Jessica Rihal knows she's perceived a certain way in the wellness world. She's a bigger Black woman doing yoga, something she always thought was for small and compact white women. Soon, however, she overcame her hesitation about doing something that didn't seem to be meant for her. "I gave myself the freedom to explore movement from a curious perspective, wanting to relate to myself in a different way outside of diet and weight loss," Rihal told POPSUGAR. "That's when I gave myself the permission to look stupid and try new things."
While Rihal initially began working out to lose weight, once she found yoga, it clicked that exercise didn't have to be a chore — it could be a fulfiling part of your life that centres you. "It made me realise that I was more than just my body and my mind," Rihal explained. "I felt a connection with the world around me through the practice, and I was connecting to myself on a brand new level." Originally, she didn't intend to publicly share her journey with yoga, instead opting to create a finsta for her practice. But eventually, she made friends online, and her page naturally grew into a gathering place for those who didn't match the cookie-cutter image of what a fit body looks like.
Now having fully stepped into wellness as a singular path to better her connection and relationship with her body, Rihal says she finds joy and peace by "being present in the moment and acknowledging how delicate and powerful my body is at the same time."