Teaching Body Positive Yoga: A Guide to Inclusivity, Language and Props

by Donna Noble, Jivana Heyman (Foreword)

"Drawing on the philosophy and history of the body positivity movement, Donna Noble presents a radical re-examination of teaching inclusive yoga classes by breaking down stereotypes and demystifying yoga. By sharing accessible tools for everything from marketing a body-positive class to setting the scene in the space, using appropriate language and considering consent and touch, Noble demonstrates why every body is a yoga body - no matter what shape or size. With guidance on modifying poses for larger bodies, as well as chair-based sequences, this resource helps yoga teachers to ensure that the benefits of yoga are available to everyone. With practical tips, as well as information on social justice and body-positive yoga off the mat, Body Positive Yoga is a well-rounded resource that gives yoga teachers the confidence to host inclusive and welcoming classes for all"--

Genres: Health

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2022

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for yoga teachers to understand the concepts of body positivity, inclusion, gender, etc. while also going into a lot of information about the history of yoga and how yoga needs to change to be welcoming to all. It does not teach you how to teach yoga and it only shows a very few poses that are suggested as adaptations for some folks. It has good information though and should be required reading for anyone teaching yoga. Information on elements like marketing are also included.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

[MookNana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. As a plus-size fitness enthusiast, I can't tell you how many times I've been side-eyed in a yoga class, handed a block I didn't need, or adjusted out of my own modification for a pose! I really hope instructors far and wide read this thoughtful, helpful, well-researched book and expand their thinking about yoga and how they teach/practice.

This gives a wonderful basic foundation for the thought behind body positivity and size inclusivity including topics like language, unconscious bias, and intersectionality. With that established, it moves into the more practical principles of inclusive yoga teaching, offering several different adaptations and workarounds for poses. This would be a wonderful addition to regular 200-hour instruction but also a great topic for a dedicated workshop!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[bookishcharli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great book! It takes you through exactly what body positivity is, what a body positive yoga class entails and ensures you know the appropriate language to use while talking to others. If you're interested in making your yoga sessions a safe space for bodies of all shapes and sizes then this is a book you need to have!

[Lindsey Domokur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very helpful! I have learned modifications for poses, better word choices when cuing poses and just an all around sense of understanding body types better. I really liked the background given on Donna and why she invested the time and energy into something she believed in so much. This book is very inspirational and I will take it with me into my teaching practice.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book talks about body positivity as a movement, and how it's been co-opted by the fashion and wellness industries so they can seem inclusive - sometimes without really being inclusive! It also mentions the "health at every size" movement, and various companies and influencers who are actually embracing/showcasing bigger bodies.

And that's in addition to the core conversation of actually designing yoga classes for bodies of all sizes and abilities!

The introductory chapters explain the movement itself, and why it is important in yoga. (Hint: to make everyone feel welcome, even if they aren't a skinny white female.) Then the author goes into some ways to make your yoga spaces/classes actually inclusive, including use of language, use of props, and the importance of consent when offering hands-on adjustments.

She also touches on the idea that inclusivity needs to happen not JUST on the mat.

The key theme is that EVERY body is a "yoga body," although some studios, classes, media, clothes brands, etc. might make people feel differently. If you are a yoga teacher or influencer, you can work against that trend. But it's important to make sure you are really able to teach to different sizes/abilities, and not just claim you can for marketing reasons.

The author also offers many other resources, from books to youtube videos and classes, that you can look at for more info or training.

This was a quick read, at right around 200 pages. But it's a good one for anyone who is questioning whether or not they can do yoga, and anyone wanting to teach to a wider yoga audience.

This book comes out in August, 2022. I was able to read an advanced copy through the publisher and NetGalley.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How to do Yoga? Have a body and do yoga!"
A inspiring and refreshing read - how many books I must have read and watched so many online yoga practices with so many slimmer and strong not skinny women on. It's really great but sometimes and just sometimes it would be nice to see the different bodies that you see in a real yoga class, I think that this is important a body positive way of challenging ourselves, our bodies in these awesome and some very difficult and awkward poses and knowing that you are part of the yoga world if you're more than average or more than a size tiny.

It can be very awe inspiring to see, this is the way that yoga should be taught, with a mix of bodies, men and women and even children, and making it accessible for everyone, all bodies and races. We are all one on the mat, all for the same purpose and goal, to explore our bodies and enhance them.

I'd definitely like to see more yoga teachers reading this and just the actual health and well being industries, gyms as a whole really need to stop making it about being thin, and goal weights and actually focus on health as a whole, I don't see one more than average fitness instructor, life guard or leader in any sessions at my gym and I think that is what we buy into as healthy and well it's just not and it's an unachievable and incorrect vision, this book clearly demonstrates that and I hope it begins to pave the way for lots of other body positive books because average people should feel inclusive and in control and proud of their bodies.

