If you’re still struggling with Warrior IIs and chaturanga, haven’t read yoga instructor Jessamyn Stanley’s 2021 book Yoke: My Yoga of Self – Accepted , I can’t recommend it highly enough. Stanley is as talented a writer as she is a yoga practitioner, and she manages to make the act of doing yoga not sound like she’s in picture-perfect Instagram fodder (Stanley calls it “yoga-flavored crap.” ), but more of an approachable approach to those who keep being told they are too fat, too dark, too cool, or whatever — too fat, too dark, too cool, or whatever for the world around them Something for people, they quietly carried out a revolutionary self-care.
In October 25, Stanley launched a brand new yoga class with a bit of a twist; hosted on the social platform OnlyFans, the class is Naked, Stanley also offers Shibari (Japanese rope bondage) tutorials and other tantalizing NSFW tidbits. Recently, Vogue spoke with Stanley about the online censorship that attracted her to OnlyFans, how nude yoga practice has improved her daily routine, and what solo yoga can offer studio classes that don’t ,there are more.
Fashion: First of all, how have you been since we last spoke
?
Jessamine Stanley:
I’m very good! I am very creative. I don’t know if it’s just post-quarantine or what, but I’ve really been standing in the joy of the moment, and in the midst of all this chaos, it’s been a very powerful meditation.
How did the idea for the OnlyFans project come about?
Well, I’ve had content blocked and banned on all the different social networks over the years, and at some point, You start thinking, like, what’s the point of these platforms? Over time I’ve definitely noticed that obese, black, queer bodies are more marginalized on social media than everyone else, and I think I should have a place for all this yoga in everyday life – this Probably not for Instagram, or for TikTok – can survive. I wanted to really show what a fat body looks like in a way that isn’t exploitative or hurtful, and really give other people an opportunity to embrace who they are. I was able to do pose breakdowns and tutorials, as well as live classes taught in ways I’ve never seen, certainly not on the internet. Nude yoga has become more common, but I hope this makes it very natural.
