Curvy Yoga: Love Yourself & Your Body a Little More Each Day

by Anna Guest-Jelley

“Finally. A book that puts our culture’s destructive body-shaming to rest and gives women the tools they need to forge a new, more loving relationship with their bodies.” —Linda Sparrowe, former editor-in-chief of Yoga International , and author of Yoga At Inspiration for Creating Your Home Practice

Have you wanted to try yoga but wondered if it was for you? Or perhaps you were uncertain whether you could carry out the poses? As the creator of a body-affirming yoga phenomenon that embraces people of all shapes and sizes, Anna Guest-Jelley has written an encouraging book that is about to become your go-to resource. In Curvy Yoga® , she shares stories about body shaming with poignancy and even sometimes with humor. Guest-Jelley also reveals how things started to change once she found yoga—the last thing the self-declared non-athlete ever thought was possible. In addition, Guest-Jelley shares how yoga can help you connect with your body and why accepting your body doesn’t mean giving up on it. Finally, in the appendix, she presents a series of pose instructions and options to make yoga work for your body—not the other way around.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Fitness, Essays

240 pages, Paperback

Published January 17, 2017

Reviews

[🌈⭐️RoseOfRainbows⭐️🌈💕 · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good that I joined the program online! And I love it so so much. 💕💕💕

[Jennifer Louden · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gift of love this book is. To read it is to love yourself more.

[The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

You enter a yoga studio and all you see is lean, young, flexible people in expensive clothes. You, on the other hand, are not lean nor flexible. In fact you are overweight. Then you find out you can’t get into the poses because, well, your belly and your bosom are too large. Your thighs don’t allow you to sit down properly and all in all, nobody is telling you how your body can do this.

This book is not just about how to do yoga while your body gets in the way. It’s about accepting your body through the help of yoga. It is the author’s story of how she found herself back, after years of diets and self-loathing, through yoga. Not by losing weight or working out nonstop, but connecting spiritually with her own body, allowing it to guide her back to herself.

I really liked her suggestions to put this acceptance in practice even before you ever consider yoga. The writing is relatable and inspiring.

The final chapter offers simple explanations about the yoga world and philosophy. People like me who were never too aware of this world will find it helpful, along with how to interview a prospective yoga teacher and how they might help your particular situation, specifically being overweight.

The very last part of the book is a compendium of common yoga poses adapted for overweight people, as yes, they have challenges that I do not. Lots of tips to practice yoga with any body shape in colorful photos.

I was glad to see the author offers teacher training on what she calls “Curvy Yoga” and that she has online classes for students as well. It was even better to find out there are other books about the subject of practicing yoga for people who do not look like a Lululemon model.

All in all I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone who thinks their body is not good enough to show up at a studio where everybody else looks like a model. Find a good teacher for you and ignore the models. In the words of the author “This book is for anyone who ever had a negative thought about his or her body and wondered, even just for a second, if there could be another way.”

[Julia Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Guest-Jelly uses her own experience in weight loss, body acceptance and Yoga to encourage others to do the same, but it kind of got to the point when it started to seem like a personal narrative. If there were some facts and details with it, it could have been more encouraging and convincing. Topics such as eating disorder statistics and nutritional facts could be convincing enough to change their own negative opinions about their body. Information about studies to reveal how beneficial Yoga can be to our physical, mental and emotional well-being could combat a need to feel balanced. The Yoga poses in the book don't fully give any examples of how long to hold the pose. It doesn't even mention whether to release the pose. It doesn't give a clue on how many times to repeat each pose. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. I love doing the Yoga featured in this book, and I love to continue it at home. Curvy Yoga was meant for me.

[Paige Vanderbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

~Full review pending~

I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved this. Anna's curvy yoga online studio was the first yoga instruction I ever found fit me, and reading her book now I understand why - she's just like me. A few moments in the book were actual experiences I went through around the same ages concerning my weight and body! I feel so seen.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to read for tips on yoga for those of us with not so slim bodies. All the tips were in thd back of the book. I woukd have liked this better if the tips and life lessons were intertwined.

[Mary-Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really nice book. I love Anna's positivity and sense of humor. I personally had not heard of Curvy Yoga before reading this, but I think the concept and what Anna is doing is really awesome.

