Every Body Yoga

When I wrote this review, there was only one other review in Goodreads, and the reviewer didn't like how this book wasn't more about Yoga, and the poses, and what kind of yoga book is this anyway. And, at first, when I started to read this book, I wondered the same thing. Why is there so much text? Why am I having to read about so much before I read about the yoga itself.

But, in actually reading this book, I realized that this is more than just a yoga book. You can probably get lots of those at any bookstore. This is a book about a fat, black, lesbian yoga instructor, and I don't think there are a lot of those kinds of books out there. Certainly not the fat part.

So, this book is part memoir, part encouraging, and part instruction of how to practice yoga even if you are not a skinny-minnie, and look like all the other soccer moms out there.

This is more the book for the average person, who isn't thin and blonde and fit. This is for the rest of us out there that are aging, and lumpy in not quite the right places, according to Western society.

So, if you want to read a yoga book, read about how Jessamyn got to where she is, and how you can too, this is a great book for it. If you want to get a basic book of yoga poses, that show differently shaped people, this too is the book for you. And if you want to experience the fun writing of Jessamyn, and she lays everything bare, this too is the book for you.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Every Body Yoga is honest, refreshing, and the perfect entry into yoga. The pictures are gorgeous, the poses are well labeled and the little hand drawn tips are super helpful. Yoga has long been celebrated with the images of skinny white ladies, and Jessamyn shatters the mold by proving that yoga is for everyone. Jessamyn goes to great lengths to answer any and all questions a beginner could think of. I would recommend this book to any friend looking for a beginner's primer on yoga and learning how to love your body. Jessamyn smashes all expectations, using personal experience and plain honesty (her well placed F bombs are hilarious) to spread the message that yoga is for everyone and every body. I am in love with Jessamyn and am convinced she is my new best friend and personal yoga guru after reading this book. This book is a delight.

A great book that makes it clear that every body really can do yoga. The illustrations (photographs) and instructions are excellent. The use of a variety of people performing the various moves is encouraging. I felt like I could really do it, and I did!

Jessamyn has been an inspiration to me and my yoga practice for a couple of years now and I was so excited to get a copy of her book. Every Body Yoga is part yoga instruction and part memoir. She gives a good introduction to yoga with beautiful pictures and instructions on how to do the poses. She explains the different types of yoga practices as well as different yoga props that can be used and she answers questions that all beginners want to know. She also adds her own personal story and her journey to her yoga practice throughout the book. I enjoyed reading this book. As someone who practices yoga from home I found her pictures and instructions very clear and easy to follow. Jessamyn is definitely one of my favorite yoga instructors I follow online and it was pretty cool to get to learn more about her.

Yoga is for everybody, yoga is for every body. Love the title, love the concept and am trying to master most of the moves :) Definitely a recommendation to all bodies :)

I need a physical copy of this book ASAP, not only to integrate the poses and sequences within, but also because it's a beautiful AND important book. Regardless of how you identify or classify yourself, Jessamyn addresses issues that we all deal with. Things we repress that hold us back from reaching our individual potential happiness and wellness.

It's not simply a yoga book with poses, it's also a sort of limited auto-biographical portrait of Jessamyn's journey to her home yoga practice. Lessons learned along the way and sequences of poses that can assist with releasing and letting go of stresses and other blocks to calm, happiness, or well-being in our lives.

I have been familiar with her pictures for some time now, and I knew that I would enjoy this book, but I didn't anticipate being brought to laughter or being made to contemplate all the ways in which I could relate and identify things I need to work on mentally. Especially being more appreciative and loving of my body and all the things it can do and what it can become capable of doing.

Highly, highly recommended to everyone -- even if you aren't all that interested in yoga at the moment.

This is not just a “yoga 101” type of book but also all about promoting a loving attitude for yourself and a positive self-body image.

She explains the practice of yoga and the eight-limbed path, yoga history, what you “should” buy and what each yoga practice method would be the perfect one for you. About a quarter way through the book has pictures of the poses , to help the reader start learning and to practicing the moves she is talking about. Throughout there are great two-page spreads of example poses to “energize my spirit” and “sun salutation” for example.

Jessamyn had summarized my own feelings and anxiety about going out and trying yoga at first because it was just confirming my preconceived notion that unless you’re up to the media's standards of “western health”, that you might feel “a little ashamed and lost” in going out and trying . So, after reading this book, I just want to say thank you to Jessamyn, for putting herself out there, and encouraging everyone to love themselves and to try and find their own piece of balance in the world ; that at the end of the day, we all deserve to be happy. So with yoga, this can be a way to accomplishing that.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out with yoga or is wanting to get into the practice.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest opinion. My thanks to Jessamyn Stanley and Workman Publishing Company for the opportunity.

I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads when the book is released on 4/4/17.

I loved this book and how down to Earth the author was. I loved how she talked about her struggles with her size and I could totally relate being that I am plus sized. I wish I lived nearby so I could do yoga with her in person but I will make due with this book. Thank you

There is a lot that I like about this book, and the funny thing is taht I learnt of this amazing woman before getting the chance of reading the book, and I was already in awe: she had to struggle as she didn't seem to fit in the "clasical, stereotypical" image of a yoga practitioner, but she kept on and after various struggles she won. She showed the world you don't need to be skinny, or white, or spend tns of money on clothes or equipment to practise yoga and have fun and relax doing it.
So I liked that the book presented us with sort of a bio/memoir about the author's experience with all of the above, celebrating how she kept going on and struggling to get where she was and her accomplishments, and also presenting an array of yoga poses demonstrated by her.
To be honest, I still have to give them a go, but it is cool to know there is this book to help out, so much with the yoga as with the motivation of keeping on to get where you want to be :)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. I wasn't sure what to expect but I love how she combines her life story with yoga. I love all of the examples of yoga that she put in the book. I haven't started my practice consistently with yoga yet, but it is a goal in 2017. She has provide yoga sequences for every emotion. I can't get enough of this book, and think that everyone should own this book.

This book was amazing! I loved the voice the book was written in - raw, real and funny. Easy to read along with.
As a fat person I adore how asanas are given modifications un-begrudgingly - making it extremely accessible for a person with a bigger body to get into a practice that can benefit them on a wide range of levels - not just as a weight-loss pitch.




*Thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I heard about Jessamyn long before I heard that she was writing a book, and I knew that I had to get my hands on it. There is no denying that Jessamyn doesn't fit your typical yogi mold (long and lean) because as she described herself, she is fat. But because of that, Jessamyn was able to write a really amazing yoga book.

I'll admit to the fact that this is definitely a text-heavy book. Jessamyn dives deep into her personal history to explain how she found yoga, to eventually becoming an instructor. Jessamyn has managed to create a book that is both instructional and inspirational, and most importantly, for the average person. I especially loved how she highlighted various flows and poses for every fitness level, and how she showcases various body types throughout.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a real, raw and inspiring story, with a hint of yoga. I'll definitely be picking up a copy of this when it hits bookstores.