How to Use Yoga to Improve Mental and Physical Health for Overweight Women

Imagine you are on a yoga mat, surrounded by calming music and soft lighting while breathing deeply. This will put your mind at rest and you will relax. For overweight women, yoga offers an opportunity to stretch themselves and connect with their body. It also quiets their mind, and help them to rediscover strength and their balance. Let’s see some types of yoga exercise and how they can improve both mental and physical health of obese women.

This yoga exercises focus on the simple movements and positions, and not about twisting yourself into a human pretzel. So, let’s look at some importance of this kind of exercise that improves both the mental and physical health:

• Relaxation: Yoga exercise reduces cortisol levels and with deep breathing exercise your brain relaxes, and your stress level will reduce.
• Strength: Yoga positions tone your muscles and build functional strength without requiring you to bench press a small car.
• Flexibility: Note this is simple and not the extreme types. So, you don’t have to touch your toes to start. Just try to enjoy your moves because progress is the goal and not perfection.
• Mental Clarity: Yoga will help to quiet your mind, improve your mental and physical health. It will also help to silence noises that may not allow you to focus on what you love to do (American Osteopathic Association, 2025).

Yoga exercises are form of workouts that can help obese women to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression when done the right way (American Osteopathic Association, 2025). So, let us consider mental health issues yoga’s can help women to handle:

• Reduce Your Anxiety: Deep breathing calms the nervous system and brings you into the present moment.
• Combat Your Depression: Regular practice increases serotonin and dopamine (your brain’s happy chemicals).
• Enhance Your Sleep Quality: A few minutes of yoga before bed can work wonders and help you sleep like a baby and feel refreshed when awake. So, you don’t have to complain of waking up before 3 a.m. You won’t need to ask, “why am I awake now anymore”?

Here’s an easy exercise: try a simple seated meditation. Close your eyes, inhale for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and repeat. Feel the tension melt away? Then you will see how yoga help you relax.

Overweight women often face unique physical challenges, and yoga meets you where you are. So, let’s see how yoga exercise will achieve this:

• Low-Impact Movement: Yoga is gentle on joints, making it a great option if high-impact workouts feel too intense. There are interesting and simple moves that almost everyone can make to become fit.
• Improved Balance: Over time, yoga strengthens and stabilizes your muscles as a result reduce your risk of falls.
• Boosted Energy: Some moves and poses like Sun Salutations get the blood flowing and help combat fatigue. With increased energy, you will be able to face your every day challenges with happiness.
• Other Physical Benefits of Yoga: Yoga can increase your flexibility, your muscle strength and tone, improved your respiration, energy and your vitality. This will help overweight women to maintain a balanced metabolism, weight reduction, cardio and circulatory health, improved athletic performance and protection from injury (American Osteopathic Association, 2025).

Many women struggle with where and how to start their yoga journey to improve their mental and physical health. If this is your case, here are some beginner-friendly poses for relaxation and strength:

• This is a simple yoga pose where you kneel and sit backo on your heels while folding your upper body forward and resting your forehead on the mat. Think of this as your yoga “time-out.” Kneel on the mat, sit back on your heels, and stretch your arms forward. This pose is perfect for relaxation and gently stretching the back (Foundation for Medical Education and Research, MFMER, 2023).

• This is dynamic yoga pose that’s great for the spine of overweight women. Start by being on your hands and knees. Arch your back and then drop your belly while looking up (like a happy cow). This position can be great for the strength your back.

• Here you should channel your inner superhero with a fantastic stretch and pose. Stand with legs wide, one foot pointing forward and the other turned out (side-ways). Bend your front knee and stretch your arms out. Feel the strength and power in your legs and core.

• This is an amazing full-body stretch explained with the position of a downward facing dog. This is a yoga pose that stretches and strengthens your legs, arms, shoulders, spine, and your inner thighs. Start in an all-fours position, with your hips above your knees and shoulders above your wrists. Bring your hands slightly forwards of your shoulders, with your middle finger pointing forward, spread your fingers (Ekhart Yoga, 2025).

