Yoga helps in eating disorders and has been linked with myriad of physical and emotional benefits. A research study published in the June 2005 issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly indicated that women who practiced yoga reported lower levels of self-objectification, body dissatisfaction and symptoms of eating disorders when compared to women participating in aerobic activities and no exercise. A later study also indicated the similar findings.
Furthermore, later studies have explored the value of yoga in eating disorders prevention and treatment. In one of our studies, two students tested the value yoga in alleviating symptoms of eating disorder and found encouraging trends in the data.. However, because of high drop-out rate, final data was not robust enough to make a sound judgment.
It looks like that persistent practice of yogic postures are helpful in fine-tuning the body awareness in the participants and promotes self-awareness rather than comparative awareness which might be one factor in disordered eating and body image problems. It has been suggested that interoception, body awareness, is very important in healing and recovery from serious illnesses and often play an important role in our conscious experience. Fine tuning awareness of our physical container (body) is also important in regulating our nervous system.
Read about the role of yoga in cancer.
-Parmjit Singh, PhD
