Yoga For Eating Disorders: An Amazing Mission

Yoga gives an incredible sense of empowerment, of fulfillment.
Image: Shutterstock

Eating disorders and yoga are two things I’ve talked about here at Sunshine and a Daisy. There are an estimated 24 million Americans who suffer from an eating disorder, but only about ten percent of those will ever receive treatment. Anorexia kills about half a million people every single year, making it the most deadly mental illness. Most of us know someone who has, or has had an eating disorder—whether we know it or not.

I’ve talked about yoga as a way to get in shape, to relax, to rid myself of stress, and to feel empowered. I’ve never thought about it as a way to combat eating disorders. The thought seems a little illogical, considering the fact that those with eating disorders need to bring in more calories, not burn them off.

But yoga isn’t about burning the calories off, not really. One of my yoga instructors put it succinctly during my second or third class when she was talking about having strength, resolve and balance in life. She said, “You may have come here thinking that yoga was just a way to get those nice abs. But now that you’re here, it’s a whole different ball game.” And she was right; it really is a whole different ball game now.

Chelsea Roff is leading the "Yoga For Eating Disorders" campaign.
Image: Chelsea Roff / Indiegogo

So when I read Chelsea Roff’s story, I was completely inspired. When she was 15, Roff suffered a stroke caused by severe anorexia. At 58 pounds, she was placed under the custodianship of a hospital, where she lived and recovered for nearly a year and a half. Her therapist encouraged her to try yoga and she did.

“I was still significantly underweight and terrified of people, but I went…” Roff writes, “only to discover a practice (and community) that changed my life. I went from surviving to thriving; from living half a life to experiencing joy and freedom I never imagined possible.”

Six years later, she has developed a program that she hopes to be able to deliver all across the country to others struggling with eating disorders for free. “I used to believe no one recovered from an eating disorder,” she said. “Every person I knew who had struggled with this disease was still struggling, recovering seemed hopeless and impossible. But now I know: Freedom is possible. Joy is possible. There is a way out of this illness, and yoga is an incredible tool in paving the path to healing.”

Chelsea Roff has partnered up with the Give Back Yoga Foundation for her project, which is currently active on Indiegogo.com. The program is a three-day workshop that will, hopefully, be offered all over the country for no charge. With full funding, Roff also hopes to gather evidence-based research data on the effectiveness of yoga as a treatment for eating disorders, as well as offer pro-bono talks to local schools and community organizations where the program is being offered.

Now that’s a dang good cause if I’ve ever heard of one.

Looking for a cause? Support Roff's campaign.
Image: Chelsea Roff / Indiegogo

The Thigh Gap Game--Can We Stop Playing It?

Why do women feel the need to play themselves out of happiness? That’s what this whole thigh gap obsession feels like—just another reason for women and girls to label themselves as “fat” or “not good enough.” Why do we care if our thighs touch on the inside or not? Besides that, why do we feel that our beauty rides on whether or not we have an inch between our upper legs?

Thigh gaps are the newest unhealthy female obsession.
Image from stephaniebe.wordpress.com

There are a lot of questions there I can’t answer. But I think they still need to be asked, because it’s frightening to me how many females have an unhealthy obsession with being thin. And it’s not usually an obsession that blossoms from wanting to be healthy. It blossoms from wanting to feel beautiful and be thinner than other girls—no matter what it takes.

And with the rise of social media, the thigh gap has found its way into fashion and pop culture, and “thinspiration” blogs are garnering more support than ever. Females with seriously unhealthy habits have found support and community like never before through sites like Tumblr.

“It’s easier when you have people supporting any unhealthy habits you have,” said HuffPost’s Associate Lifestyle Editor, Carolyn Gregoire. “Whether it’s smoking or trying to become a really unhealthy weight, a lot of girls use Tumblr to connect with each other… and it really adds fuel to the fire of an unhealthy mentality.”

“We’re seeing a lot of these ‘thinspo’ photos as street style or ‘real girls,’” she said. “There’s this community of women who have this style and ‘thinspo’ is a part of that. You have to be really skinny to wear these clothes and be a part of this fashion blogosphere.”

