Introduction
More to Love has always been bigger than one person alone.
In the past three years, we have welcomed over 1,300 individual people in our weekly More to Love Yoga class. Most have never practiced yoga before; most come with bodies that traditional yoga spaces have never prioritized; all know what it’s liked to feel judged.
But through our experience together of one hour devoted to yoga and body acceptance, all have left More to Love Yoga feeling more whole, more loved from the inside out than when they arrived. At least, that is my goal as founder and Chief More to Lovely – to have everyone feel welcomed and cared for.
But I don’t do it alone.
One of the pillars of More to Love’s approach to body acceptance is sharing your story with others because it’s how other people become sparked to participate in their own body-love. Over the few years, many Lovelies have truly embodied not only the MTL spirit on their yoga mats but out into the world. And it’s been a vision of mine to be able to share with you some of their faces and personal stories.
The I Am More to Love Collection is a glimpse into the real jewel of More to Love: our inspiring community comprised of ordinary people who are doing something extraordinary, daring to love their bodies and life, any size. This collection just the start – and a mighty one – of what I hope builds into a robust gallery of More to Lovelies.
Is there a Lovely you relate to? Who inspires you? What little step can YOU take this week to be More to Love?
Thank you to the photographer, and More to Lovely herself, Janelle Leroux for taking these beautiful images and being a wonderful collaborator on this project. Thank you to my dearest friend, Jenna <3, for creating the I Am More to Love poster. Thank you also to Borealis Yoga Community for letting us use your luminous space.
But most of all, thank you More to Love community, to these Lovelies profiled, to all the Lovelies yet to join us. Know that each day I am working to create a space and experience that honors all of you. I do it because it’s valuable, needed, and most importantly, in my ability to.
I hope you become as inspired by these Lovelies as I continue to be.
More to Lovingly Yours,
Rachel Estapa
Meet Johanna
A Worthy Journey Meet Johanna What is your favorite part of More to Love? Community is so key in this journey to body acceptance, as our society marginalizes fat people. So having people who understand where you are coming from is hugely important. The More to Love online e-course has helped me a lot in [...]
Meet Wendee
Dare to be Seen Meet Wendee What was your body-love "ah-ha" moment? When I turned 30, a lot of things started to change. I finished a degree. I ended a bad relationship. I really looked at my body and saw it for the first time. And somehow, I have no idea where the courage for [...]
Meet Megan
More Compassion. More Acceptance. Meet Megan Why does body-love matter to you? As a woman in a larger body, I have always struggled to feel I belong in our diet-centric culture, especially in health arenas that promote certain body types as more valuable than others. More to Love has broadened my knowledge of the health at every [...]
Meet Wendy
Affirm Your Life Meet Wendy What's your yoga story? I tried taking a yoga class many years ago but I did not feel comfortable because of my body type so I retreated back to my home where I would practice yoga for 1 hour every morning before going to work. Then the yoga Gods sent [...]
Meet Rachel
Unapologetically Me Meet Rachel What does your body acceptance look like? Living in my body unapologetically made a huge difference in my own self-image and self-care, and in my perspective on disability rights. Being unapologetically disabled is a radical condition to which I've aspired for a long time, and More to Love has been a [...]
Meet Lauren
Make Room for Love Meet Lauren What helps you be body positive? I've struggled with self-image and self-love since I was little. I'm not sure when it happened, and I'm sure it was a gradual shift, but I learned (and am still learning) that I am worth love, and positive attention. I attribute this to [...]
Meet Anor
Healing and Growing Meet Anor What brought you to yoga? After I started suffering from chronic back pain, sciatica, and arthritis in my knees, a friend suggested I try yoga. I resisted at first. Having visited a few yoga studios over the years, I really didn’t respond well to their approach. This all changed in [...]