Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get On the Mat, Love Your Body.

by Jessamyn Stanley

I think you are absolutely correct. I think that if you have body issues, or if you’ve got shit raging in your head about your body shape, size, or condition, particularly as it pertains to yoga, then I do think you can learn a lot from my experience.

I know how it feels to be discouraged and excluded in an environment that’s meant to foster calm and serenity.

I was emotionally damaged—love, loss, and the realities of life had battered my heart and constructed complex walls around the core of my spirit—and I’d been trapped under body issues basically since exiting the womb.

My practice helps me transcend the all-consuming nonsense of daily life. It allows me to step outside of my mundane fears, endless obsessions, and senseless anger.

And if you allow it, the yogic path will envelop every moment of your life—every breath, every interaction, every gaze, and every thought.

The eight-limbed path of yoga can help answer the questions we spend our entire lives obsessing over. Not superficial questions: Am I fat? Am I pretty? or Will I get that job? I’m talking about REAL questions, deeper questions, the ones that get embedded in our psyches during childhood, the questions that continue to fester during adolescence, bloom during adulthood, and continue to haunt us: What is my worth? Do I deserve love? What is my purpose? What if my dreams don’t come true?

Because I don’t care how “together” your shit is, we’re all looking for answers, for balance, for peace.

my yoga practice helps me accept the fact that bad judgment and big missteps are the toll we pay for being present in our lives. Ultimately, yoga has made me realize that happiness doesn’t come when we magically become better people. The practice is a reminder that we deserve to be happy today, in this exact moment, because we are already absolutely perfect.