As far as the memoir/advice portion of the book goes, the beginning was great, and so was the end, but I kinda got lost in the middle. I feel like books like this can have a tendency to begin to sound somewhat repetitive, and I kinda felt like that's what happened.

I actually have a chronic illness, and the way that Anna said that yoga was for everyone, there is not necessarily one right way to do a pose, and that anything can be modified really inspired me. I also really enjoyed the poses and modifications included in the appendix.

As someone who knows very little about yoga, this wasn't a bad introduction at all!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, but not for the reason I bought it. I bought it hoping for modifications to yoga poses for curvy folks as sometimes my little extra gets in the way. There are modifications shown in the book. Unfortunately for me, I knew these (I ordered online so didn't get to flip through it first). However, I completely forgive the book for that, because the body acceptance message was fabulous! Just fabulous. I wasn't even interested in body acceptance, but now realize I have a new goal and very happy for it.

[Loree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had several a-ha moments while reading this book it was really refreshing to read an author who was able to express some of my internal fat-phobic feelings into words of clear understanding. Several highlighted sections and some thoughts worth returning to. I read this at the same time I located a certified Curvy Yoga instructor and took some classes as well. The combination of the two enhanced my learning of the concepts, both physical and otherwise.

[Haley Moreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, especially being someone who struggles daily with an eating disorder and body image issues. I picked up yoga 8 months ago, after only doing it once or twice in college, and it's become my favorite thing to do. The author sounds a lot like me. Dieting since elementary school and seeing no results. Her tone is real and truthful and makes me feel less like an imposter since I'm a bigger girl doing yoga.

[Elaine Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good. she understands why people who are not 110 pounds and built like a teenage boy don't feel comfortable in a yoga class. I'm not sure why she kept going and put up with the rudeness from past instructors but she did and she probably inspires other curvy girls to do yoga. (not that there is any place for a larger girl in my town to comfortably pick up this practice.) For me, I enjoyed reading her story.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has really inspired me to connect with myself more throughout my yoga practise instead of trying to land every pose perfectly like all the other yogis do. It teaches you how to connect with your body and turn it into a more loving relationship.. it has some great practises throughout the book as well, over all a great read!

[JoAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really made yoga feel more accessible to me. I loved how she was relatable and my favorite part was how she showed how to make the yoga poses work for you - no matter where on your journey you are at.

[Ellen Fein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not really a curvy woman but this book offers so much to think about - my own biases about"fat", about my own weight, my relationship to food, clothes. and perhaps best of all it makes the tools of yoga so accessible. a great invitation to make friends with our own bodies.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looved it! She is just awesome and so right about everything! More about body acceptance than yoga. The yoga parts are gold though for using yoga as a tool to body acceptance and making that tool serve the body you already inhabit.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of showing that body acceptance and yoga not only can coexist but that they SHOULD. the author did a very good job of explaining the concepts of yoga and reminded me that it is about more than just the poses.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on yoga, body acceptance and learning to live with your body. Offers practical exercises and modifications for a variety of poses.

[Annie Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've tried yoga but felt you were too....whatever, this is a great book to pick up. Love Anna Guest-Jelley.

[Allanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information about not only yoga, but about body acceptance as a whole.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read this year, positive body image is a critical factor in overall happiness. And knowing that yoga is for all is game changer for me.

[Amy Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Its the perfect mix of information on Body Acceptance and Yoga!!!

[CC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Guest-Jelley is such a wise, compassionate, and thoughtful yogi. This book reflects that in spades. Not only is the book itself beautiful, but the content is, too. I can see myself revisiting this regularly for comfort and inspiration. I'd recommend this book to anyone who dreams of having a truly loving, healthy relationship with food, movement, and their body and mind.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, uplifting book for anybody who has ever been hard on themselves or their body (so basically everyone) regardless of age, race, gender, or body type. Yoga as a path to self knowledge and self care :)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, practical, and I may just have to buy a copy. The author also has a website. Valuable to me already!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curvy Yoga brings body compassion to your yoga practice. I deeply appreciated many of her words. I found the prose repetitive and wordy at times and it lacked the editorial organization that would have avoided this tendency. More poses and breathing exercises would have balanced the book better, as poses are only a small part of the book (the appendix) and breathing exercises are excluded. There are some nice meditations and practices at the end of each chapter. A worthy read.