“I’ve always felt fat and strong and I have a complex relationship with that pairing. There are times when I fully lean into this dichotomy, owning my own body, feeling content, proud, comfortable in my size, allowing myself to take up space. There are other times when I wish away that fat part of this body equation. Where I would gladly shrink down and take up less space. As someone fat and strong, sports/fitness is a complicated and complex landscape. Where do I belong? How do I fit, both figuratively and literally? When I first explored yoga, these were still prevalent questions and concerns. Classes filled with lithe trim people, their long limbs folding easily into twists and binds, legs floating skyward into inversions, while my thickness kept me moreplanted, made it so crossed legs and folded torsos looked different than those elvish bodies surrounding me. All those Legolases to my squat strong Gimli.”