“In an eating disorder, body and mind become disconnected from each other and disconnected from the person’s deeper essence or soul self. Sufferers are in a state of constant comparison, judgmental of themselves, out of balance, caught in habitual behavior patterns and living in the past or future. Yoga is an ancient philosophy and practice designed to unify mind, body and spirit and thus can help someone whose relationship with all three is so tragically disrupted.” - Carolyn Costin
Yoga & Eating Disorders
This page was started as a result of my book, Yoga and Eating Disorders : Ancient Healing for a Modern Illness.
The goal is to provide a place where those interested can read more about the topic, find resources referred to in the book, and check out the latest articles and events related to yoga and eating disorders.
“Yoga's mission is to wake us up to our true selves, to the beauty already within, to move us from separation to connection, from contraction to spaciousness, and from fear to acceptance.
For women with eating disorders, the rift between the mind and body has deepened over the years, and the chasm may be too wide to mend easily. Luckily there are people in the world, like Carolyn Costin, who believe in yoga's ability to restore that fractured relationship—and who have the skills, wisdom and compassion needed to put that belief into practice...
By sharing her expertise and offering a platform for other voices, Carolyn inspired a resource that provides practical advice for therapists and yoga teachers, as well as inspiration and hope for eating disordered sufferers."
-Linda Sparrowe,
Former editor-in-chief of Yoga International magazine and past managing editor of Yoga Journal.
Client Quotes:
"Yoga gave me a healthy ritual to replace unhealthy ones. It provided me with a sense of community and connection. It forced me to challenge perfectionism because you can't be 'good' at yoga; your body responds differently each day. If you push it, you hurt yourself and it gets you nowhere."
"Yoga provided me with healthy challenges that encouraged ‘stilling of the mind.’ Yoga also encouraged gentleness and respect for my body."
"Yoga helped challenge me to stop comparing myself to others because everyone has such different strengths and weaknesses that have nothing to do with weight, talent or will power. Through yoga, I learned how connected my mind is to my body. For instance, my resistance to back bends encouraged me to think about my fear of opening up to people and being vulnerable, and I learned that balancing poses are difficult when my mind is distracted."
One great thing about yoga is that you can take it with you everywhere...