The Yoga Manifesto: How Yoga Helped Me and Why it Needs to Save Itself

by Nadia Gilani

How did an ancient spiritual practice become the preserve of the privileged?

Nadia Gilani has been practising yoga as a participant and teacher for over twenty-five years. Yoga has saved her life and seen her through many highs and lows; it has been a faith, a discipline, and a friend, and she believes wholeheartedly in its radical potential. However, over her years in the wellness industry, Nadia has noticed not only yoga's rising popularity, but also how its modern incarnation no longer serves people of colour, working class people, or many other groups who originally pioneered its creation.

Combining her own memories of how the practice has helped her with an account of its history and transformation in the modern west, Nadia creates a love letter to yoga and a passionate critique of the billion-dollar industry whose cost and inaccessibility has shut out many of those it should be helping. By turns poignant, funny, and shocking, The Yoga Manifesto excavates where the industry has gone wrong, and what can be done to save the practice from its own success.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality

336 pages, Hardcover

Published May 26, 2022

Reviews

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadia Gilani and I have very different backgrounds, but that didn’t stop me from nodding my head energetically as I read this fantastic little book! It had been a while since I had last read a yoga book, and I was so thrilled to find one I connected with so strongly. Reading this actually revitalized my daily practice, even if this is not a how-to yoga book. It reminded me of what I love about it, and why it's precious.

Gilani is a long-time yoga practitioner and teacher, based in London. And there are things that she loves about yoga, and things she hates about it. In this book, she talks about her experience of discovering yoga, how it helped her during her struggles with eating disorders and substance abuse, how she tried to make a decent living teaching it, and what she has learnt along the way.

I was very familiar with a lot of what she wrote about: the co-opting of the practice by the fitness industry, the hyper-consumerist side of the industry that churns out endless “essential” props and accessories, the yoga teacher training system’s strange dynamics… All that stuff has kept me from engaging too much in the yoga community, as I find a lot of it weird at best and problematic at worst. It felt refreshing to see someone express similar options, just as it had been a breath of fresh air reading Jessamyn Stanley and “21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics and Practice”. Just like Gilani, I love my yoga practice and cannot imagine my life without it now, but when I scroll through Instagram or wander into a Lululemon store, I often feel like I have been taking crazy pills. I haven't. The yoga industry is fucked up.

But the practice itself is amazing, and when it gets eclipsed by images that make people feel it's inaccessible, costly to practice and used as a conduit for capitalism, it makes me sad and frustrated - because that's completely missing the point of yoga. Gilani has very doable suggestions on how the community/industry can improve in order to bring itself closer to the goal of practice, and I loved reading what she had to say about it.

Gilani’s honesty and passion on a topic that clearly has profound meaning to her was wonderful and engaging to read: I will be going back to this book, and recommend it to anyone interested in modern yoga practice, whether they come to it as a yogi or simply as someone curious about the topic.

[Lucy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. As someone who also started practicing yoga in the 90s before it blew up, who has fallen in and out of love with it and who has also felt despondent by the lack of inclusivity and cliqueiness of yoga studios, so much of Nadia's experience resonated.
Though I'm not of South Asian origin (and no, Nadia does not suggest you have to be to practice yoga - she reiterates this several times throughout the book) I'm not a skinny blonde who can do all the insta-worthy postures, and have often not felt that a lot of modern yoga was really for me, and differs from how and why I started practicing in the first place.
I loved reading this and will refer back to it often. It's also encouraged me to go back to some of the earlier books I read on yoga and consider how I approach my practice going forward.

[Gem ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and honest dissection of the ups and downs of modern yoga through the lens of one young woman's experience of yoga. Journeying through discovering yoga when at such a low point in adolescence, through abusive relationships, addiction, grief and in to teaching yoga, this book is both a tribute to the wonderful connection yoga brings and a stark warning of its flaws and what needs to change.

I have often wondered if my self-exploration of yoga rather than going to studios or classes meant I didn't quite "do" yoga properly, when actually I learned that by finding what was right for me, and looking for that connection within myself through practicing on my own on the mat, was actually what lies at the heart of yoga. My working class background meant things like meditation and yoga were not things that existed at home, school or anywhere around me really until I got in to a sixth form college and happened across a yoga & relaxation class. That introduction started my own love of finding connection and grounding myself on the mat, that has been a continuous lesson and support ever since.

Nadia is a brilliant and vibrant voice on social media who I've enjoyed following for a number of years and so I was chuffed to hear that this book was to be published.
Calling out the cultural appropriation in modern yoga and highlighting the honest truth around clichés, a lack of diversity and other questionable practices within it, has been an important step that Nadia, and other voices within the community itself, have committed to, often putting themselves in the firing line of trolls & even unhappy gurus.