• This is one of the yoga poses that give relaxing effect to your body just as it sounds. Sit sideways against a wall, then swing your legs up as you turn to lie flat on your back, place your hips against the wall or slightly away. Place your arms in any comfortable position. This position is perfect for reducing your leg swelling and calming your mind (Swanston, 2024).

Your yoga doesn’t have to be seen as tedious and serious as many people think. If you fall over in a particular yoga pose, for example in a Tree Pose, laugh it off. You try to assume a specific position but not able, like reaching your toes. Wave at other women instead, laugh and cheer up to release your endorphins. You know what? You can also put on a calming music to enjoy the moment (British Heart Foundation, 2021).

When you want to consider a fitness routine that fosters self-acceptance, yoga workout is fine in it. When you are on the mat, it’s just you and your breath. There is no competition, no judgment, and no pressure to “perform.” Each pose is a celebration of what your body can do, no matter its size or shape. Over time, as you gain strength and flexibility, you will also notice an increase in your confidence. It’s like your mat becomes a safe space where you can be unapologetically yourself.

Find the Right Class: Look for beginner or gentle yoga classes, either in person or online. There are even classes specifically for plus-size women to help you improve your mental and physical health.

Use Your Home Properties: You must not wait until you enroll in a yoga class before you start stretching yourself. You can use some suitable household objects such as blocks, straps, and cushions to support your yoga fitness routine. These materials will make poses more accessible and comfortable.

Set Realistic Goals: Start simple and with small amount of time like 5 to 10 minutes a day and build from there, because consistency is more important than duration. Your target should be on what you can start, enjoy and maintain.

Wear Comfortable Clothes: No need for fancy yoga gear, but if you can afford it that’s also great. To achieve various poses and move with ease, you just need something stretchy and breathable.

Be Kind to Yourself: It will be more motivating when women see their yoga exercise as a journey and not a destination. You also need to celebrate your small victories along the way and make your yoga an interesting one. So, don’t be too hard on yourself and rest when you should.

• Myth 1: Yoga is only for skinny people in expensive leggings.
• Reality: Yoga is for everyone and not for a particular body type. All women whether slim or overweight who are willing to try can do yoga. So, leggings are optional, your target should be on improving your mental and physical health
• Myth 2: You need to be flexible to start yoga.
• Reality: Flexibility is a result of yoga, not a prerequisite. Think of it like joining a book club, you don’t have to be a literary genius to enjoy it.
• Myth 3: Yoga is just stretching,
• Reality: While stretching is part of it, yoga has some positions and movements that will also strengthen your muscles. This can give you a stable balance, calm mind and promotes your mental and physical health.

Yoga is more than a workout, it’s a way to reconnect with yourself, improve your mental and physical wellness, and have a little fun along the way. For overweight women, yoga offers a judgment-free zone to explore your movement, mindfulness, and self-love. So, are you ready to take an action and invest in yourself? Grab you mat (or a towel), find a quiet space, and give it a try.

• Ekhart Yoga (2025). Downward Dog Pose – Adho Mukha Svanasana. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://www.ekhartyoga.com/resources/yoga-poses/downward-facing-dog-pose

• Swanston, C. (2024). Anxiety: Legs Up the Wall Pose. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://findhelpni.com/inspire-me/Get-Mindful/Anxiety-Legs-Up-Wall-Pose

• British Heart Foundation (2021). Fun exercises: 6 ways to make exercise more enjoyable. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/fun-exercises#

• American Osteopathic Association (2025). Maintaining a regular yoga practice can provide physical and mental health benefits. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://osteopathic.org/what-is-osteopathic-medicine/benefits-of-yoga/

• Foundation for Medical Education and Research, MFMER. (2023). Stress management. Retrieved January 3, 2025, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/multimedia/childs-pose/vid-20453580

Author: Ikenna Nathan Ojiegbe. First Published: 7th January, 2025. Last Updated: 21st March, 2025

Disclaimer:
The information is for the purpose of education only. It does not assess individual needs and does not constitute personal advice, hence, should not replace professional consultations with your health care practitioner or trainer. This information should not be used to make health related diagnoses or to treat any health problems. Consult with your health care provider before depending on any information in this article or on this website.