I found this book beyond positive, for my body and for my mind and it was so needed! Thank you so much, Donna Noble!

With thanks to the publishers, Netgalley and Donna Noble for this awesome free ARC in return for my honest review!

[Ellie Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!

This book is amazing! It should be required reading for new yoga teachers. I’ve had a few very bad teachers over the years and all of the insights were things those teachers either didn’t know or didn’t care to do. There’s so many thoughtful passages on consent, language, and presence of mind when interacting with students and others in the community and I commend the author for this excellent book.

It’s honestly a great reference for different terms and types of people. There are a lot of views on kindness, inclusion, and understanding that most people could use regardless of their affinity toward yoga. I loved this!

[Vikki Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for any yoga participants, teacher or student.
Yoga is truly a practice that can be enjoyed throughout all stages of life, your fitness level will be enhanced!
The instructions throughout this book are brilliant in confirming that whoever you are, move your body to your limitations and enjoy yoga!
I particularly love and appreciate the author’s knowledge and understanding of the practice of yoga.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing this wonderful book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Pauline Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very recently taken a few yoga sessions with my friend who has just qualified as a Dru Yoga instructor, so this was an interesting read for me, although I did find it a little text heavy in parts.
I really liked the statement relating to how to have a yoga body? ‘Have a body + do yoga = a yoga body 😁
I definitely learned something about the origin of yoga and particularly body positive yoga, which is pretty inspiring to a bigger body individual like me.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a lot about creating a body positive yoga class so it's definitely for yoga teachers, not for yoga students which is interesting since it does read very introductory. It is helpful but in general, it could have been shorter and not jumped all over the place.

I'd recommend this as a gift to a yoga teacher who you know needs to work on inclusion.

[Tameeka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoga is still an incredibly white-washed watered down version of it's truth. Yoga teacher trainings reflect that. I've been through them. The basic yoga teacher training does not need to train you on how to teach to a room that embraces inclusivity. This book is a great addition to EVERY yoga teacher's tool kit. Wonderful resource.

[Dev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly amazing. To learn more about the practice of Yoga while also learning more about body positivity and inclusivity was so cool. I’ve never read a book about the practice that I felt was speaking to me; right down to the pictures of people with bodies like mine!

[Literary And Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very glad that I was offered an ARC of this book. It provided detailed insight into the yoga practice for and from the perspective of plus-sized individuals. It also offers a detailed history of yoga, body positivity, and how the two interact.

[Emily]

Noble learned from celebrated body positive yoga teachers and advocates including Dianne Bondy, and she attended a workshop with celebrated activist Jessamyn Stanley, and her work expands on the foundations they have laid by providing a clear introduction to what body positivity is, where body positive yoga comes from, and how to create inclusive spaces made with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in mind. She’s taken great care in providing strategies for inclusivity that avoid cultural appropriation along with false advertising or marketing that feels disingenuous or predatorial, and she offers useful tips related to language, props, and consent—something often left out of conversations about yoga.

Noble has written a book that exemplifies the ways in which yoga can serve as an opening into larger activism and inclusivity, but only if and when the yoga practice is designed in such a way that acknowledges embodied selves on and off the mat.

[Diane Mendenhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book. I enjoyed reading it and the author's perspective. The definitions and explanations of the terms were helpful. Seeing pictures of alternative poses for those who do not fit the "typical yoga person" was very helpful. It would be good to explain the different props that can be used and why/when to use them. Insights that the author provided for new instructors regarding referencing body types, gender issues, and disabilities are some of the best.

This should be on all yoga instructors' shelves. A great reference for dealing with non-typical yoga practitioners.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoga as a tool for inclusivity. It's OK if you need a pillow or a chair to execute the asanas. Whatever it is about your body that makes you think that yoga is above your capability, think again. Whatever the impediment, there is an adaptation that you can do, and it is hoped that the practitioner will use this achievement to think more positively about her/himself. A good tool for yoga teachers, but also a guide to self-confidence for the practitioner. Excellent!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Jessica Kingsley Publishers/Singing Dragon via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Jessi Waugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was awesome, the rest less so - little application and more theory of body positivity and equity on yoga, which is fine but redundant for me.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from the library and wound up mostly skimming it. It's a good basic introduction to teaching inclusive yoga for those who have little knowledge in this area. Personally, I have taken one of the same trainings as the author (Yoga for All with Amber Karnes and Dianne Bondy), plus I am also a clinical psychologist who has read numerous other books on not only body positive yoga but also trauma informed yoga and similar. Given this, I found this book to be mostly review rather than new material for me. However, for a yoga teacher wanting a beginning book in this area, I would recommend this.

[otaku · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an important resource for teachers and students alike, to show how everyone can enjoy the benefits of yoga. It clearly explains how to give modifications, what equipment can help, and how to treat people with sensitivity and respect, rather than unthinkingly parroting diet culture stuff. A really inspirational book.