246. What If You Just Try? Jessamyn Stanley on Yoga and Body Acceptance

About this episode

Jessamyn Stanley discusses the impact of diet culture on exercise and how to foster a compassionate relationship with movement and body acceptance.

"Yoga is a place where I can let go of who I decided that I'm supposed to be and see myself from a different perspective." Do you ever feel like movement is just another box to check off instead of something that actually feels good? In this episode, I’m joined by yoga teacher, author, and entrepreneur Jessamyn Stanley to talk about how diet culture and anti-fat bias shape our relationship with exercise and why so many people experience movement as punishing or shameful. Jessamyn shares her journey from a less-than-inspiring first yoga class to developing a more compassionate relationship with her body by simply giving herself permission to try. Together, we unpack how to untangle movement from pressure to change your body, navigate fitness spaces that don’t always feel inclusive, and rebuild trust, presence, and self-respect through practices like yoga...even on days when body love feels out of reach. What You’ll Learn: How diet culture shapes our relationships with exercise, making movement feel forced, punishing, or like a chore Why shame shows up so often in fitness spaces, and how to approach body image with compassion and respect instead of pressure to “love” your body…

People in this episode

Host: Bonnie Roney

Guest: Jessamyn Stanley

Topics covered

• yoga
• body acceptance
• diet culture
• exercise
• movement
• body image
• intuitive eating

Keywords

• yoga
• body acceptance
• diet culture
• exercise
• movement
• body image
• intuitive eating
• self-respect
• fitness
• wellness

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