Jessamyn Stanley, acclaimed yoga teacher and body-acceptance advocate, joins us to discuss overcoming decades of dieting, healing from oppressive beauty standards, learning to accept her size and stop pursuing weight loss, the "yoga-industrial complex" vs. real yoga, her new book Every Body Yoga, being an Instagram sensation, navigating people's expectations of her as a yoga teacher, and lots more!

Jessamyn Stanley is the author of Every Body Yoga, as well as an internationally recognized yoga teacher, award-winning Instagram star (@mynameisjessamyn), and body-positive advocate. She has been profiled by a wide range of media, including Good Morning America, TIME, New York, Glamour, Shape, People, Essence, Lenny Letter, and many others. When she’s not on the road teaching, she lives in Durham, North Carolina. Visit her online at JessamynStanley.com, on Twitter at @JessNotJazz, and on Facebook at MyNameIsJessamyn.

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We Discuss:

• Jessamyn’s relationship with food growing up, including experiencing food scarcity

• Coping with family stress and engaging in emotional eating

• The impact of yoga on Jessamyn’s relationship with food and her body

• Self-taught intuitive eating

• Non-judgmental body awareness

• Veganism, yoga, and classism

• Trauma and eating disorder awareness in yoga practice

• The intersections of capitalism and diet culture

• The perils of pursuing weight loss

• Educating children about Health at Every Size and body positivity

• The intersections of fatphobia and racism

• Challenging the urge for assimilation

• The benefits of sharing our struggles publicly

• The role of photography in Jessamyn’s body image journey

• Self-compassion vs. shame and self-judgment

• The yoga-industrial complex

• The spiritual component of classical yoga practice

• Size diversity in yoga

Resources Mentioned

Some of the links below are affiliate links. Affiliates or not, we only recommend products and services that align with our values.

• Brené Brown

• Jessamyn's book, Every Body Yoga