Yogi's

I really enjoy yoga, but I'm not the typical size 2 yogi. I have great difficulty breathing in some of the positions which I think is due to my belly. Plow position kills me, half moon and other twists because of my love handles. Does anyone have any suggestions for better breathing or something before I pass out?

I'm a yoga instructor, so I hope I can guide you with what you're asking:
To reduce your love handles, do asanas such as trikonasana. To improve your breathing, I suggest you start by practicing full yogic breathing lying down in savasana. You will increase your oxygen intake that way, and increase your lung capacity.
Doing the plough or other asanas which are not easy for you to complete, is ok. Just by doing certain movements which you're not used to, will anyway give benefits to your body. Do not force your body more than it feels comfortable with. The other thing is do not forget breathing well while practicing your asanas. This will help you improve your yoga asanas with time.
Good luck!

K63 as an instructor have you seen any Yoga DVD's you would recommend? I would really love to get into yoga, but haven't been able to find a class that fits into my schedule. Would like to get a DVD so I can do it at home. Thx!

Listen to k63. Breathing is the first thing to learn. I do yoga for my back and i have now been off pain killers for over a week. I know it has helped by losing my weight...but...the yoga is the one that has helped with my range of movement and being able to support and relax my back for much longer than before. If i don't do it every day then i start to stiffen up and that means pain. I was on meds for 2 years and i have done my yoga for the past 3 months.

@K63 Thank you so much for the advice. I really do need to focus on my breathing more. Sometimes when it becomes very difficult for me I slow my breathing and it really helps, but other times I get in such a panic that I can't breathe that I stop. I will focus more, thanks again.

@skirch97 I began doing yoga through tapes, then I moved to p90X yoga so I feel really comfortable in giving you the following advice; find at least one day to get to a class and then buy tapes. I found that the personal instruction was helpful because using only the tapes I was never sure if I was doing the poses correctly. Once I began going to a studio I found that I was doing a few of the poses wrong. Now if I want to do a tape at home at least I'll know I'm doing the poses correctly.

@jonnybadback Congratulations it sounds like yoga is really working for you. My chiropractor encourages yoga for sure and I find it to be very helpful. I'm glad it is working for you.

I wouldn't really recommend any dvd's unless you already have knowledge about yoga. I've seen a few, and they are quite disappointing because they don't mention specifically how postures should be, etc. Without a teacher there won't be anyone correcting you. So I couldn't suggest any, but, try to be aware yourself if you really consider it's the only way you can practice yoga.
(FYI, Tae Bo is totally different, but I enjoy it too, and it's good for losing weight! I wish I was only more constant with it.)