked on a yoga journey with the Just My Size Yoga DVD. I love it! Now, the instructor of that DVD has a book that builds on the poses and workouts highlighted in the DVD.

If you have ever been in a yoga class and felt out of place because of you size, this book is for you. If you want to enjoy the benefits of yoga, but learn adaptations for your curvy figure, this book is for you. If you want to feel good, and feel better about yourself, this book is for you!

MegaYoga stresses the benefits of yoga. Yoga improves health, releases stress, and builds self-esteem. MegaYoga does not, however, emphasize weight loss. Rather than setting a goal for someone you CAN BE, MegaYoga helps you love the person you ARE. It teaches the reader to love her body the way it is, and to not compare herself to others who are "thinner" or "more beautiful."

The book starts out with the journey of Megan Garcia, a beautiful plus size woman and yoga teacher. Next, the reader is introduced to "MegaYoga." MegaYoga teaches the traditional Hetha Yoga, but it acknowledges the special needs of the larger student. Posture, practice, props, and "moving the flesh" are all covered with a gentle, compassionate spirit.

The workout is broken down into "warm-up," "standing poses," "wall poses and inversions," "cleansing poses," and "quiet poses." While learning the poses, the book also provides a plan to help the learner grow with yoga. There are three workouts provide in the book, a 30 minute work out for the first 6 months, 60 minute workout for 6 - 18 months, and a 90 minute workout to go beyond 18 months.

I highly recommend this book for all the big, beautiful woman out there who want to reap the benefits of yoga.

Mega Yoga covers the basic concepts of Hatha yoga and focuses strongly on the ability to treat yourself with compassion and avoid judgement. Or as Megan says, to take up space with no second thoughts. In the physical realm it teaches you how to use props like straps, blocks, walls, chair to intensify and modify a pose. The importance of taking 15-20 minutes for quiet time is essential. There is more to yoga than poses so Megan teaches three types of breathing common to yoga practice but sometimes lost in class translation: dirgha breathing, ujjayi breathing and alternate nostril breathing.

At the end everything is arranged into three programs, 30 minute, 60 minute and 90 minute, with a small image of each pose and what page to find it on if you need more info.

I really enjoyed reading Mega Yoga and found it helpful for fine tuning moves I was somewhat familiar with as well as giving me some basic background information on the poses. I did not feel overwhelmed by the material and it is a quick read.

What I would have liked to have seen is a pull out section of the programs so I could post them while referring to the next move or perhaps a ring binding so the book would stay open at the page I'm working on. Technical things that have nothing to do with the content.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend.

I am a yoga teacher with several Mega students in class. This book really helped me understand the challenges they face and gave me GREAT ways to help them in the postures. Megan is inspirational and very upbeat. I am all about inclusion and this really has helped me to accommodate larger women. A great resource on my bookshelf!

I enjoyed the book immensely, especially the parts about using props and how to deal with the "fleshier" parts (i.e. breasts, belly) during yoga. However, unless you can memorize the poses, it's rather frustrating. I wish the book was spiral bound so that it could be layed completely flat or could be propped up like some other yoga books. I liked the 2 yoga programs at the end of the book, but I think they are somewhat unrealistic for today's woman - the workouts vary from 30 to 90 minutes and Megan high encourages yoga to be done EVERY morning. I like yoga, but, come on! Most women, especially moms will find it nearly impossible in the rushed morning chaos to devote 30-90 minutes to yoga. For those single gals out there or those who work part time, I can see how this would work.

The volume depicts various Yoga positions for beginners and
intermediate practitioners of the art. The book is easy to read
and well organized. For someone unfamiliar with Yoga, it is
a good presentation.

For example, the author appears in full color pictures performing the following Yoga movements:
- circular neck stretches
- hands over head with palms joined
- seating position with the knees below the waist and knees
folded
- triangular pressure points in the shape of a triangle on the
ball of the foot
- lie on the back and lift the stomach upward
- get down on the knees and extend one leg fully outward
then extend the other leg fully outward
- kneel comfortably and bow forward with hands outstretched
and touching the floor
- lie down on the floor with feet crawling up the wall

These are just some of the many Yoga exercises depicted in
full color. The acquisition is well worth the price for the
valuable information provided . This book provides a good
introduction for someone planning to take Yoga formally or
someone who does not have the time yet would like to become
familiar with the various Yoga protocols.

I have been teaching yoga for roughly six years, and purchased this book in hopes of finding more modifications that I could used with my "big and beautiful" students. This book contains little information that is specific to overweight students. In addition some of the suggestions are not things I would imagine bringing into a yoga class, unless the entire class were overweight (example: binding of the breasts).

That said, in general the quality of the book is very good. It seems appropriate for a beginner of yoga, there nice colorful pictures and easy to follow descriptions. I would recommend this book for a new student, or an overweight individual that feels intimidated by yoga.

This book is a good start for those with weight problems. [...] . I also like MS. Garcia's emphasis on the mental and breathing aspects of yoga, as well as form. However, this book is clearly intended for people who are completely out of shape or who have never been in shape. Although I am very overweight, I found the first two routines to be too easy. That being said, again, this is a great book for newbies, and a good adaptation reference for us zaftig athletes.

I've been a big fan of the Just My Size yoga video for about two years. I just found out this book exists and checked it out at my local library. I'll be buying my own copy within the next couple of weeks. I love Megan's upbeat attitude and am going to try to learn to not apologize for taking up as much space as I do. I like the layout of the book and all of the pictures make it easy to figure out the poses. It's worth it to have both the DVD and book--there's a lot more info available in the book. I can't wait to see what book or DVD Megan will publish next--I think I might be a groupie!

If you already own Just My Size dvd from Megan, you may not want/need this book. However, it's great for anyone who doesn't have the dvd because the majority of the routines are the same. She has devised this routine for larger people who cannot twist themselves into the poses that thinner people can. I've seen the dvd and now I've seen the book and both are fantastic. As someone with overweight friends, I can totally see how this great book can be of major help to those who truly want to do something about their weight but feel there were no good yoga options for them. I highly recommend this.

I love this book. Plus size or not, this is an excellent book for beginning yoga students. The pictures are great and her comments are reassuring that it's ok if you need to slightly adapt a pose for your body type or skill level. Highly recommend.