How Yoga Therapy Fits into Outpatient Treatment for Eating Disorder Recovery
By Jennifer Kreatsoulas, PhD, C-IAYT, Founder
I remember when I discharged from eating disorder treatment many moons ago, and how before going home my inpatient team helped me set a path for continued treatment and support. Initially, that team consisted of clinicians in the day program (PHP) and IOP I attended directly after residential treatment. But from there, I was discharged to an outpatient team, which included a therapist specializing in eating disorders, a dietitian who also specialized in the field, and an eating disorder recovery group that met once a week on Tuesday evenings.
When I reflect back on that time in my life, having a team that I trusted and the consistency of appointments and the accountability they provided were essential. I was privileged to have that support, and I am eternally grateful for it.
Outpatient Treatment Options Have Expanded
Over the past decades, the options for outpatient support have expanded from meal support groups and art therapy, to also include a variety of modalities, like eating disorder coaching, equine/animal therapy, wilderness therapy, music therapy, movement therapy, and yoga therapy, to name a few. The variety of options adds so much to the recovery experience, and often these modalities provide much needed experiences that are about living life not just thinking and talking about it.
What is Yoga Therapy?
Decades after my hospitalization for an eating disorder, I am a yoga therapist supporting others on their healing path. Yoga played a big role in my healing journey, helping me to learn how to respect my body, listen to it, and give it kindness. My work today is my passion and my heart. I am blessed to be able to hold the space and share yoga as a therapeutic resource for recovery. Yoga therapy is not a yoga class or a workout; it’s also not just movement and poses. It’s so much more.
When it comes to eating disorder recovery, I believe we must include the body in the process of healing our minds, and yoga therapy is one way we can do that. Through centering exercises, discussion, gentle movement, breathing practices, yoga philosophies, and goal setting to foster healing, yoga therapy teaches you to reconnect with your body and create coping skills for recovery and life. It is a wonderful complement to your work with a therapist, dietician, and other care providers.
The Difference Between Yoga Therapy and Therapy
As a yoga therapist, scope of practice is something I care deeply about. Understanding the distinction between yoga therapy and psychotherapy is essential—especially for those of us who do not hold clinical credentials. Clarity here isn’t limiting; it’s protective, ethical, and ultimately more supportive for the people we serve.
Unless the yoga therapist is a licensed therapist, the sessions are not psychotherapy; instead, they focus on applying yoga's practices, tools, and philosophies to help clients create shifts in their lives. The yoga therapist is part of the client's outpatient team, not the primary therapeutic or medical provider.
Here are a few examples of how yoga therapy fits into outpatient treatment for individuals on an eating disorder recovery journey:
Whereas the client processes trauma with their therapist, yoga therapy is the space where we can create tools—like grounding, breathing, and embodied practices—for clients to learn how to cope in healthy ways with the feelings and urges that come up around the trauma.
Whereas the client works with their dietitian to create meal plans and discuss fears, “ED rules,” and behaviors around food and exercise, yoga therapy is the space where we can explore ahimsa (nonharming/kindness) and other yoga philosophies in movement and in the act of nourishing oneself.
Whereas the client may work with their therapist on the specific nuances and symptoms of their eating disorder experience, yoga therapy is the space where we can explore where certain feelings like fear live in the body and create practices of self-compassion.
Whereas the client works with their therapist and psychiatrist to assess mood and treatment, yoga therapy is the space where we can educate about the power of the breath or mindful movement for self-regulation in tandem with the determined treatment.
We can explore the philosophy of the koshas (layers of being) to help clients see their wholeness and learn to attend to each layer.
We can use the philosophy of the gunas (energy) to help clients manage their energy, especially when they are prone to anxiety and/or depression.
We can teach the philosophy of the klesas as a new way for clients to conceptualize how they relate to the blocks to their recovery, and we can explore how to bring to life the yamas and niyamas in their daily lives and healing work.
Yoga therapy is the space where clients can learn through breath and gentle movement to turn toward themselves instead of away from themselves, which is a major paradigm shift for someone living with an eating disorder.
Other Benefits of Yoga Therapy for Eating Disorder Recovery
As a modality that includes the body in the healing process, yoga therapy offers many benefits. Some that I have witnessed with my clients include
Developing a more balanced relationship with exercise and movement
Nervous system regulation
Cultivating compassion and curiosity about one’s body
Reframe how and why we feed our bodies
Expand their world to be so much more than food, symptoms, and body image
Cultivating self-reliance
Increasing self-worth
Establishing new beliefs grounded in health versus disordered eating
These are just the few of the benefits that yoga therapy brings to the outpatient experience. In my personal journey, yoga therapy has most certainly done these things for me too.
So much is possible when yoga therapy is part of outpatient eating disorder treatment. If you are interested in learning how yoga therapy could fit into your outpatient treatment, feel free to email me or schedule a free Discovery Call. I am sending you support and encouragement as you continue your healing journey.