In this book there is not only an incredible honesty surrounding her own relationship with yoga, but also a clear & inspiring manifesto of 8 areas where yoga can (& is argued, must) work to revolutionise itself in a new era to overcome the murky waters it has become trapped in.
This is a fantastic read for anyone who gets on a mat, is considering taking up yoga, teaches or oversees yoga classes and also who wants to explore & respect (as we all should) the true heart of the practice.

I am honoured to have been sent an advanced copy to review from the publisher, all opinions are solely my own.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadia Gilani asks people to think about their relationship with yoga while also giving the reader full-on candour about her relationship with yoga. I love that she didn't preach holier-than-thou pretending she has a perfect relationship with yoga, and instead gave us the down-n-dirty truth of her complicated relationship to yoga. In doing so, I think she manages to allow people to be drawn in by her honesty and be able to relate to her struggles both with yoga and with life (and herself). I mean, I cried in the car as I read the passages about her grandmother dying!

Yes, she does talk about what is wrong with the yoga industry (not yoga itself!) coming from a WOC and a yoga instructor (also a practitioner) instead of from some academic or researcher who has a bit more of a dispassionate view on it. Her passion rings through the pages because she is there on the ground seeing the problems, being hurt by the problems and even being part of the problem. And, so she is in this manifesto trying to come up with a solution that takes yoga into the future (and belong to everyone).

It's a breathtaking memoir and a passionate call-for-action that should be read by all of us who love yoga.

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this, I was at the very beginning of my yoga journey. I didn't own a mat, wasn't sure about it, and just looking at positions online made me wince and convinced I'd never start. I read this which gave such useful insight from the history of yoga, to your own relationship with yoga, to the different types, and making it work for you.

This book alone inspired me to try my first class.

I've now done three classes and can see how beneficial this will be for me. This book gave me the confidence to try. I have just started, but following the author on Insta is great to keep my confidence going, and get top tips along the way.

A great read that's inspiring, confidence boosting and educational all rolled into one.

[Mai Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, so honest and crucial for these current times. I definitely share a lot of experiences of yoga as the author, we even started at a similar age. So nice to read some of my similar thoughts being rehashed and beautifully articulated. I felt akin to so many ideas about the negative evolving yoga industry and its western destruction. It mentions the critical conversation of diversity that should definitely be mentioned more often, especially at the YTT stage. Wonderful and I will no doubt keep revisiting it as it gives a lot of hope and reflection about an otherwise not often mentioned critic on the industry.

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed reading this- very readable and combines yoga history, current yoga and the authors personal story well.

i agreed with pretty much everything Gilani writes here - but am not 100% sure this needed to be a book, that maybe Gilani's videos on instagram, or podcasts etc work better? definitely worth a read, but if you've read a lot of yoga books or stuff around decolonizing of yoga, this might be stuff you've already come across in the main.

[Martyna Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. Part memoir part a personal and moving take on yoga’s philosophy, legacy and future. Moving and inspiring, will need a hard copy after the audiobook now.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because practising yoga (as a white woman living in relative privilege) sometimes gives me the ick. I tend to ignore this because it does me good.
I was hoping this book could tell me how to engage with yoga in a respectful way.
Obviously things are more complicated than that — and it’s not just about whether or not you should say “namaste” at the end of a class.
I thought Nadia Gilani did a great job of showing up for a difficult subject. Life is messy and more than one thing can be true at the same time. I felt like she contradicted herself at points but it’s clear there are no easy answers.
Yeah this is about yoga but it’s also about all of the following things and probably more
Cultural appropriation;
Black Lives Matter;
How to engage with something in the right way, if that’s even possible;
The (toxic?) wellness industry / juggernaut;
Trying to decide where to put your attention;
How you feel about your body;
When to push yourself and when to rest;
Addiction;
Spirituality;
Trying to fill the void with yoga, or anything else.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love yoga but I hate books that moan.

[Chickpea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadia is a good writer but I found this book frustrating. Whilst I could nod my head in agreement with some of the content other statements gave rise to anger and frustration. It is a long time since I have felt physically moved and infuriated by a book. I found it challenging on many levels but maybe this was Nadia’s intention? Whilst saying this I can’t give the book any less than 3 stars and in fact maybe it deserves more? To have such a reaction could be a response to an accomplished writer?

