Stretch Further: Jessamyn Stanley Redefines Wellness Culture

 When Jessamyn Stanley revealed to me her love for smoking spliffs, I was taken aback. As a yoga instructor who has gained recognition for her outspoken criticism of the white-centric, commercialized yoga industry, Stanley occupies a unique intersection of weed and wellness that I never would have expected to embrace tobacco. However, perhaps I should have seen it coming. After all, it is Stanley’s apparent contradictions that have propelled her to become one of the most sought-after voices in the yoga community. As a self-identified fat, black, and queer woman, Stanley serves as an inspiration to those who do not fit the stereotypical image of a skinny, white girl doing a handstand that has come to dominate the wellness culture. She is here to remind us that it is not contradictory to be both fat and fit. And now, she is here to tell us that it is not contradictory to be productive and a stoner. (Cheers to that!) In many ways, her journey to becoming a cannabis consumer and advocate mirrors her journey to practicing, teaching, and speaking about yoga. “I am a product of the Reagan era. My parents made sure I went through D.A.R.E.,” she explained. “So I was very anti-everything until I got to college, and even then, smoking weed still made me feel like I was doing something wrong.” The idea that marijuana could be used as medicine was not something that crossed her mind until she dated someone who introduced her to the plant as a “healing practice” rather than a shameful activity. This new perspective on cannabis turned out to be crucial to her success in the yoga world. PHOTO Christopher Dougherty An Elevated Flow Stanley, who is based in Durham, North Carolina, rediscovered yoga while struggling with anxiety and depression following her aunt’s passing. When she first started posting photos of her yoga practice on Instagram in 2013, she had hoped to receive feedback and improve her form. Instead, she shattered stereotypes and inspired others to start practicing yoga as well. Her early Instagram posts are filled with comments like, “I just started doing yoga and I didn’t think I could do some of the poses because I am not skinny! Thank you for showing me that anyone can do yoga!” As her following has grown exponentially since 2013, Stanley has been featured in publications ranging from The New York Times to People, published a book (“Every Body Yoga”), and taught yoga classes all over the world. Earlier this year, she launched her new app, The Underbelly, a subscription service for those who have ever felt like people who look, think, or live like them do not practice yoga. When we sat down for an interview at The Wing Soho in New York (Stanley and I are both members of the women’s co-working space) on a summer afternoon, she revealed that she would not have been able to manage her rapid rise to fame without cannabis. PHOTO Bobby Quillard “The combination of cannabis, yoga, and meditation has been instrumental in my success. It allows me to stay grounded and focused amidst the chaos,” she says in her signature hipster journalistic writing style, leaving space between paragraphs for emphasis.