Guest contributor and trauma-informed yoga instructor Kierstin Graham opens up about why yoga studios were unhelpful environments during the early phases of her eating disorder recovery. From diet culture influences to an emphasis on competition and working out as “punishment,” Kierstin identifies aspects of yoga studio culture (in general, not all!) that could be harmful for individuals going through recovery, and with examples from her own story, sheds light on alternative places and ways to practice yoga so that it is the healing and supportive practice it is intended to be.

Guest contributor, Rachel, shares how she turned to yoga when she began her eating disorder recovery. Like recovery, her experience practicing yoga has not been linear. Rachel shares the challenges she’s faced and the gifts she’s gained from practicing yoga, and how yin yoga, particularly, is helping her foster self-compassion.

In her 20s, guest contributor Rebecca Berg, MS, RDN (she/her/hers), became obsessed with exercise and controlling her food intake and weight, only to realize that she was experiencing an eating disorder at the very same time she was studying to become a Registered Dietitian. Rebecca bravely shares what it meant to her to acknowledge she had an eating disorder and how she reframed the stories that were keeping her stuck. Rebecca’s story is an invitation for everyone—including those in the helping and healing professions—to recognize that their struggles do not diminish their worth.

“When we step back and observe emotional eating as a natural behavior we use to help us cope with hard feelings like anxiety, loneliness, sadness, and anger, we can begin to let go of judgement. Instead, we can look at emotional eating through a kind, understanding lens.” Read this latest blog post by Caroline L. Young, MS, RD, LD, RYT, to learn why emotional eating is normal, how to release judgment for coping with food, and to remember your ability to choose from a variety of ways of cope with hard feelings.

The health nut identity is far too common in our culture. It's often actually an eating disorder in disguise: orthorexia, an obsession with "healthy" eating. Caroline Young, MS, RD, LD, RYT, reflects on her years suffering from orthorexia and shares how she reclaimed her worth by letting go of her “health nut” mask.

In her final blog of our 12-month series, Niya Bajaj explores how the experiences of systemic exclusion and the power imbalance in healthcare systems impact how people seek help for eating disorders, and how yoga therapy can support inclusive recovery. 

Guest contributor and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor Maria Scrimenti explains how, “When we feel triggered as adults, it’s often not our adult self that is activated. It is our child self showing up, unable to regulate their emotions and less able to access rational perspective. It’s like your adult self is being hijacked by your child self. Often, your child self feels unsafe and needs to know they are okay.” Maria shares an exercise to help us communicate with our inner child and forge a caring relationship with them, so that we can begin to heal the triggers we confront as adults.

In this month’s blog series, Niya Bajaj explores how the experiences of stigma and silence around mental health concerns, including eating disorders, impact how people seek help and how yoga therapy can support inclusive recovery.

Research has demonstrated a strong link between trauma exposure and other severe adverse experiences in both childhood and adulthood with eating disorders. In her latest blog, Niya Bajaj explores how the experiences of systemic exclusion and associated trauma impact how people seek help and how yoga therapy can support inclusive eating disorder recovery.