Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body. Paperback – Illustrated, April 4, 2017

I devoured this book. Ms. Stanley has an engaging way of bringing you into her world and breaking down the how and why to her personal practice. With giving credit to those who came before her, she humbly offers insights to her personal journey to yoga. In addition to her personal tale, she breaks down a number of poses and movement flow suggestions and even puts what she looks to get out of each sequence. This is one I will referring to often in my own practice. Thank you to the author for putting it all out there and assuring others that we are not alone!

Love this book and it is in brand new condition. Highly recommend seller

I have been slowly introducing myself to yoga - through books, some classes, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and a supportive friend who is also a yoga teacher. Somehow through it all I never got the whole picture. I initially thought yoga was an exercise class for really fit people - and that yoga would make you super fit. Only through my friend did I start to see there was much more to yoga than just exercise classes. This is the first book that laid out the full yoga path or which asana is only one piece. This finally gave me the language I needed to start asking more questions.In addition to the introduction to yoga, the book provided a good walk through of basic asana poses as well as some good flows. As a mostly at home practitioner this is very handy and something I have been looking for in an easy to follow format.Finally, the yoga in the book is interwoven with stories - relatable stories. So many of the stories are filled with moments of “oh yeah - been there” all surrounding being the one on the mat who doesn’t look like she belongs in the yoga class (or any fitness class). Jessamyn does an excellent job of weaving her tale with yoga flows to fit.For anyone who is living in a world where learning to love your body exactly feels as insurmountable as Mt Everest (thanks to the inundation of the health, beauty, weight loss and fitness messages pushing a single standard of beauty/health/fitness) this book is one to read. You won’t get a “follow me and your life will be perfect” message - instead you will hear “you are not alone, your are normal and you are allowed to unapologetically live your life in the body you have” message. It’s a beautiful book on every level.

I googled woman doing yoga in Gatorade commercial and discovered we wrote two books. She also has an app called Underbelly which I signed up for too. I love everything about this book. Jessamyn is honest, funny, and has elite taste in pop culture. I’ve been trying to practice yoga on and off for 15 years. I started practicing at home during COVID, made improvements for a year and then lost touch with it because of some personal issues. Jessamyn inspired to get back to the mat. I’ve never seen a larger bodied woman do complicated yoga poses. I didn’t think it was possible, especially not for me. Now, I can’t unsee it and it’s given me a new outlook. Jessamyn reminded me that I need to show up for myself. She’s the friend that tells you like it is, but will make you feel supported and pull you out of your shame spiral. I will be coming back to this book as I get more comfortable in practicing yoga. Get this book if you’ve been struggling.

I was very excited to read this book as it is one of the few available that offers a diverse perspective. However, I’m struggling with some big errors including when the author says: “Yoga means “to yolk” (as in an egg yolk) versus the correct definition “to yoke”. Such a big typo. Also, she describes Ujjayi breath as “breathe in through your nose, out through your nose-but keep your mouth shut.” No mention of the throat lock. How did the author, readers, and editor not catch these HUGE errors?That being said, the author’s personal story and raw honesty are engaging and inspiring. She is actively living her yoga and shares how this practice has helped her in so many ways. I appreciate the tips she offers teachers and practitioners.

As a woman who isn’t skinny-skinny, who has big boobs, who has cellulite, who has a belly, and who was intimidated in “traditional” yoga classes with women who weren’t like me, I found Ms. Stanley a breath of much-needed fresh air! I shared this book with friends of all sizes and genders, each of whom said to me, “THIS is what I’ve needed.” This book not only helps people not judge themselves on the mat, but also to not judge ourselves in life. Her philosophy shows me that you don’t have true health until you let go of all of your “mental trashbags” about yourself. Every time I practice, I am starting to throw those trash bags away—sometimes with great and powerful heaves into the dumpster, and sometimes just carrying them a few steps in the dumpster’s direction. Ms. Stanley has also helped me realize that there are other, non-judgmental studios out there. Because of this book, I plucked up the courage to go out and find one where the bodies were all different, all races and religions are represented, all genders along the spectrum are represented, and all of the teachers have “normal” bodies—bellies and all! I am so grateful for this book, not only because of the mental and physical benefits, but also because it gave me inspiration to find a community of loving, supportive, and friendly yogis and yoginis In this big city.