I have actually done some online classes with Nadia. I saw her as a woman yoga teacher who was clearly trying to meet the needs of her students (online) but was scattered in her thoughts and her class was almost like she was emptying her thoughts into the students. Whatever came up she shared. I did not notice the colour or ethnicity of Nadia and it was of no relevance to me. I neither picked the class for her gender or her skin colour. I did actually enjoy the movement of her class and when she relaxed into it and became less anxious in her delivery.

Throughout the book Nadia makes racist decisive comments about skin colour. She says people of colour don’t get the work and whites are privileged in the industry.

She then goes onto criticise pay of yoga teachers thereby, in my opinion, arguing against her own argument. If it’s poor pay and mainly white teachers then doesn’t that mean white people are poorly paid too!

Creating unity is not going to happen when people are put into boxes and labelled. Stop creating divides between people. We are all unique in our ‘protected’ characteristics…age, sexuality, gender, disability, colour etc

I have rarely practised in studios so I don’t have that experience but obviously, as a long time yoga practitioner, I have seen the rise of gymnastic/strength/hand balancing/social media type postures being put out there. I can’t say that I think this is helpful to the majority and the ‘wellness’ industry she talks of is definitely aimed at the wealthy.

I also took offence to her comments about eating disorders not being around before the 90s. What a ridiculous and offensive comment!

Clearly Nadia has written a thought provoking, memoir which is a raw and honest account of her life so far.

I hope she can move past her issues with colour and race, alcohol and drugs and what she sees as acceptable/non-acceptable practice and gain enjoyment from what yoga brings to her.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Yoga Manifesto is a courageous and emotive book which sheds light upon important issues that the yoga industry loves to turn its back on - affordability, accessibility, representation, and cultural appropriation are topics that are raised and consciously considered throughout. If we are engaged with yoga, then we are most likely wrapped up in some of this whether we like it or not. Nadia puts into words what many of us feel uneasy about, inspiring us – in a compassionate voice – to question harmful aspects of modern popular yoga and work towards making positive changes.

Practical guidance on how we can contribute towards making yoga more inclusive is interwoven with a heartfelt account of Nadia’s own personal journey. These moving stories are perhaps what I appreciated the most about the book – written work on yoga is often lofty, delivered from the perspective of someone who “knows better” or has “attained enlightenment”. This is the only work in this realm that I’ve found truly relatable. Many of us use yoga as a tool to navigate our human struggles, but then feel we must hide them under a veil of love and light to be accepted into spiritual circles. It’s a toxic cycle. Nadia’s words are refreshing and real in the face of this. The Yoga Manifesto made me feel seen, moved, relieved, and inspired – it’s rare that a single book can tick all these boxes. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in yoga. (Or not - my husband couldn't get his nose out of it and he hates yoga!)

[Flowers4Algernon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb for this book states it’s a passionate critique of the current state of the yoga/ wellness industry and the very title and subtitle seems to indicate where the book is going. Except it isn’t going there really at all. The book is around 300 pages long and a constructive critique of the corporate nature of yoga/ the wellness industry doesn’t actually take place to around page 224. The last 20 odd pages is a pointless - in my opinion - glossary of terminology.

The majority of the book is about the author’s struggle with alcoholism, drugs, her eating disorder and mental health problems. This is of course interesting if that is what you were looking for, but I assumed - incorrectly- that the book would be offering a relatively deep and informed critique and in this I was very disappointed about how shallow and trite this aspect was. The actual manifesto is simply 8 points which the author feels need addressing and to be honest, could have simply been put up on her IG page rather than stretched out into a book. It all felt very disjointed, disappointing and dull. It seemed to be more of a cathartic/therapeutic exercise in self help.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't give this anything less than a 5 Star. For my full views see my May wrap on Desperately Seeking Charlotte youtube channel :)

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book in search of answers because I was unsure about how I was practicing yoga. It struck me as odd that I'd been doing it for 12 years but didn't know much about it or whether I was practicing it in an appropriative way. I'd heard the term "de-colonization" used with regard to yoga, but I really wasn't sure what that would look like.

It seems from further research, that an accepted form of de-colonized yoga would be learning from and practicing with someone who has an authentic, (rooted in South Asian, largely Hindu) yoga practice.

However, the author of the Yoga Manifesto sees this as not really possible since India has been colonized so many times in the past few millennia, and yoga is such an ancient practice, it is hard to say what "authentic" necessarily means. However, that shouldn’t stop modern day practitioners from considering the way they practice yoga and who that benefits. Put differently, she calls for de-commercializing and diversifying yoga.

Nadia Gilani, the author, is a London-born, Pakistani woman who came to the practice during her teen years in the 90’s through a local community center’s classes. As a result, she has an interesting perspective on the development and popularization of yoga in western spaces.

