Moving and Stretching Through Therapy

[caption id="attachment_2091" align="aligncenter" width="424"] © aerogondo – Fotolia.com[/caption] Contrary to many people’s preconceptions, therapy is so much more than talk. Together with the many examples we discussed in a previous post, yoga is a powerful healing tool for people with eating disorders and food addiction. As a gentle form of healthy movement, the practice of yoga also embodies many therapeutic principles. Here are a few examples. For more, see How the Principles of Yoga Can Help Heal Food Issues.

• Tolerating discomfort – Yoga often moves our bodies in new ways. Learning to sit with uncomfortable physical and emotional feelings will give you the power to move through them without using food or food behaviors.
• Taking time to relax and regenerate – Getting yourself to a yoga class is something to celebrate, because it means you gave yourself the gift of self-compassion and self-care. Instead of feeling intimidated by silence and stillness as they compete with your busy mind, let it all go and give your body and mind the break they need.
• Being grounded – So much of the torment of an eating disorder happens in the mind. Becoming more conscious of the ground beneath your feet can help you feel a sense of support and connection to the earth and nature.

Yoga-based therapy takes the benefits of yoga one step further, with a trained therapist who will incorporate therapeutic elements into the class. It is suitable for people of all shapes and sizes – all you need is an open mind (learn more about what to expect at a yoga-based therapy group). While there are many types of yoga, yoga-based therapy relies on forms such as restorative yoga, yoga nidra, and yin yoga. For more information, please see this earlier post for an overview of yoga-based therapy. It explains how it is used in recovery from eating disorders and food addiction, as well as alcohol and drug addiction. If talk therapy is not what you want at this time in your life, perhaps yoga-based therapy can open the channels of communication within.