Nonfiction

Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance

Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance

  • Downloads：7025
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-23 06:18:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jessamyn Stanley
  • ISBN：B08GFKT74C
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Nic Ojo ，

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫Don't let the author's yoga background fool you。 There is so much more going on in these pages。Drawn in from the first page， the author does not hold back or mince words in this collection of essays。 If you are not okay with profanity this book is not for you。 Stanley talks to the reader as if you are close friends。 This book explains how yoga brought clarity and acceptance into Jessamyn's life。 Most importantly not being afraid to hold a place in the yoga community as a fat， black， and que ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫Don't let the author's yoga background fool you。 There is so much more going on in these pages。Drawn in from the first page， the author does not hold back or mince words in this collection of essays。 If you are not okay with profanity this book is not for you。 Stanley talks to the reader as if you are close friends。 This book explains how yoga brought clarity and acceptance into Jessamyn's life。 Most importantly not being afraid to hold a place in the yoga community as a fat， black， and queer person （words used by the author）。Thank you @netgalley and @workmanpub for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Sacha ，

Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 I’ll post that review upon publication。Updated 6/22/214 stars Stanley takes an approach that will appeal to folks who enjoy the benefits of yoga but who maybe also feel uncomfortable with - or even outright disgusted by - the appropriative nature of various aspects of it。 In other words， if you're trying to buy this book in your "Nama-stay in bed all day！" t-shirt， this is not what Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 I’ll post that review upon publication。Updated 6/22/214 stars Stanley takes an approach that will appeal to folks who enjoy the benefits of yoga but who maybe also feel uncomfortable with - or even outright disgusted by - the appropriative nature of various aspects of it。 In other words， if you're trying to buy this book in your "Nama-stay in bed all day！" t-shirt， this is not what you think， and it is not for you。 Or maybe it IS for you， and that shirt becomes a cleaning rag。 My favorite part of this collection is Stanley's varied approach to this concept of appropriation and misuse of yoga in modern American culture。 I really enjoy the perspectives on these issues and the consistent reminders of what yoga is supposed to be instead of what we're fed by the exact offenders Stanley mentions。 Stanley's more personal revelations - reactions to teachers and even a horrifying set of examples of her own experiences with sexual assault - are difficult to read but essential in shaping her character and persona。 In case this isn't already clear， TW: sexual assault。My greatest wish for this collection is for it to be expanded。 At times， some of the essays felt a bit less developed than I'd have liked。 But overall， Stanley is speaking truth to so many folks' experiences with yoga， and it is nice to have a reminder of what yoga can and should be as well as what it has been transformed into （sadly）。 A recommended read for perhaps a niche audience。 。。。more

Aria ，

You know what's always great？ Listening to a non south asian person talk about yoga and how "spiritual and enlightening" is it。 How it just "cleanses their soul" and "makes them feel one with the world"。 Yeah Jessamyn， even if you're not white， you're still appropriating south asian culture by teaching your version of yoga。 Get the fuck off your high horse because you're the same as these white people you have problems with。 Sincerely， A South Asian。 You know what's always great？ Listening to a non south asian person talk about yoga and how "spiritual and enlightening" is it。 How it just "cleanses their soul" and "makes them feel one with the world"。 Yeah Jessamyn， even if you're not white， you're still appropriating south asian culture by teaching your version of yoga。 Get the fuck off your high horse because you're the same as these white people you have problems with。 Sincerely， A South Asian。 。。。more

Anna Richey ，

Wow。 As a relatively new yoga practitioner （and even more recently， a yoga teacher）， this is the most valuable book I've read so far。 Some chapters were challenging to read， but Stanley writes in such a laid-back， intimate tone that even the hard chapters felt just like having a difficult， but ultimately necessary and worthwhile， conversation with a best friend。 Wow。 As a relatively new yoga practitioner （and even more recently， a yoga teacher）， this is the most valuable book I've read so far。 Some chapters were challenging to read， but Stanley writes in such a laid-back， intimate tone that even the hard chapters felt just like having a difficult， but ultimately necessary and worthwhile， conversation with a best friend。 。。。more

Carrie ，

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title。 Wow， still floored by this book a week after finishing it。 I follow Jessamyn on Instagram， so I had some idea of what to expect， but I also got so much more from this than I could've anticipated。 This book is about yoga， but it is more about loving yourself。 It is more about confronting what is problematic in this world， but doing so from a grounded and centered place。 Everything is the yoga。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title。 Wow， still floored by this book a week after finishing it。 I follow Jessamyn on Instagram， so I had some idea of what to expect， but I also got so much more from this than I could've anticipated。 This book is about yoga， but it is more about loving yourself。 It is more about confronting what is problematic in this world， but doing so from a grounded and centered place。 Everything is the yoga。 。。。more

