The plus side of lipedema: Being a star yogi

Why not take advantage of what lipedema offers?

Lipedema has a way of making you hyper-aware of ever flaw in your body. The heaviness, the disproportionate shape, the feeling that no matter what you do, it won’t change.

But there was one place my body just shined, and I got there faster than most: yoga.

Poses that I watched other people struggle with for months, I could do within weeks. My body felt like less of an enemy and more like something that actually worked.

Turns out there’s a reason for that.

Between 44% and 60% of women with lipedema have joint hypermobility — connective tissue that lets joints move beyond a normal range of motion. Hip openers, forward folds, backbends — poses that can take others years — often come faster when you're hypermobile.

And yoga itself is worth getting to.

A scientific review of yoga's therapeutic effects found that regular practice improves flexibility, reduces stress and supports overall quality of life.

A separate study found that just eight weeks of yoga twice a week produced measurable gains in muscle strength, endurance, flexibility and cardio-respiratory fitness.

It also turns out yoga is genuinely good for your brain — research has also found it improves memory, attention and cognitive function, and may even help protect against age-related brain decline.

One thing worth knowing: research shows that hypermobile joints rely heavily on surrounding muscle strength for stability — because the passive structures like ligaments and tendons are looser, the muscles have to pick up the slack. A healthcare provider can help you build that base so your flexibility stays an asset.

So why not take advantage of what lipedema offers? The mat is yours.