What is the eating disorder, which is effective in curing these 5 yoga asanas, know how yoga is helpful in eating disorders?
An eating disorder can be characterized by abnormal eating behavior that negatively affects a person’s physical and mental health. Bulimia, binge eating, and anorexia are the most common eating disorders. An eating disorder is a serious mental problem that arises due to excessive obsession of people with food, yoga, exercise and body composition, and weight. Eating disorders are typically accompanied by anxiety and depression, and at any given time, about 0.9% of women and 0.3% of men suffer from anorexia.
One of the main reasons that most people suffer from an eating disorder is stress. Stress can cause both binge eating disorders or obsessions about the weight of the food. It is common for people with an eating disorder to use food to relieve feelings of sadness, anger, and boredom. Individual counseling and therapy facilities were not available during the COVID pandemic, with the greatest impact being on those suffering from mental health and especially those suffering from eating disorders. In times like these, yoga and meditation are essential for such a suffering population. 300 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh also offers a great opportunity to people who want to teach Yoga in the future.
How does yoga help with eating disorders?
According to Dr. Deepak Mittal, Yoga promotes self-acceptance. Yoga provides a sense of inner peace by revitalizing the mind and activating the endocrine system. Thus it helps practitioners to accept and experience their body as a whole. A study conducted by the American Psychological Association focused on a group of women between the ages of 18-30 who practiced yoga for 12 weeks and found that it could help build a healthy body image, which was linked to eating. It will be helpful in reducing the disorder. The study found participants increased satisfaction with their personal body image and paid less attention to how they appeared to others. This sign indicates that yoga is helpful in curing eating disorders and is also capable of preventing the same to some extent.
Some yoga postures that can be practiced under the supervision of a yoga trainer are:
Balasana: This is a very relaxing pose that involves bending forward with knees bent and keeping the body on the floor/mat.
Chakrasana: This is an upward-facing bow pose that stretches your chest and lungs and strengthens your arms, legs, abdomen, and spine.
Tadasana: Tadasana is one of the easiest yoga postures that improve body balance and abdominal health.
Dhanurasana: This pose provides relief in all issues related to eating disorders and helps in digestion, constipation, and abdominal cramps.
Surya Namaskar, Pranayama, and Yoga Nidra are some other practices that can be followed to help with an eating disorder. They have a positive effect on the gut and digestive system, leading to a balanced diet and lifestyle. Mixing them with yoga, can heal not only the body but also the mind.
The practice of yoga is basically born out of the need for relaxation, calmness, and mindfulness (focused awareness in the present moment) combined with meditation, breathing, and exercise. And these exercises help them deal with anxiety, which is a common cause of (anxiety) eating disorders.
Yogasana: An Effective Therapy for Eating Disorders
Since it is all about balance, yoga practitioners who are working with eating disorder patients do not increase their physical burden by suggesting stressful exercises. Teachers try to teach as many yoga asanas that focus on strengthening the mind of the patients, loving oneself, and promoting mental peace.
They are taught to recognize that if a regime or habit is becoming too intense for their health, restrain themselves before proceeding and learn to return to a state of mental and physical balance. People with eating disorders believe that they are not worthy of love unless their bodies meet certain unhealthy parameters, and yoga helps turn this fear into self-love and mindfulness.
