Yoga for Eating Disorders
Final Research Paper
Molly Trayner
Yoga: Theory, Culture and Practice
Professor Douglass
December 5th, 2012
Introduction
“Imagine waking up each morning and starring into
your full length mirror for hours.
Skipping over each obvious sign of boney or fit areas and strictly focusing
your eyes intensely on the areas that have fat.
With these patterns, you become ignorant of the idea that you are skinny, your
mind only focus’s on those negative areas.
No matter how skinny or boney you seem to others, it becomes a lie in your mind
because you think, I have spots of fat, therefore I am fat” (Personal journal
entry). Eating disorders are a form of mental illness
that lead to unhealthy addictions.
All over America, men and women are battling with some form of eating disorder
and it is a rising issue. Nearly 8 million Americans, with 90-95%
who are women are struggling with eating disorders (Lintott, 2003 p.67).
Disordered
eaters suppress and ignore the natural sensations of their bodies and bind
themselves to the habits of their illnesses.
Estranged from their suffering bodies, disordered eaters are ruled by
compulsive thoughts and ideas. Many women
struggling with an eating disorder have health problems that may limit physical
activity or in the case of women who have used extreme exercise to limit weight
gain have health issues. Yoga introduces
many patients to a new sensation: relaxation. Patients often report that the
combination of yoga postures (asanas) followed by relaxation (savasana) creates
a deep sense of peace and freedom they have never before experienced (Boudette, 2006 p.167). There is currently no cure for eating disorders. Since eating disorders progress to a psychological issue that leave
women chemically unbalanced, I wanted to focus my paper on how yoga can be a
way for women facing an eating disorder become balanced, leading to self
acceptance.
Who faces Eating Disorders?
Women
are most often affected by eating disorders during adolescence and early
adulthood, which is also an important period of identity development (Demidenko, N.
Tasca, G. Kennedy, N.
Bissada, H., 2010 p.
1132). Men
are more likely to be diagnosed as suffering depression with associated
appetite changes than receive a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.
Disordered eating is prevalent among college women. 79% of undergraduate women report
symptoms of an eating disorder, chronic dieting, binging, purging and
starvation (Mitchell, K.S.,
Mazzeo, S.E., Rausch, S., & Cooke, K., 2007 p.120). According to the National
association of anorexia nervosa and associated disorders website, 86% of women report onset of eating disorder by age 20. 95% of those who have eating disorders
are between the ages of 12 and 25. Over one-half of teenage girls use unhealthy weight control
behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and
taking laxatives. 47% of girls in
5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures. 69% of
girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea
of a perfect body shape. 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner and 81% of 10
year olds are afraid of being fat ("Eating
disorders statistics,").
Feminist
Perspective on Eating Disorders
Maintaining a feminist perspective in
treating eating disorders raises important questions about society,
empowerment, and providing care. The extent to which societal and
cultural values play a role in the development of eating disorders is subject
to much debate. Feminists have maintained that culture defines what is
valued in the size, shape, or age of human bodies and some argue that culture
actually produces eating disorders (Faith
K., Pinhas L.,
Schmelefske, J., Bryden, P.,
2003 p.306).
The
important contribution that feminism has made to the issue of eating disorders
is the introduction of a broader social, political, analysis that locates the
existence of eating issues in the context of a patriarchal society that values
males more than female. In contrast to the medical professions
position on eating issues, feminism stresses a focus on the underlying issues
that give rise to their existence. In this sense eating disorders are seen
as expressions or manifestations of an underlying issue. Women
react to societal objectification by taking on an observer’s perspective of
their own bodies (self-objectification) and tying their self-worth to their
physical appearance. Women’s self-worth becomes dependent on
their evaluation of their appearance, and they begin to view their bodies as
objects to be evaluated. Serious negative consequences of
self-objectification for women have led to important research regarding
protective factors. One of these potential protective factors may be feminist
identity, given that feminist ideology emphasizes that women’s self-worth
should not be determined by their physical appearance (Peterson R.,
Grippo K., Tantleff-Dunn S.,
2008 p.640).
Emotions of Women with
Eating Disorders and how Yoga Impacts them
Given
the need to address the significant roles of body awareness and mood states in
the eating disorder experience, alternative modalities, specifically yoga,
should be considered since yoga centers on physical and emotional awareness (Dale, L.P., Mattison, A., Greening, K., Galen, G., Neace, W.,
& Matacin, M.). Yoga emphases on mind and body connection and
recognizing that you’re not separate, that you are one being in relationship to
your body, mind, spirit and soul.
But also brings that connection to your environment. Yoga draws that connection and calls you
to focus on that. As someone who has been
through an eating disorder and recovery, I wish that a doctor or therapist
suggested yoga therapy for me.
The eating issue and self-abuse may end, but the overall disorder stamps a
heavy mark and from my view, never really leaves your life. Since yoga is a process in which people
can gain a better understanding of life, learn methods to manage the mind,
realize one’s potential, and transform personality, I believe it is beneficial
for eating disorder recovery.
