Practicing Yoga Therapy in Recovery: Renegotiating Exercise in the New Year

Practicing yoga can elicit a variety of emotions for someone struggling with an eating disorder.

There might be a desire to engage in yoga as a form of compensatory exercise. Being in vulnerable positions might be triggering to survivors of trauma. For others, there might be an inability to be still and connect with their minds and bodies due to overwhelming anxiety relating to their eating disorder.

Dismissing any preconceived notions you might have about yoga as you enter the new year can help you see how it can be instrumental in your recovery.

Yoga in Recovery

Many components of mainstream yoga today involve social and environmental triggers. Wearing trendy yoga pants to a high-priced studio with mirrors on every flat service can understandably lead to disordered thoughts about food, exercise, and body image.

This is not what we mean by yoga therapy. Yoga therapy in the context of eating disorder recovery aligns with more holistic yoga practices, focusing on the mind-body connection.

Some people might be concerned that yoga or other forms of physical activity are not appropriate for anyone with low body weight or other physical side effects of their eating disorder. While it may be true that clients in certain situations should not engage in yoga therapy, it is up to your individual treatment team to determine whether you are physically able to practice. Also note that there are different types of yoga—some incorporate less movement and more mindfulness and breathing exercises.

You will quickly find that yoga therapy is not the stereotypical yoga class that you see on television, where the focus is getting into the twistiest pretzel position you can without falling over. Instead, yoga therapy typically incorporates various postures, breathing exercises, meditation techniques, and life skills to help you feel more connected to your mind and body.

The Importance of the Mind-Body Connection

As Carolyn Costin, MA, MEd, MFT, explains in Yoga & Eating Disorders: Ancient Healing for Modern Illness, developing or restoring the mind-body connection is a vital part of eating disorder recovery.

Individuals with eating disorders have often cut themselves off from their bodies. This might be due to trauma and a desire to disassociate, or it might be a direct result of their disordered thoughts and food behaviors, often relating to co-occurring mental health issues.

Yoga can restore the mind-body connection by almost forcing these pieces to work together and gain a sense of awareness. This includes awareness of the movements, needs, and flexibility of both the body and the mind.

This can be especially challenging if you struggle with anxiety, depression, or other co-occurring disorders.

Yoga therapy is a process. Often, the first step is simply being able to lie still on your mat. Before jumping into poses, take a moment to become aware of your breath and set an intention for your yoga practice that day.

Being present in your body after months or years of disordered eating is a true milestone in recovery and will likely take time.

Effectiveness of Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy has proven highly effective in the treatment of eating disorders when practiced in conjunction with more traditional modalities.

A 2010 study found that teen eating disorder patients who practiced yoga therapy experienced a greater decrease in symptoms over time than those who did not. In addition, the study found that food preoccupation decreased in most participants immediately following each yoga therapy session, and the practice did not negatively impact their body mass index (BMI).¹

Yoga incorporates many principles of more traditional modalities, such as the mindfulness of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) or breathing techniques often implemented to reduce anxiety.

By integrating all of these benefits into a holistic yoga therapy practice, you can be empowered to restore your mind-body connection and develop a lifelong coping tool.

When Yoga is Triggering

While the potential benefits of yoga are irrefutable, it is also true that yoga is not for everyone.

Before you give up on the idea of yoga therapy to support your recovery, identify whether you do not like yoga or if it is actually triggering for you.