1. Linda Nurkkala

2.  Therapeutic social work  Yoga  Group work with adolescents, children, different kind of specific groups like mothers with substance abuse problem etc.  Women’s studies, especially social works perspective  Eating disorder treatment

3.  Ancient Indian practice  Physical harmony & health  Mental balance & peace  Goal is to get the mind and the body work as a solid unit  In Yoga, the body is treated with care and respect

4.  Extremely complicated physical and mental illnesses  The precise cause of eating disorders is not entirely understood  Poor prognosis, only 50% recover  Examples: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge eating disorder, Eating disorders not otherwise specified, Orthorexia nervosa etc.  Usually person with Eating disorder suffers also from anxiety, depression, food preoccupation, body dysmorphic disorder (altering the way a person sees themselves)  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

5.  Self-objectification is related to symptoms of disordered eating and it may play a role in the development process  Theory of mental risks women face as a result of sexual objectification  Women are socialized to view themselves as objects of evaluation  Self-consciousness  Body-as-object vs. body-as-process  How do I look? vs. How do I feel?  Diminished awareness of internal states  Sports?

6.  According to Jennifer Daubenmier yoga, a mind-body exercise, could offer effective healing to self-objectification.  Robin Boudette argues: “Yoga introduces many patients to a new sensation: relaxation. Patients often report that the combination of yoga postures (asanas) followed by relaxation (savasana) creates a deep sense of peace and freedom they have never before experienced  Clinical studies, North American psychotherapists

7.  Yoga also enables patients to experience their bodies in a new way. Living in a society that values how you look more than how you feel, eating disorder patients often relate to the body as an ornament; they suffer from a disconnection from the body, feelings, appetites, and inner experience.  There is no mirrors in an authentic yoga class  Rather than having all the senses focused on the external, awareness is tuned to internal sensations.  Where do I hold tension? How is my breathing?  Many patients become much more aware of the body for how it feels, rather than how it looks  Being in the moment, letting go of judgment, accepting personal limits  When not use yoga and careful introducing

8.  With some eating disorder patients, words are not enough. Yoga offers a non-verbal, experiential adjunct to talking therapy that provides an opportunity for connection with the physical body and the inner experience.  The process of practicing stretching and strength-building positions with relaxation, meditation and breathing techniques provides opportunities for self-awareness, reflection and change while at the same time creating inner peace.

9.  Daubenmier, J. (2005). The relationship of yoga, body awareness, and body responsiveness to self-objectification and disordered eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 2.  Carei, T., Fyfe-Johnson, A., Breuner, C., Brown, M. (2009). Randomized controlled clinical trial of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46, 4.  Boudette, R. (2006). Question & answer: yoga in the treatment of disoredered eating and body image disturbance. How can practice of yoga be helpful in recovery from an eating disorder? Eating Disorders. Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Retrieved from http://www.bodypsychyoga.com/Downloads/How%20Can%20Yoga%20be% 20Helpful%20in%20Recovery%20from%20an%20Eati