For some women, like supermodels and movie stars, their bodies' imperfections are constantly being criticized. They must be in top physical shape as part of their job description—and those who fall outside that ideal body size and shape face scrutiny for it. Adele, Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence have all been called fat (as if!) for falling above the line, while the media and public have speculated on whether Miley Cyrus, Keira Knightley and others are too skinny.

We are all unique and beautiful, thigh gap or no thigh gap.
Image from fitisafeministissue.wordpress.com

Keira Knightly put it succinctly when she talked to People in 2006. “Hollywood is all about the way you look, and I don’t think that’s the healthy thing for anyone,” she said. “But if you’re strong and comfortable with yourself, then you’re going to be fine.”

Let's all be strong and comfortable with ourselves.

There are many different sizes and shapes of women in this world—and I would argue that everyone is beautiful in their own way. It’s not fair or logical to hold ourselves to one standard of beauty—such as the thigh gap—when we are surrounded by all this diversity. We are each unique individuals, and while a thigh gap may come naturally for those with frames like Knightley’s, it might not come naturally (or healthily) to others. Above all, let’s be sure that we’re staying healthy, that we love ourselves and our bodies (even if we want to make some changes), and that we’re attaining our goals in a healthy way.

Recognizing Anorexia Nervosa

I read an article today that made me incredibly sad. It was about a six-year-old little girl named Sophie, who developed anorexia in kindergarten. Kindergarten. She started restricting her portions of food more and more, exercised compulsively on the monkey bars, and even began throwing away her lunch and snacks at school.

And because the beginning stages of anorexia nervosa are not immediately physically apparent, no one knew. “She was slim, but not skeletal,” recalls her mother.

Be kind to your body. You'll only have one.

One night, Sophie told her mother about her problem, telling her, “Mommy, I have a problem… I am hungry all the time and I can’t eat. A voice in my head is telling me not to eat.” She was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in the first grade, after not gaining weight for ten months straight and dropping from the 60^th percentile to the 19^th percentile for her weight.

Sophie is eight now, and is doing well. Her parents got her treatment from a specialty center and continually monitor her eating at home and school. Sophie was also diagnosed with mild obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety.

I’ve always thought of anorexia as a mostly society driven problem; I knew that there was a psychological component to eating disorders, but I never realized that sometimes they can manifest without the individual even really understanding what’s going on. Sophie, at six, didn’t know why she felt she couldn’t eat.

Many people believe that eating disorders are a choice for individuals… but the truth is, I think it’s less of a choice than we realize. Anorexics can realize what’s going on, can fear for their life, can see that what they’re doing to themselves is wrong—but they can’t always stop doing it. And as a society, I think we could be a lot better at understanding that and being more supportive to those who suffer from eating disorders.

The girl with the eating disorder is often the last to know she is ill.
Becoming the new feminine ideal requires just the right combination of insecurity, exercise and anorexia.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 10 million Americans suffer from eating disorders, which have the highest mortality rate of any other psychiatric illness. But despite this, the thinspiration movement continues to grow online, promoting eating disorders as a way of life.

Anorexia isn’t always immediately visible to us, especially at the beginning. Many individuals who suffer from anorexia may never look like that skeletal image we hold in our minds, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Here are some of the behavioral signs and symptoms of anorexia:

• Obsession with food, weight, calories, dieting, or exercise
• Constant anxiety of gaining weight or being fat even when healthy or losing weight
• Refusal to eat with or around others
• Extremely self critical, anxious, depressed, or irritable. Is a perfectionist
• Self worth is determined by appearance and weight, loss of desire to engage in social relationships or activities

"You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed.
And you are beautiful."
Image from Tumblr.com

I am certainly someone that values eating healthy, exercising, and generally being aware of overall health—but I hope that I’ve never given the impression that thinner is better, no matter the cost. Because it isn’t. We were all made differently, and more important than being “thin” or “skinny” is being healthy and happy.

Love yourself. Love your body—and be nice to it. You only get one.