"Om" your way to better body image

I don't know about you, but when I emerge from my Sunday afternoon power yoga class, I always feel emtoionally cleansed and physically invigorated. Even though I can't do a headstand to save my life, the 90-minute session makes me feel strong and proud of what my bod can do.

As it turns out, I'm on to something. Beverly Price, RD, a Michigan-based exercise physiologist and Registered Yoga Teacher, is nationally recognized for approaching body image/ED problems with both nutrition counseling and yoga. I actually met Beverly over a year ago when, after reading Locker Room Diaries, she contacted me and we met for tea at a local Starbucks. Warm, open and full of energy, she explained some of research and theories to me and I was really intrigued.

She recently reached out again to let me know about a new program she's spearheading called Reconnect With Food and I wanted to tell you about it. Read on for our e-interview! Make sure to check out her suggestion for a yoga position we can all try to feel happier and healthier.

How are our mind and body disconnected when it comes to food?

"The dieting industry has reduced our food supply to fat grams, calories, units, and numbers versus wholesome and nutritional choices. Our culture has become so obsessed with the latest and greatest diet, that individuals have lost the innate ability to choose foods in their highest good. So many individuals rely on a piece of paper—a menu or “meal plan” to solve their deepest emotional attachments. Individuals turn towards or away from food to numb painful emotions. Over the decades, the pendulum has swung from low-fat to high-protein instead of a middle ground of balanced choices...your body has a built-in sensor that knows what kinds of nutrients you are eating. When you feed your body natural, wholesome foods, its needs are satisfied. When you feed your body processed foods and other fat-free junk, it doesn’t sense any nutrients coming in. It then urges you to continue eating and you cannot stay in touch with true hunger and fullness signals. If you can become aware of these innate signals, then you can rely on yourself to make connected choices versus relying on an external source to determine when to start and when to stop eating."

Where does yoga come into play?

"Yoga has many parallels and metaphors such as:

* Delaying of "impulse control"-- the ability to feel an urge and delay acting on it, especially when individuals are in yoga poses that are intense or awkward. Individuals learn to tolerate uncomfortable emotional states without running to grab food that they are not hungry for.

* Individuals begin to enjoy their body for the first time. Teachers encourage those who have focused solely on their body’s outer appearance to notice inner qualities instead. In yoga, students are encouraged to let go of competition with themselves and others.

* For many people, part of maintaining weight loss is learning to tune in to the body's subtle signals of hunger and satiety. Eating only when hungry and stopping when the body is satisfied will result in the body slowly returning to its natural set point weight. However, most people who have attempted to control their weight through dieting are too fearful to allow themselves to decide when and how much to eat. They literally don't trust their bodies. Yoga can help those with eating disorders or disordered eating trust their bodies.

* The physical discomfort of overeating becomes more obvious, as yoga creates an awareness that makes all sensations more apparent. This can make it easier for eating disordered individuals to choose to stop eating before the point of physical discomfort.

* Yoga teaches mindfulness. To truly enjoy a food, one must eat it mindfully, paying attention to its taste, texture, and other sensual qualities. Eating a small amount of food mindfully is much more satisfying than eating lots of food without paying attention."

Can you tell us a bit about your own struggles with food and body image? How did this impact your decision to work in the mind-body arena?

"Throughout my eating disorder career, I went from anorexia to bulimia to binge eating—yep—I did it all. In the short time that I spent in conventional therapy post-college, I learned that I could talk my way out of feeling. In yoga, I learned how to get in touch with what was deep inside. Through yoga through the study of Kabbalah and Essence Repatterning, I was able to heal on a soul level. Through much inner work, I learned that my relationship with food paralleled so many other relationships in my life—money, relationships with others, work, etc.

My interest in nutrition actually stemmed from my competitive swimming days and wanting to open up a practice in sports nutrition. I wanted to be as far away from “eating disordered patients” as possible as they struck a nerve. For a long time, I was in denial about my eating disorder. The more I shunned this population, the more they came to my practice in droves. I never felt that I was truly helping others until I went through Yoga Teacher Training and began to apply my yoga teaching to eating disorder recovery. I found that yoga was the 'missing link' to eating disorder recovery."

"Incorporating yoga into my private nutrition practice encompasses not just yoga postures but the philosophy and ancient teachings of yoga. I developed the Reconnect with Food programs, for individuals and groups, as a systematic way of healing mind, body and soul—the element that is missing from most recovery programs. My recent DVD, to be released mid to late February--Reconnect with Food …unplugged, offers an hour of yoga incorporating storytelling and metaphors, coupled with a group discussion of 'real' participants from my practice who share their parallels with food and its relationship with so many of their struggles in life. Viewers can practice the yoga flow on the screen, while taking notes during discussion. By participating in this DVD, viewers can uncover their attachments and learn what they are truly “hungry” for in life. Most importantly, my clients—whether local or long distance telephone clients—know that I am real. I have been there, done that and am a survivor. And, my clients know that there is no end point to recovery as in conventional therapy. Recovery, just like yoga, is an infinite journey. Through much inner work, I learned that my relationship with food paralleled so many other relationships in my life-money, relationships with others, work, etc. I now have a healthy relationship with food."

Can you offer Weighting Game readers a special pose we might try to get in touch with our feelings about our body?

YOGA POSE TO HELP PROMOTE CHANGE FROM WITHIN-- Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

• Lie face down with your forehead against the floor. Gently fold your legs toward your hands as you reach back to grasp each ankle with the corresponding hand. Your knees and feet are apart.
• Inhale and raise your head, chest, and thighs, arching your back and stretching up. