By Beverly S. Price
I’ve had a long career integrating yoga therapy into eating disorders recovery, a journey I outlined in “How Yoga Therapists Work: My Path to Supporting People with Eating Disorders.” But what does a yoga therapy session look like for someone who is, for example, struggling with binge eating disorder?
Sarah* had just come out of a long-term relationship with a man she’d loved very much. When her boyfriend ended the relationship, Sarah felt heartbroken. In her new solitude, she felt anxious and restless. For days at a time, she found herself eating late at night, to the point of overfullness, then feeling guilty and disgusted. Although she could not understand why she was craving food with such intensity, the urges were too strong to combat, and many evenings she would binge on pizza, cake, candy, bread, and other comforting foods. She put on weight over several months and felt ashamed of her body, which perpetuated her fears that she would not be found desirable or lovable by others. While she padded her body with weight, she padded her heart with protection. She labeled herself “fat” and “lazy” and was unable to forgive the seemingly uncontrollable binges.
Heart-centered healing
Considering the energetic system of the chakras is one way yoga therapists might assess and work with clients. For Sarah, healing meant focusing on her heart chakra—letting go of her former relationship, learning to love and accept all parts of herself, and restoring balanced nutrition and eating patterns. Our yoga therapy focused on postures that literally opened the area around Sarah’s heart by lengthening her spine and drawing her arms upward as her chest was lifted. At the same time, we practiced cultivating internal awareness as Sarah focused on the sensations of her body—even, when we could do so safely, when they were uncomfortable. The poses we worked with included strong standing warriors, backbending camel twists, and other kinds of spinal extension such as bridge. Because the arms and hands are extensions of the fourth (heart) chakra, we also employed postures that worked or restored these areas.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
While in these poses, I guided Sarah to notice thoughts and emotions connected to her heart. During breathwork, she focused on opening her emotional and spiritual heart as her physical chest expanded; she softened and released without closing her heart during exhalation. We also used the heating “breath of joy” exercise, which can offer release of what someone holds onto tightly.
Yoga therapy taught Sarah that to feel loved, she had first to look within, discover what was preventing her from loving herself, and be willing to change this pattern. Through opening her heart chakra and persistently practicing self-care, compassion, trust, forgiveness, and letting go, Sarah was able to remove the barriers to self-love and move toward a stronger connection to her own heart.
Looking within through practices of many flavors
Based on an individual’s medical history, the yoga therapist would recommend different types and intensities of practice. For example, vinyasa yoga, a quicker-moving sequence that couples postures with breathing, can stimulate the cardiovascular system—and the heart chakra. This type of sequence can be beneficial in combating lethargy, low motivation, or feelings of hopelessness. Yin yoga, another style, emphasizes long-held postures that can help clients to relieve tension, let go (physically, mentally, and emotionally), and soften around a hardened heart. The passive nature of this type of practice reminds us to be in the moment with an accepting quality. I might use yin sequences to counter high anxiety, stress, racing thoughts, or controlling behaviors.
When working with individuals who have eating disorders, I emphasize that all postures are optional. I ask that people refrain from comparing themselves to one another. I keep the lights dim and encourage individuals to work with their eyes closed, if they are comfortable, so that they can focus inward.
In a small-group environment, people may have varying diagnoses across the spectrum of eating disorders and therefore require varying levels of medical involvement. I encourage those who are medically stable to find their edge to work to an intensity where they are challenging themselves yet still connecting with an easy breath. For medically compromised individuals, I focus on more gentle postures with options to sit, stand, or lie down—simply sitting on the mat while breathing and observing can be healing all by itself.
Beverly S. Price, MA, CEDRD-S, E-RYT 200, C-IAYT, is recognized for introducing mindfulness yoga to the eating disorders treatment community, including patients and professionals, as well as offering yoga therapy training programs in eating disorders for professionals. She supervises and mentors eating disorders professionals who wish to enhance their skills in nutrition and yoga therapy.
*Client’s name and details have been changed to protect her privacy.
