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Hatha Yoga as Adjunct for Eating Disorders Treatment
June 6, 2016 by Gretchen Newmark, MA, RDN
Hatha yoga, once the province of Indian yogis and ‘60’s hippies, has become mainstream. It is offered in most gyms and Y’s, as well as in yoga centers, many of which have sprung up in the last few years. Yoga is Sanskrit for “union.” Union can be seen as balancing the active-alert and quiet-relaxed states of body/mind, and, in Western culture, where we see the body and mind as separate, bringing the experience of mind and body into one.
Intuitive Eating, What Does That Mean?
May 26, 2016 by Gretchen Newmark, MA, RDN
Intuitive Eating
My journey into intuitive eating was both a personal and professional one. In my 20’s I experienced the spectrum of eating disorders: had I been seen by a trained professional, I would have been diagnosed first with anorexia nervosa, then eventually bulimia, and finally binge eating disorder. Neither of the latter two of these conditions even had names, much less people skilled to treat them. I had to find my way out on my own in a process of trial and mostly error. Looking back, what guided me to freedom from that morass was a combination of yoga, meditation, the principles of Gestalt therapy, and a book, Fat is a Feminist Issue by Susie Orbach. (1) It contained the seeds of what now is called intuitive or mindful eating.
Hatha Yoga for Eating Disorders
May 26, 2016 by Gretchen Newmark, MA, RDN
Hatha Yoga for People with Eating Disorders
By Gretchen Rose Newmark, MA, RD, LD
Hatha yoga has become popular, available in many places such as gyms and work settings, as well as more traditional yoga centers. You might find it useful as you recover from an eating disorder. If you want to try yoga, or are doing it now, here is how to find quality instruction and the types of yoga that are more helpful with eating disorder recovery.