... brash (with salty language aplenty), outspoken, funny, insightful, honest and occasionally spiced with dashes of self-deprecating melodrama ... [Stanley's] reflections on topics such as meditation, imposter syndrome, wealth inequality, racism, cannabis use, sexual abuse and the sacredness of music are heartfelt and often searing. She is strongly declarative, and this makes for a narrative that allows readers to really know this author, which is, after all, what many readers want: connection ... While the writing occasionally meanders or goes a bit off point, any discomfort readers might feel in response to Stanley’s blunt-edged anger can give rise to self-reflection and stir compassion for our collective human frailty and suffering. But this honest chronicle of a journey toward self-acceptance and purpose wraps on a bright note.
Yoga teacher and artist Stanley continues to inspire audiences with her charm, elegance, honesty, and intelligence. Writing in a straightforward, unapologetic tone that will make readers laugh and feel heard, Stanley explains the history of yoga, the differences between American and classical yoga, and the American yoga industry and its problematic issues, such as cultural appropriation. Stanley teaches readers the yoga of everyday life, which offers flexibility and strength through life’s difficulties ... Readers who have dealt with struggles of impostor syndrome, self-doubt, and the difficulty of fitting into a space where no one looks like them will relate strongly. Abstract, funny, heartfelt, and inspiring, Yoke is a fundamental book for those learning to feel present in their emotions and to take up space for themselves, both on the yoga mat and off.
... reads like a conversation with a friend; a friend who drags you to yoga class and calls you out when your negative self-talk functions as microaggression ... This is a book for all readers, as a practical manual for embodied spiritual activism, a guide to decolonizing wellness, a tool for recognizing privilege, and a reminder that yoga isn’t the corporate fantasy businesses make it out to be. Essential reading.