Elizabeth Love ，

This review is provided by NetGalley。 I've been a fan of Jessamyn Stanley for several years。 I believe it was seeing an image of her when I didn't know her name。 Then I saw her on Good Morning， America and was thrilled to finally learn her identity and follow her on social media。 She has that kind of fame in the yoga world already and it happened fast。When I read her first book， Every Body Yoga， I was a little disappointed in my own expectations。 I thought it was going to be a book about how to This review is provided by NetGalley。 I've been a fan of Jessamyn Stanley for several years。 I believe it was seeing an image of her when I didn't know her name。 Then I saw her on Good Morning， America and was thrilled to finally learn her identity and follow her on social media。 She has that kind of fame in the yoga world already and it happened fast。When I read her first book， Every Body Yoga， I was a little disappointed in my own expectations。 I thought it was going to be a book about how to get into yoga postures regardless of one's size or shape。 That ended up being only a small part of the book。 It was a memoir which I was happy and curious to read。 She bares all。I had to wonder what could be left to tell about her history when I read the summary for Yoke and to paraphrase -- EBY tells us how to do yoga and Yoke tells us why -- I felt more confident in what the book would deliver。 It is gloriously real and inviting。Jessamyn Stanley does not shy away from vocabulary。 She is fat， black， and queer。 All terms she uses with complete openness。 She invites others to stop seeing fatness as bad or not beautiful。 There aren't trigger warnings anywhere， but if you're memoir reader， allow this review to be that warning for you。 In EBY， she revealed unfortunate history regarding sexuality， sexual assault， and feelings of confusion about what women are supposed to control in their own bodies。 In Yoke， she tells a couple of stories that I wish were unbelievable， but they are sadly， too relatable and easily believable。 Even this person I see as a celebrity still gets assaulted and it keeps happening！ You can tell by her own words that she is shocked it keeps happening and snowballs into self doubt， embarrassment， and shame。In my opinion， Yoke should be required reading in all western （re: not in the Middle East， South Asian， or Far East Asia） yoga teacher trainings。 I got more out of Yoke with its chapter introductions of Swami Satchidananda's sutras and Stanley's authentic lessons about her yoga journey than I did from reading the tome of B。K。S。 Iyengar， Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali。 While Patanjali is considered the source of yoga training， what we need in today's world is to hear from voices like Stanley who struggle against self-doubt， body positivity， equality， racism， misogynoir， homophobia， and white supremacy in yoga。 Yeah， even in yoga all that shit is still there and Stanley points it out。Oh， you think we're all part of the greater Wholeness of the Universal Energy so race doesn't matter？ Ha！ There are still classes filled with mostly white women and specifically thin， able-bodied， white women （who can afford to be there）。 Like Stanley， I was the only fatty in my yoga teacher training。 I was also from a poorer area of New Jersey unlike my Princeton suburb classmates。 But， our teacher was a fierce， black Haitian woman with endless energy who gave us her all。 I wish Jessamyn Stanley had had a teacher like mine。This does bring up how yoga has historically had a guru-student relationship and that we should not deify our teachers。 Outside of Stanley's book with her own personal stories of being let down by what goes on in the yoga classroom， there are people like Bikram， Iyengar， and others who abuse their power and abuse their students。 Stanley does discuss the Jivamukti yoga film her class watched during teacher training。 She was the only one to call out Jivamukti's founders， Sharon Gannon and David Life， for perpetuating the unhealthy racism with their western pastiche of South Asian culture。 Stanley said they "managed to roll all the most annoying parts of American yoga culture into one video。"Gurus and teachers can let you down。Like in EBY， Stanley shares her heritage with the Baha'i Faith and how she noticed that it too， despite it's interracial tolerance， was still homophobic。 No matter what subject Stanley introduced， readers are going to get cold hard lessons on reality about what's considered progressive。Yoke is well-organized and weaves the sanctity of yoga into the modern world and how it has affected Stanley's adult life。 There's a saying in yoga: the pose （asana） you least want to do is the pose you should do。 The same can be said for addressing what ills the yoga industries。 If you don't want to discuss racism and fatphobia， then you're probably the one who needs to hear that conversation from the people who are targeted。 Her chapter on meditation is invaluable。 She begins by saying she never thought she would meditate and now it's a part of her daily routine。 Yoke ends with Stanley discussing her marijuana usage。 She isn't preachy about it。 She admits it's not for everyone， but it helps with her yoga by calming her mind。 There are sweet stories about her grandmothers and how different they are， yet they have their own type of magic that they bring to the world。 That's more of the point than go get high。 It's about the need people have when they come to yoga to be who they are meant to be without any mask。Rating: 5 stars 。。。more