A few months ago Mara Glatzel and I debuted our interview series on self-love. Mara is a self-love coach and blogger who helps women close the gap between the lives they deserve and the lives they’re currently living. (She also regularly inspires me with her stunning and powerful writing.)

Our goal with this interview series is to make the concept and practice of self-love as accessible and feasible as possible. That’s why we’re sharing stories and insights from women who embody self-love.

Today, I’m thrilled to present my interview with Anna Guest-Jelley, who I’m honored to call my colleague and close friend. Anna is the founder of Curvy Yoga, a beautiful, safe and empowering space for practicing yoga at all shapes and sizes and accepting and celebrating ourselves.

Taking yoga teacher Marianne Elliott’s class at The Creative Joy Retreat this summer wasn’t just a good workout. It was restorative and energizing. It was equal parts gentle and challenging. And, most importantly, it was a lesson in self-love.

That’s because Marianne encourages her students to connect to our bodies — and ourselves — and practice self-compassion. There was no pounding the yoga mat or forcing our bodies into poses. It was about experimenting and having fun.

I love Marianne’s emphasis on tuning into our needs and values, both on and off the mat. I love her emphasis on practicing yoga for all shapes and sizes.

This is part two of my interview with Shani Raviv, author of the award-winning book Being Ana: A Memoir of Anorexia Nervosa.

In part one, she discussed her inspiration for writing Being Ana and how she was able to separate anorexia from her identity.

Below, Shani reveals what helped her recover from a 10-year struggle with anorexia, the powerful role yoga played and what full recovery means to her. I especially love what she says about being full recovered.

{via etsy by Carolyn Cochrane}

A positive body image goes beyond liking your looks. It encompasses taking good care of yourself and leading a fulfilling life. In this weekly series, I share some of my favorite posts from some of my favorite bloggers on this topic. Hope you find these links inspiring, too!

15 books to promote body positivity. Many of these are on my bookshelf, too, including Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection, Geneen Roth’s Women, Food and God and Linda Bacon’s Health at Every Size.

{via etsy by Sarah Moldovan}

A positive body image goes beyond liking your looks. It encompasses taking good care of yourself and leading a fulfilling life. In this new series, I’m sharing some of my favorite posts from some of my favorite bloggers on this topic. Hope you find these links inspiring, too!

Building a healthier body image — and practicing truly nourishing self-care — is a series of steps. Some days this seems utterly insurmountable. In this post Christina reminds us to think small. We can do something small every day. Just 10 minutes, whether it’s journaling, creating art or working on a single goal.

{via etsy by Harriet Jones}

Over the years, it didn’t matter what size, shape or weight I was, because there was one constant: I never really saw myself.

I thought being thin would be my ticket to finally being seen.

It wasn’t.

{Anna Guest-Jelley leading a yoga class}

A few weeks ago I was on a call with Anna Guest-Jelley, who authors the beautiful blog Curvy Yoga and created the must-read e-book Permission to Curve: Inspiring Poses for Curvy Yogis and Their Teachers.

She talked all about embracing and honoring our bodies and our health. Today, I wanted to share her wise words.

The Importance of Softening, Not Struggling

According to Anna, permission is at the root of embracing our bodies, movement and health at every size. But many of us have a tough time giving ourselves permission. Many of us have a tough time trusting ourselves when it comes to our health and what we eat.

{You can download the Matifesto here; it’s so empowering!}

When I first read these words in Anna Guest-Jelley’s ”Matifesto above, “It is possible to love your body, even on days when you don’t like it,” I was taken aback.

There’s no way, I thought. How is that possible? I have to like my body in order to love it…right?

But then I considered how we love others — our parents, siblings, friends, kids — unconditionally. No prerequisites. No musts or shoulds. We might disagree with their actions, and honestly not like them very much sometimes. But we still love them.

Why can’t we do the same for our bodies? For the very vehicles that carry us?

Below, in part three of our interview, Anna Guest-Jelley explores the idea of loving our bodies even on the days we don’t like them.

{Anna Guest-Jelley helping a student in class}

For many of us, self-kindness is hard to come by. Somehow it’s so much easier to be nicer to everyone else and so much harder to be nicer to ourselves.

That’s one of the reasons I love Anna Guest Jelley’s work on Curvy Yoga and her new e-book Permission to Curve: Inspiring Poses for Curvy Yogis and Their Teachers: She helps us reconnect with our self-compassion. She empowers us to listen to our bodies and treat ourselves with respect and care.

Below, in part two of our interview, Anna explains what self-kindness means to her and how we can be more compassionate toward ourselves. She also shares why yoga is important along with her favorite yoga pose.

And don’t forget that we’re giving away TWO copies of Anna’s book Permission to Curve. All you have to do is comment on part one of our interview. (The details are there, too.)

{The gorgeous Anna Guest-Jelley teaching yoga}

I’m super excited to share my interview with Anna Guest-Jelley, founder of Curvy Yoga, where she inspires people of all sizes to practice yoga and love and care for their bodies. It’s truly a beautiful, invigorating and positive space.

Recently she’s released a stunning and comprehensive e-book called Permission to Curve: Inspiring Poses for Curvy Yogis and Their Teachers. In it, you’ll find an empowering how-to on practicing yoga, including simple instructions and photos of the 60+ poses and sun salutations.

Permission to Curve is about using yoga as a vehicle for self-acceptance, body positivity and self-care. Anna focuses on honoring your body, being kind to yourself, finding the joy in movement and having fun.

Below, Anna shares what inspired her to write Permission to Curve, how yoga helped to heal her self-image issues and what Curvy Yoga means to her.

We’re also giving away two copies of Permission to Curve, so be sure to read the details at the bottom! Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our interview where Anna talks about listening to our bodies and practicing self-kindness.