Yoga And Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are often the result of negative body image that women are manipulated into adopting. Thin has long been considered ideal, with no regard to health and more emphasis on physical appearance.

Yoga is being considered as one of the treatments in fighting eating disorders. This is because yoga helps develop positive body image, self acceptance and an intuitive rejection of messages that fuel negative body-image.

Scientific studies have been conducted which show that women who practice mind-body fitness such as yoga or tai chi have greater satisfaction being who they are and are in general more accepting of their bodies. Yoga practitioners, according to these studies, appear to have less body image related complexes, report having a healthy appetite and approach to food and suffer less self-reprisal in contrast to those who did no yoga or followed more mainstream fitness regimes such as running or weight training.

According to www.womenfitness.net, the journal, Psychology of Women, published a study, which suggests, “Women may have intuitively discovered a way to buffer themselves against messages that tell them that only a thin and ‘beautiful’ body will lead to happiness and success.”