Yoga Rising

Courage, truth, and inspiration at the intersection of spiritual practice and social justice

Yoga Rising is a collection of personal essays meant to support your journey toward self-acceptance and self-love. This follow-up to the groundbreaking book Yoga and Body Image features 30 contributors who share stories of major turning points. Explore how body image and yoga intersect with race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, dis/ability, socioeconomic status, age, and size as part and parcel of culture and society.

Collectively, we can make space for yoga that is body positive and accessible to the full range of human diversity. With a special emphasis on how you can take action to build community and challenge destructive attitudes and structures, Yoga Rising is a resource for the continuing work of healing ourselves and our world as we move toward liberation for all.

Praise:

"A must-read collection of essays ideal for anyone yearning for more self-acceptance and body peace. Read this book, and I guarantee you'll hear a story that resonates with your own experiences."-Amber Karnes, founder of Body Positive Yoga

" Yoga Rising kicks open the door for evolution through a collection of honest, diverse, and daring stories . . . A refreshing dose of inspiration that has the power to transform lives."-Kathryn Budig, yoga teacher and author of Aim True

"This book is full of stories of hope and resilience, which also reveal how our culture normalizes some bodies and marginalizes so many. If the practice of yoga is to be truly accessible to all, we must actively push against a system that harms so many. Yoga Rising is a book about how this is being done, and how we can all be a part of a movement that is truly diverse, inclusive, courageous, and loving."-Hala Khouri, MA, SEP, E-RYT, co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World

"This is a must-have yoga book! The collection of stories here tells the intimate truth about body-image, self-worth, practice, and creating space for each other and ourselves. The storytelling here is brave and it is honest. This is yoga at its most powerful."-Mariam Gates, bestselling author of Good Night Yoga, Good Morning Yoga

"You will be changed by this book forever. The power and depth of these honest and vulnerable stories will make you see yoga, your body, and the world in a totally new way. It opened my heart and my eyes and left me moved, challenged, and inspired."-Sarah Harry, RYT, author of Fat Yoga and founder of Body Positive Australia

"How many people steer clear of yoga class because they are afraid to look out of place, inflexible, inexperienced, or unattractive? I've certainly been on that list. Melanie Klein's new book heals the divide. I pray that it will open the door for all of us to enter class with pride, joy, vulnerability, and self-love."-Brian Leaf, author of The Teacher Appears

" Yoga Rising is a must-read collection of essays for yoga teachers, practitioners, and all individuals and groups of people who are unsure if they 'belong' to yoga. The compelling and beautifully honest narratives in this text illustrates the magic of the mind/body/sprit connection through deeply personal accounts."-Kerrie J. Kauer, PhD, instructor of gender, sexuality, and women's studies, University of Pittsburgh

" Yoga Rising is a long-overdue celebration of what it means to be human and practice Yoga in the twenty-first century. The rich storytelling ignites the fire of self-discovery and has the potential to bring about positive change in the world!"-Brenda L. Feuerstein, author of The Yoga-Sutra from a Woman's Perspective

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