All Hail This Plus-Size Yogi, Who’s Slamming Body Myths One Instagram At A Time
Dana Falsetti uses her Instagram account to debunk yoga body myths. [Photo: Instagram/nolatrees]
Body-positive yoga. It’s a thing. And why the hell shouldn’t it be? Forget Hilaria Baldwin et al, Instagram has a new yogi to scroll and she’s every bit as inspiring.
Dana Falsetti, who as @nolatrees, has built up a huge Instagram following of nearly 79,000 followers uses her feed to post pictures of herself twisting and contorting her body in complicated stretches in a bid to prove that yoga knows no size.
“In the yoga world, some might say my size as a teacher and student is taboo, but I strive to show others there is no such thing as a ‘yoga body.’ It’s really such a silly concept when you think about it, being that yoga is a spiritual and truly internal practice with external manifestations,” said Dana.
If only we could get our legs up there! [Photo: Instagram/nolatrees]
The 22-year-old from New Hope, Pennsylvania first picked up a yoga mat in May 2014 after struggling with severe binge eating for years and seeing her weight balloon to 300lbs as a result.
“I thought if I could get control of my weight it would be a start towards something better, so I started working out, brought awareness to my bingeing habits, and dropped about 70 pounds. But no matter how long I looked in the mirror at my 'new’ body, I felt exactly the same inside. I went to my first yoga class unknowingly searching for something more. What yoga gave me was a new way to see and eventually accept myself.”
Originally, Dana started documenting her yoga journey via Instagram as a way to track her progress and prove both herself and others wrong by showing her body could be equally as strong as someone smaller. But gradually it became less about proving herself to others and more about learning to appreciate her own body, so she could ultimately encourage others to do the same.
Impressive or what? Dana is part of a tribe of Instagram yogis spreading the body-positive message. [Photos: Instagram/nolatrees]
And Dana isn’t the only yogi ‘grammer spreading the body-positive message. @biggalyoga, @crazycurvy_yoga, @mynameisjessamyn are just a few of the healthistas trying to debunk yoga body myths and encourage acceptance in the process.
Last week, Dana took to Facebook to announce the debut of her online series for online fitness website Cody. Making Shapes, aims to break down yoga postures and make them accessible to everyone, particularly beginners and those with bigger bodies.
'Some people see a photo of me and call it me an inspiration,’ she told Mail Online. 'Others see it and call me a whale. I am neither an inspiration nor a whale, I am me. People will see what they want to see.’
Who’s your Fitspiration? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
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