Body Mindful Yoga by Robert Butera and Jennifer Kreatsoulas is an insightful guide for readers who want to take a deeper look at themselves and improve. The book is split up into different sections Listen, Learn, Love and Live. It is also filled with in-journal exercises to help the readers really identify how they view themselves. It really focuses on language and negative body image and how that affects us mentally but also socially and within our own yoga practice.

"The problem is, however, that when we habitually rely on others to validate our worth, we never truly learn how to validate ourselves. As a result, we become enmeshed in guilt, shame, and comparison as we constantly strive to arrive at an ideal." -Body Mindful Yoga, Introduction

After reading this book, I never truly realized how negative my own personal body image was. This book had me write down my personal responses to exercises in a journal and then had me go back and examine them. Here, I was able to see critical and harsh words on how I viewed my looks, body weight goals, and how I view food and eating habits. Not only this, but these negative thoughts not only control my negative body image but also makes an impact on how I treat others, how I interact socially and how it can have a negative impact on my yoga practice.

I thought this book to be extremely powerful and encouraging. This book is meant for anyone who is willing to make positive changes in their life as a whole. Not only does this book have exercises and yoga sequences but it provides encouraging and positive tips to make changes in our lives. I also love how this book breaks down social fads and language. I really enjoyed everything about this book and it will provide me with decisive changes in my daily life. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars!!

Thank you, NetGalley for a copy of this book!

A fantastic book for any beginner yogis or for advanced yogis wanting to learn more about the practise. The yoga positions are very well illustrated and easily explained.

I’ve always had a hard time with yoga, more the meditation part than the actual practice. I was a huge fan of this book, and found it very helpful. It made me want to delve more into the practice.

I thoroughly enjoyed Body Mindful Yoga. The philosophies that Butera and Kreatsoulas discuss seem like common sense by the time you are finished reading the book. It all boils down to practicing and teaching others how to accept oneself as they are and practicing being a good person. I really liked that throughout the book, there are written exercises that could be accomplished. More than once, at the end of the chapter, I was reading the chapter summary and went back to reread a point I had missed. I appreciated this part of the book because it allowed me to make sure I was getting the most out of it.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It can apply and be practiced by all.

I’ve been practicing yoga for over three decades and have never come across a book like this one! I’m so glad I found this. The main premise is about using yoga and other tools to come into healthy, loving relationship with one’s body. This is a powerful premise that the authors live up to!

I thought that this was going to be a book mostly about yoga poses, and it is to some extent, but I found the activities and questions and inquiries sessions to be so helpful and so revealing.

I really appreciated the chapter about food, and how the language I use around food affects my mind and my body as well as my spirit and my yoga practice. I know it sounds strange but I never really made that connection before and I am grateful to the authors for including this in the book.

The body mindful journaling exercises we’re extremely helpful for me and they are scattered throughout the book in perfect order. Each section also has suggestions for “body mindful statements“ that are proving invaluable to me on my journey towards excepting and loving my body exactly as it is.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and net galley for an advanced reading copy of this book exchange for my honest review.

A very compassionate journey taking you through the steps to become a more positive you. I found the exercises very helpful.

BODY MINDFUL YOGA teaches you how to change harmful thoughts, words and beliefs about body image through the transformative practice of yoga. Involves insightful yoga philosophy and practices to harness language to enhance self-image, confidence and calm. Employs four mindful steps — Listen, Learn, Love, and Live — to produce healing insights through hands-on exercises and yoga practices. The last two steps especially assist in improving your relationship with self and others. 5/5

Pub Date 08 Nov 2018

Thanks to Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#BodyMindfulYoga #NetGalley

I found this book exactly when I needed it!! I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was 12. I felt best about my body after having my children, I felt strong and powerful and proud that my body was able to make two babies. I am 46 now, despite eating less and exercising more, I am still getting squishy around my middle. I have been feeling depressed, upset, defeated and angry. I needed this book. Thank you!!

The authors contend that we often think of change on a large scale, in terms of events, but it starts with language.  What we say to ourselves shifts our perspective. We are bombarded with fad diets and before and after photos and that shapes how we view our own bodies.  But the author contends that "body image is a perception and not fact".

The authors have mapped out a path to having healthier body narratives, with a step by step approach to learning to love yourself and your body.  They encourage you to listen to your body and know yourself, to learn about what makes you feel good or bad, Love: practice new guiding principles for your inner life and Live: share what you have learned with others.  There are personal stories from the authors and people they have worked with over the years.  There are also questions at the end of each chapter that the reader can use to journal and come to a deeper understanding of their own narrative and how to transform their inner life so that it can heal their body image.  Change starts from within.

This is a book for people who, so I understand, don't love their bodies the way it is. The authors try to show up ways how to change that, breaking the general issue into categories of how we're generally trained to see or feel about our bodies, by society, by advertizing, by ourselves. I'm sure that those who feel adressed by the topic can get some help/advice in understanding and changing their view on their bodies which overall will lead to more contentness.
To be honest, I don't think it's a book for people who either don't care or am ok with their bodies, who don't follow trends or see their bodies as a problem.
Personally I'd have shortened the book quite a bit. It's a bit too much on the explanation and theory-side.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review and good luck to the authors!

This is a very comprehensive look at your mind and spirit, the beliefs you carry with you. I really liked the food section. I do wish there had been more yoga poses and routines. #BodyMindfulYoga #NetGalley