Yoga practice is not about focusing on the sweat and calories it’s focusing in
on the mind, and that is really what overcoming an eating disorder is about. It’s about overcoming and being one with
your mind and letting things go, to become present not just in the moment but
with your body.
Yoga can help theses women suffering to
start accepting their bodies and feel better about themselves. This
practice can help change the way these women think and lead to a decrease in
mind control over their bodies. To help these women, some yoga practices
try to get rid of mirrors in their studios to help encourage movement based on
internal awareness other than outward appearance (Daubenmier, 2005 p.208).
The
Influence of Society on Women facing Eating Disorders
The
causes of eating disorders include both external and internal factors, but the
pressure of beauty with thinness and other guidelines from our society are a
big contribution to eating disorders. From early-on children are taught by society that their looks
matter. Think of the
three and four year old who is continuously praised for being "oh so cute”. With an increased
population of children who spend a lot of time in front of television, there are
more of them coming up with a superficial sense of who they are. Images on television
spend countless hours telling us to lose weight, be thin and beautiful, buy
more stuff because people will like us and we'll be better people for it. Super models in all
the popular magazines have continued to get thinner and thinner. Diet
advertisements are another problem. On television, in magazines and
newspapers, we are continually exposed to the notion that losing weight will
make us happier. People in societal "pop-culture", whether consciously
or subconsciously, perpetuate the ideal of thinness through their
conversations, judgments and teasing of their peers and other family members.
There
is a cultural emphasis on being thin that is especially pervasive in western
society. With unrealistic stereotypes of what is beauty and the
ideal body type as portrayed by the media, fashion and entertainment industries. The standard beauty celebrated in
advertisements seems to reinforce the obsession with youth and perfect shape. There is also the copycat effect that is
noticeable in the efforts to look alike the movie stars who suffer themselves
from some eating disorders (Popa,
2012 p.164)
Many sufferers of eating disorders report
feeling powerless about their socioeconomic environment, and view dieting,
exercise and purging as empowering means of controlling their lives. The
conventional approach to understanding the root causes of disordered eating
focuses on the role of media and socio-cultural pressures; an emphasis on
thinness and muscularity often goes beyond simple body image. There
is an implicit media message that not only are those with ‘ideal’ bodies can be
more confident, successful, healthy and happy but that slimness is associated
with positive character qualities, such as reliability, trustworthiness and
honesty .The traditional understanding of eating disorders reflects a
media construct where thin and attractive people are not only the most
successful and desirable members of the community, but rather they are the only
members of the community who can be attractive and desirable.
In
such a view, society is focused on appearance; body image becomes central to
young people’s feelings of self-esteem and self-worth — overshadowing qualities
and achievements in other aspects of their lives. Teenagers may associate success or
acceptance by their peers with achieving the ‘perfect’ physical standard
portrayed by the media.
As
a result, during the period where children and teenagers become increasingly
more exposed to prevailing cultural norms, both males and females are at risk
of developing skewed conceptions of self and their bodies. When
the desired goals are not met of achieving the ideal body image, they might
experience feelings of failure that contribute to further drop in self-esteem,
confidence and an increase in body image dissatisfaction. Some
also suffer psychological and physical costs such as feelings of shame,
failure, deprivation and yo-yo dieting.
Women find eating disorder support through Pro-anorexic
(pro-Ana) websites. These pro- Ana websites are a trend
that allow individuals to communicate in order to maintain eating disorders. Members of these websites typically feel
that their eating disorder is the only aspect of a chaotic life that they can control. These pro-anorexic websites are
interactive and have discussion boards where individuals can share ideas on
diet and exercise plans that have allowed them to achieve dangerously low
weights. Pro-Ana websites build
a community for suffering women and show the struggling women that they can
belong somewhere.
Conclusion
With yoga there is no right or wrong, no
good or bad, no better or best. In yoga, we learn the art of not
comparing, but accepting this moment and ourselves just as we are. Yoga is
not about the workout, but the work-in. With general therapies,
you can talk your way out of feelings. But therapist alone cannot solve the
root of these concerns. Only you can look inside and discover
what your soul needs. For someone with an eating disorder,
the benefits of yoga can be a powerful tool to uncover your attachments and
move forward with awareness. Yoga is a positive form of
self-acceptance, as I said earlier it allows you to connect, listen to, and
understand your body. Having an eating disorder, you
completely disconnect from your body. It is no longer a part of you; it is
just this object that, in your eyes doesn’t fit to you.
With yoga practice as therapy, it reinforces the importance of having a
strong, sound body as well as a strong and sound mind and connecting them.
As a result of the
research, this is no current cure for eating disorders but yoga has been a
helpful type of therapy for balancing emotions, regulating mood and benefiting
recovery. I do not think that yoga as well as any
other type of therapy can completely rid anyone of an eating disorder.
References
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