Re-imagining wellbeing. It's more than a number.

For far too long, the Body Mass Index (BMI) has been treated as the gold standard for measuring health. But what if true wellbeing—especially for people in all types of bodies—can’t be captured by a number? Read on, as Susan explores what BMI is, how it came about and its limitations in the current environment. ​

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Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure that uses height and weight to estimate body fat. It's a simple calculation, but it's a widely used tool for assessing weight status and potential health risks. Developed two centuries ago by a mathematician it was never designed to assess individual health. Yet, it’s still a standardised tool that shapes health policies and personal health advice. 
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There’s a growing movement, both within and beyond the yoga world, challenging the dominance of BMI in health narratives. This movement is about creating space for diverse bodies, normalising and celebrating all kinds of bodies and experiences.

Often seen as a neutral, scientific fact, BMI doesn’t take into account the full diversity of human experience. Because of this, many of us are disconnecting from weight-focused narratives because they can fail to reflect our lived experiences, aspirations, and cultural understandings of health. These narratives overlook the social and cultural contexts in which we live, work, and practice yoga. This shift isn’t about rejecting the science—it’s about expanding the definition of health to include joy, agency, and embodied wisdom. It’s about recognising that all types of bodies can realise our own aspirations for health and wellbeing.

​Yoga is an antidote to the narrow focus of BMI. Yoga doesn’t define health by a number on a scale or conformity to a mainstream definition of health. Yoga is about cultivating awareness, connecting with our bodies, and embracing our bodies as they are—diverse, dynamic, and constantly changing. A sustainable approach to health begins with valuing diversity—not just as an idea, but as a practice. Yoga empowers us to define wellbeing on our own terms.

In the yoga room, diverse bodies are celebrated! We believe in an aspirational, inclusive approach to health—one defined not by systems or numbers, but by you. Whether its hot yoga, yin yoga, flow, whatever your preferred yoga style, Yoga is for everybody—and every body.