Her whole take on the current state of yoga in the west is sort of the following:
1. It’s viewed more as an exercise practice rather than as a part of a larger spiritual practice.
2. Yoga studios today are making money for owners at the expense of students (high prices) and teachers (low wages).
3. Yoga is a space dominated by a certain type of person — usually bendy, white ladies. She has seen yoga benefit a much wider range of people, and she would like to see it spread more broadly.
4. There are more points covered in the book, but these are the parts that have stuck with me. She also talks at length about the use of addition language in the yoga world which she finds frustrating as a former addict.

If you consider the first two points together, it is kind of strange that a spiritual practice has been commodified the way it has. I saw a thing recently about a woman on Depop charging people to hear confession (a Catholic spiritual practice), and it was obviously ridiculous. It seems to me that taking an exercise focused yoga class is basically the same.

Which is exactly how I came to yoga! I took my earliest yoga classes as literally a gym elective in college. They were taught by exercise-science students. It was just about as far removed from yoga as a spiritual practice as it could be.

OK, so assuming I accept the Yoga Manifesto’s points. Where does that leave my personal yoga practice? Here are some of the ideas I got from the book:
* Yoga should be available to more groups of people. This is really a call to people in the industry to extend who has access to yoga/where studios exist. As a practitioner, you can choose to vote with your money.
* For me, right now, I would like to take my practice in more of a self-guided and self-taught direction. I’ve been trending this way for a while, and I really enjoy solo yoga, but this has the added benefit of skipping out on funding the wellness-industrial complex.

Notes on craft: This book doesn’t know if it wants to be a personal memoir or manifesto. I found this frustrating at times.

Read this if: you’re curious about the intersection of yoga and memoir, you came to yoga from the wellness-industrial complex and you want to figure out how to have a more authentic relationship with the practice.

[Zoe Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up ‘The Yoga Manifesto’ non-fiction/autobiography at my local library.

Published in 2022 it gets into topics on yoga as a business vs the spiritual practice, mental health and eating disorders, domestic violence, sexuality and racism.

Nadia’s writing style is easy to follow, honest and refreshing. I read this book in a few weeks.

In the chapter ‘On the Mat, 1996’ Nadia talks about her first yoga class experience as a teenager in the UK, in a YMCA hall, with the participants made up equally of men and women, wearing trackies, with no elaborately painted Hindu symbols on the wall and no music throughout the class.

‘At the end of the class, we laid down in Savasana. It was the first time I’d done it and I felt entirely new lightness and a sense of ease wash over my body. My mind was calm. It might have been the first time I’d felt like that.’

Yoga is not about fancy activewear, turmeric lattes or essential oils. Yoga is the embodiment practice of being present within the body and calming the mind. This is the real magic of the practice when practised collectively, and authentically within a community. For us as humanity to be more present, calm and kind people.

I’ve also now learned the true meaning of Namaste (pronounced num-us-teh) is a Hindu greeting, not an Indian one. Similar to how ‘Shalom’ is peace for Jews and peace be upon you is for Muslims.

What I found most relatable was yoga as a practice to help us through the highs and lows of life, and to witness the moments of serendipity along the way.

[Charlotte Gardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5* rounded down - I just couldn’t buy into the overall messaging of what she was saying. I disagree and think it was a horrid pessimistic view of what yoga is nowadays. Perhaps I just don’t experience or see what she’s saying is wrong with yoga in my particular classes and teachers I have found (2 of 3 of my teachers are Indian, as am I and a couple of students in the classes). Current day yoga is wonderful and works for so many people so Nadia is saying it needs saving but it doesn’t - it works - I think she needs to accept it has changed and is what it is. The blurb didn’t explain properly what three quarters of this book really is like. A quarter of it I did like - the bit that was directly as per the blurb. Disappointed. All that said, everyone is of course entitled to their own opinions especially where their experiences are so impactful as it sounds like for Nadia. Glad to finish this book and put it away. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who wants to be inspired or encouraged to continue or start yoga (I’ve been for 10 years) - it has just discouraged me and opened my eyes to the possible pessimism around yoga which I just didn’t need..

[Jasmine Staton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, which helped us connect with the author, witness the lows of their struggle with mental health, and understand how yoga helped them find their way back to themselves. I also appreciated the author’s breakdown of the eight limbs of yoga. The rest of the book seemed to focus heavily on critiquing how the Western world has appropriated yoga. While I agree with the sentiment, I found the memoir portion more engaging than the author’s critique on the colonization of yoga which seemed to be 2/3 of the book and after a certain point felt redundant.

