Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance

This was a real, raw and informative read. Jessamyn has an amazing way of weaving her personal history with the roots of yoga. This was an easy read and one I would recommend to others wanting to explore more than asana.

One of my favorite yoga books. She weaves in humor with knowledge and perspective of the practice.

I pre-ordered this book after following Jessamyn Stanley for several years on social media. I loved the focus throughout the book on putting yoga in practice throughout your life. Also, as a fat, queer person this book was pretty relatable. I have always found it difficult and intimidating to walk in to yoga studios, and my love of yoga slipped because of my uncomfortableness around being the only fat girl in the room. I appreciated the discussion on race. I’m white and struggle hardcore with my family history and my own racism. It’s important to own my own stuff, and discuss the hard stuff. This book was what I needed to read today. It reminded me that there are people out there who have similar thought processes to my own. The world is a poop storm right now, and I need more yoga in my life. It also reminded me to be less judgmental of myself, let go of focusing on all of the things, and just do yoga (and life) the way that feels right to me.

In her debut Every Body Yoga, Jessamyn Stanley walked readers through the how of yoga. Now, in her follow up, Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance, Stanley goes over the why. Breaking her personal whys down into thirteen sections, Stanley covers everything from personal acknowledgment and acceptance, to cultural appropriation, to poses and meditation. She spoke truth to power and detailed her own journey through the predominantly white world of American yoga practice. Sometimes raw, but always honest and insightful, Stanley has written the modern manifesto for the practitioner who doesn’t fit the yogic mold. I had such a hard time putting Yoke down. Once I started reading, I was drawn in by Stanley’s often-brutal honesty about practicing and teaching yoga as a queer, Black woman in a predominantly skinny, white yoga world. With all the honesty, however, there was no need for sympathy; Stanley owned the situations she often found herself in, acknowledged their importance, and learned from them. We can all stand to learn from her outlook on life. There are many lessons to learn from Yoke. From persevering when first starting out with yoga to how yoga practices, like meditation, are so heavily interwoven into our lives--our very essence of being--already, Stanley makes yoga accessible in a way the old texts and sutras do not. I particularly took to heart her emphasis that yoga isn’t just the poses and that, in fact, you can truly practice yoga without contorting yourself into odd positions. The chapter on meditation was also especially insightful, and for the first time in possibly forever I can see myself actually meditating. Usually, yogis emphasize letting thoughts flow out of you when meditating, but Stanley’s imagery of feeling like you’re sinking deeper into a bottomless ocean actually made the idea of being overcome with thoughts while meditating doable. I feel like I can meditate now without feeling like I’m failing at it. I loved that this wasn’t another how-to yoga guide. Stanley is very much aware of the arena she’s playing in, and that makes her trials getting to this point that much more raw and sometimes brutal. Her personal anecdotes throughout Yoke showed that she is impassioned and unafraid to clear her own path within the yoga world. This was a fantastic read, full of heart and soul and the inspiration for me to maybe give yoga another try--but under my own terms.

I am a white cis woman. My experience has been different than that of Jesssamyn's. I appreciate so much her sharing aspects of yoga that I don't see and asking questions I wouldn't think to ask. I was left contemplating my own participation of cultural appropriation and what I can do to acknowledge it, and ultimately charge it. I am so grateful for this real and raw perspective that she shares. Her yoga is more authentic on a soul level than half of the yogis I follow on Instagram. Time for me to branch out and diversify whom I follow that embody yoga. Other perspectives are crucial for my yogic evolution, and yours too.

Near the end of the book, Jessamyn wrote “The most important teachers are the ones who lead you to the teacher inside of you.” Her teachings have some really good stuff that will be popping up in future stray thoughts for me. I’ve read so many crap books on so many different subjects. This book, though, feels like every minute I spent reading was spent well. That’s unusual and special.

As a person who has practiced & taught yoga and as someone who grapples with its complicated history I really appreciated this book.

This came in earlier than I expected, and I am so thrilled to explore it! Basic browsing through so far reveals the beautiful layout and organization along with eye-catching, provoking chapter titles. If this is anything like Jessamyn's podcast (where she lays it all out with no F's given), I am going to be a major fan of this one. *Note: will update review after reading a bit more, just couldn't wait to share my excitement!