Living With Food: The Science Supporting Eating Disorder Treatment

By Julie Norman, Registered Dietitian and Registered Yoga Instructor and Sarah Emerman

  

Yoga yoga yoga, everywhere we turn people are talking about and doing yoga. Recently, yoga has gained popularity for being beneficial to overall physical and mental health. Along with that, we’re also seeing it as another means to control or change ones body. On the market a person can find yoga to improve abs, weight loss, yoga booty ballet, and various other “practices” to alter ones physical appearance. A Google search of yoga images yields results of lean, fit, males and females with limited variability in size and shape. For many people, including those struggling with eating disorders, this sends a mixed message about the purpose and true essence of yoga.

 

Yoga is about connecting to your highest self, you as peaceful and content, as well as healthy. Through breath work, physical postures, and meditation, yoga is a comprehensive tool for wellness. When we only use part of yoga, for instance, just asana practices (the physical postures), the system wont work. This is where it may get confusing for someone with or without an eating disorder. Because we live in a body focused culture, where the message is “change your body, change your life”, yoga has unfortunately mutated into another form of compulsive exercise for many people.

 

Lets be clear:

The sole purpose of yoga is not for exercise. It’s intent is for acceptance of the person as a whole, not to lose weight, tone thighs, or flatten abs. Yoga is for everybody and everyone can benefit from even the most basic elements of yoga practice. The key is to find a place to practice that focuses on the tradition, not the trend. Be cautious of centers advertising body-sculpting benefits, and seek out practices that emphasize mindful breathing, movement, and cater to beginners. Remember that the spirit of yoga is not in competition, but integration of the physical and spiritual self.

 

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