Overall, I enjoyed the author’s writing style, I just wish that the book was organized in a different way or maybe went more in depth on the philosophical side of yoga and the growth and alignment in their own life.

[Rose Kattenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gelezen ter voorbereiding van mijn yoga opleiding. Goed boek en zeker het eerste deel over haar persoonlijke ervaring met yoga was interessant om te lezen. Echter ging het laatste stuk vooral over dat er te weinig mensen van kleur yogales geven, dat zij geprioriteerd moeten worden, yogalessen gesubsidieerd moeten worden en dat yoga docenten meer betaald moeten worden. Voelde alsof ik in een protest zat waar ik niet uitkwam en de schrijver alleen maar tegen me aan het schreeuwen was.

Staat wel veel basis kennis in over yoga, handig voor als je nieuw bent met de terminologie.

[Pip · Rating 5 out of 5]

So refreshing to be reading a book about yoga that is also honest about the nitty gritty of life. As a yoga teacher who is living in a non-typical yoga body and who is drawn to teach underserved communities, it was refreshing to read how Yoga needs to be made accessible to every body (coming away from the slick western vibe). Accessible for Those who wouldn’t feel confident entering a studio or gym for fear of not fitting in. Thank you Nadia for sharing your story!

[KJ Kosobucki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way Nadia felt REAL to me. As a white able bodied yoga teacher I do fit the stereo-type and always am looking for more perspective to grow with. Nadia’s stories felt real and honest. I’ve felt these things. I’ve seen these things. I want to fix these things. I felt very connected to her and I loved that.

[Valentina Castagna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una critica al white-washing dello yoga. Cosa posso dire? Sono bianca, so di non capire.
La solita critica fatta per criticare tutto, non mi sento di poter contribuire alla sua call for action. Just keep calm and do yoga together.

[Katrín · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Geena C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia put words to a lot of feelings/situations which I had struggled to express. I didn't agree with all her points, but I felt challenged by her arguments - for that I am v grateful!

[Eleanor Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars, rounded down

[Bethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great and much needed concept, a critical look at the world (industry) of modern yoga. Was difficult to read about to writers stuggles with eating and alcohol but refreshing to hear from a yoga teach who has a messy back story just like so many of us who enjoy yoga! My feeling was the book was negative throughout and I would have loved to have at least ended the book looking at positive ways we can make a difference. It didn't quite meet what I was hoping it would be, but glad I read it.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book, and provided such valuable insight in to the yoga and wellness industry, and reflections for how we could be doing things different. It is absolutely essential reading for those practicing or teaching yoga and wanting to do so in a way that honours the roots of yoga and challenges the wellness machine bullsht and all the harm it can do. Please put this on yoga teacher trainings reading lists!

The authors voice is so clear, frank and funny! I loved her perspective on yoga principles, philosophy and styles. Nadia’s journey through yoga is so moving and refreshing to hear. As a queer and disabled yoga teacher I was so affirmed and hopeful reading this book, and hope this book can be part of a process of elevating the voices of South Asian yoga teachers, as well as fighting for greater inclusion and equity across the industry. Thank you Nadia.

[Snorki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this an interesting read. Nadia is someone who started practising yoga in the 90s, and has continued off and on throughout the ups and downs in her life. She is angry about what she sees as happening to yoga especially over the last 10 years or so, with the growth of influencers, the wellness industry and a lot of thin, white women amazing bendy poses plastered across the internet. She feels that some of the essence and purpose of yoga has gone, and this book is part autobiography, part yoga education, and part her thoughts on what needs to change. It’s a good challenge to anyone involved in yoga (regardless of how white, bendy, thin or female we are), and asks us all to examine our relationship with yoga and the associated yoga industry today.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a beautiful book that I hugely connected with after becoming completely disillusioned with yoga when I started teacher training in early 2020. The cookie cutter approach is real and after the pandemic hit I was left with the sense we were just widgets going through the system not individuals on a shared yoga journey. I loved the honesty and insight and it’s given me hope that I’ll be able to reengage with my practice again when the time is right. It was let down a little by the simplistic ‘manifesto’ at the end but then let’s face it there’s never going to be an instant fix for such complex problems is there.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of yoga books and this is definitely one of the more readable ones. It is a unique mashup of Nadia’s personal yoga journey (which like mine starts in the 1990s), yoga philosophy and history …with a focus on decolonizing modern yoga. Her paragraph on what Om means made me cry. I also think it is written in a very approachable way - there is even a reference section on types of yoga explained in very concise snippets.
This would be a great read for RYT200 students, anyone new to yoga, as well as long time students.