Posts Tagged ‘Yoga’

Lauren Fraley is a yoga instructor at The Emily Program’s Cleveland Residential location. When she is not working or practicing yoga, she is usually cooking, reading, or doing art-related activities.

TEP: Tell us about yourself!
Lauren: I’m the yoga instructor at Cleveland Residential… but I’ve already told a lot of the residents here that I often identify more as their yoga “guide.” I prefer the word guide since there are so many parts of yoga that can’t be “instructed” — only suggested, or given space for. Outside of The Emily Program, I’m also involved in the performing arts as a director, theater-maker, and performer. I love cooking, plants, board games, reading, writing, and collaging!

We live in a society that’s always on the go, and this constant activity can often lead to stress and anxiety. When anxiety creeps up, we may feel overwhelmed, stuck, or out of control. We may get distracted, hyperfocus or avoid responsibilities. While severe anxiety should be addressed with a therapist or medical doctor, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to alleviate symptoms of anxiety.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Dallas Rising, a former The Emily Program client and woman in recovery

I sat cross-legged on my yoga mat, doing my best to explain yoga’s role in my life. Inevitably, thoughts of my eating disorder surfaced. I talked about my relationship with exercise, my unhealthy compulsivity with high-intensity activity, and severe food restriction. My eating disorder treats numbers as fodder for obsession, so health clubs and gyms aren’t safe for me. Our culture recently recognized the self-punishment associated with “thinspiration,” and instead embraced “fitspiration.” Fewer people recognize the danger of fitspiration, although it encourages an equally destructive and punishing mindset. It celebrates those that ignore physical distress in the name of fitness. Both paradigms frame the body as something to conquer, shape, and control.

Although the beneficial effects of yoga have long been observed in individuals with eating disorders, research on yoga as an eating disorder treatment intervention is still in its early stages.

by Lisa Diers, RDN, LD, E-RYT. Reprinted with permission from SCAN’S PULSE, Winter 2016, Vol 35, No 1, official publication of Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago, IL.

The popularity and accessibility of yoga has grown exponentially in the past decade. According to a study by Yoga Journal, approximately 20 million Americans older than 18 years practiced yoga in 2012, constituting 8.7% of the adult population.¹ An industry report by IBIS World estimates there are more than 30,000 yoga and Pilates studios in the United States.² Many of the 170+ eating disorder (ED) treatment facilities in the U.S. offer yoga or other mind-body based activities as a component of treatment.³ A 2006 study of 18 residential ED treatment programs in the nation found that two-thirds of the programs offered yoga.⁴

By Lisa Diers, RD, LD, E-RYT

Words aren’t the only way to connect to memories and feelings stored in the body. This is why we incorporate integrative therapies, including yoga, into treatment at The Emily Program.

Yoga is a practice of specific postures (asanas) linked with breath while incorporating a focused intention of moving inward for self-exploration or reflection and decreased anxiety and depression. In yoga, the mind is not separate from the body nor is the body separate from the mind. The Breath is the mechanism that bridges the gap between the two. When we discuss yoga here, we are referring to mind, body, and breath. When yoga is practiced with traditional methods, it is a practice of wholeness.