Diet Culture is omnipresent. Its latest disguise, “Wellness Culture,” is everywhere: from food/diet trends, the medical establishment, the fitness industry, to face cream advertisements and beyond. Sadly diet culture is often reproduced in the yoga industry, too.
Jessica Grosman and Elyssa Toomey, both passionate Registered Dietitians and Registered Yoga Teachers, are sensitive to how diet/wellness culture has impacted how the traditions of yoga are taught and consequently, the messages practitioners are internalizing that can lead to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and eating disorders.
Yoga practices can be wonderful complements in healing and recovery for clients with eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Yoga classes led by teachers who are trauma-informed, body neutral, skilled to guide somatic experiences, and do not speak about nutrition, thus staying within their scope of practice, can be amazing opportunities for people to come home to themselves.
This workshop will help you gain an awareness of how diet/wellness culture may be showing up (consciously or subconsciously) in yoga spaces, on social media, and in marketing and other media. This awareness is key to eliminating these messages from our own teaching and making yoga spaces a neural zone for individuals to engage with their bodies.
In this workshop, we will
Identify where Diet Culture shows-up in yoga, whether hidden or deliberate.
Clarify the role the yoga teacher plays in food/diet/nutrition education among students/followers (“guru culture”).
Explore scope of practice for yoga teachers.
Focus on “All bodies are yoga bodies, all foods fit.”
Define how yoga teachers can use their scope of practice to create a safe place for all bodies.
All who are interested in learning more about this topic are welcome. Participants registered with the Yoga Alliance will receive 2 continuing education credits.
Sign up today to join this unique continuing education opportunity on
May 20, 2022 from 1 to 3 PM EST on Zoom.
Tuition: $60
Join the live sessions or watch the recording.
Payment plans are available. Please contact me to set up payment.
Meet the Instructors
JESSICA GROSMAN, YOGA TEACHER & ANTI-DIET REGISTERED DIETITIAN
Jessica Grosman’s mission is to help individuals get comfortable and connected with their body through yoga and food. Jessica has been practicing yoga for 20+ years, but only within the past few years has found her body’s most suitable practice in Yin Yoga. Jessica is also an anti-diet Registered Dietitian, practicing the principles of Intuitive Eating with her clients. She believes that all people have the right to health, regardless of size or medical condition, aligning herself with Health at Every Size and weight-inclusive practices. She founded With Health & Gratitude in 2015 as a way to bring together her knowledge in a unique and meaningful way.
Elyssa Toomey, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and Registered Yoga Teacher
Elyssa Toomey is an experienced anti-diet, Health at Every Size informed, weight-inclusive eating disorder dietitian who is passionate about helping people develop a peaceful relationship with food and their body. She specializes in helping clients heal from chronic dieting, disordered eating and eating disorders. Elyssa combines medical nutrition therapy with advanced training in eating disorders, intuitive eating, yoga, mindfulness, and somatic practices. She believes in an integrative approach, blending evidenced based science with Eastern philosophies and embodiment practices to help her clients recover and live full, meaningful lives. In addition to her one-on-one work with clients, Elyssa provides ongoing group and individual clinical supervision and case consultation and has recently submitted her application to IADEP as a CEDS-S candidate. When not with clients you can find her in nature with her dog Raven, on her yoga mat or in her kitchen with friends and family.