RELATED:<\/strong> Crow Pose, Made Easy: 3 Moves to Pull It Off<\/a><\/p>\n After years of struggling with her weight, which has fluctuated between 170 to 300 pounds since she was in eighth grade, Falsetti turned to yoga at age 21. Yet, as other students began kicking up into handstands, Fasletti feared that her body was too big for such feats.<\/p>\n Turns out her anxieties on the mat were unwarranted. Now, just over a year after she started practicing, Falsetti can easily pop upside-down to perform inversions (like the pose in the photo below). Her personal transformation \u2014 documented on her popular Instagram page<\/a> \u2014 even motivated her to get her teaching certification and tour the country leading yoga workshops<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n https:\/\/instagram.com\/p\/5F6HnMMuA5\/?taken-by=nolatrees<\/p>\n \u201cPeople often ask me, \u2018How do I get stronger?\u2019, and I simply tell them to keep practicing, but practice smart,\u201d says Falsetti. \u201cPractice with alignment in mind, with body awareness [and] with integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt starts making you wonder what other things in your life you\u2019re telling yourself you can\u2019t do, that you can do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Though you might picture all yogis as long and lean, yoga transcends size. Body type or gender do not automatically predict skill level, either. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that size doesn\u2019t necessarily matter,\u201d says Kent Katich, an LA-based yoga instructor who has worked with NBA players for over two decades. \u201cI\u2019ve been blown away by the grace and balance of [seven-foot tall] guys and amazed at how weak some of the supposedly powerful ones are.\u201d Tap your way to #curvyyoga<\/a> or #yogadudes<\/a> on Instagram and you\u2019ll see almost 100,000 posts from folks of all shapes and sizes, as they twist into gravity-defying arm balances, and crazy configurations.<\/p>\n https:\/\/instagram.com\/p\/4heRxgrVJd\/?taken-by=nikebasketball<\/p>\n Roughly 10 percent<\/a> of U.S. adults practice yoga, and for good reason. It delivers a slew of benefits<\/a>, including improved blood circulation and better sleep<\/a>. And plenty of those people are nowhere close to a size zero (like Olympic snowboarding champion Jamie Anderson<\/a> and NBA star Lebron James, pictured above).<\/p>\n Yoga\u2019s benefits extend beyond the physical, too. Falsetti\u2019s journey has helped her feel more confident than ever. \u201cIt starts making you wonder what other things in your life you\u2019re telling yourself you can\u2019t do, that you can do,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Yoga can be a challenge for any beginner<\/a>, no matter their body. Even the fundamental postures require a great deal of strength, says Falsetti. Luckily, modifications can help make yoga accessible to everyone. \u201cInstead of seeing an advanced pose and thinking, \u2018Impossible,\u2019 break the asanas, all of them, down into shapes,\u201d she says. “If you can understand the shapes, the alignment, the concepts, then you can practice with [more] body awareness.\u201d The rest, she says, comes with a healthy dose of patience and discipline.<\/p>\n Where\u2019s a yoga newbie to start? We asked Falsetti to share a few tips to help beginners of all sizes get started on their own yoga journey.<\/p>\n How to:<\/strong> Stand at the top of your yoga mat. Your toes can come to touch or you can place your feet hip-width apart, making sure they are parallel (a)<\/strong>. Engage your core by drawing your navel towards your spine. Bend forward from your hips, leading with the chest (b)<\/strong>. Bend your knees as needed so your belly and thighs touch. Hands can come to the floor or can rest on blocks, or can wrap around your calves (c)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Pro Tip:<\/strong> The objective of this pose is to lengthen your spine, so don\u2019t worry if you can\u2019t straighten your legs completely. The best thing you can do is start with bent knees even if you think you don\u2019t need to, says Falsetti. Once your chest and thighs are touching, you can then try to straighten your legs.<\/p>\n How to:<\/strong> From a forward fold, place your hands shoulder-width apart on the mat (a)<\/strong>. Step your feet back as though you are coming to a plank<\/a>, but keep them hip-width apart or closer. Your legs do not have to be completely straight and your heels do not have to be flat. Maintain a nice flat back<\/a> and long spine (b)<\/strong>. Lift through your hips (moving upwards with your shoulders) and press the floor away from you, pouring your weight into your fingertips and not your wrists. Keep your head in between your upper arms and gaze towards your belly (c)<\/strong>.<\/p>\nYour Body on Yoga<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Strike a Pose<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4 Ways to Make Yoga Poses Work for Any <\/em>Body <\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Forward](\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10040518\/forward-fold2.gif\")
<\/p>\n1. Forward Fold<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Downward](\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10040522\/down-dog-pose.gif\")
<\/p>\n2. Downward Dog<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Dolphin](\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10040524\/dolphin-pose.gif\")
<\/p>\n![\"Camel](\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/10040520\/camel-pose.gif\")
<\/p>\n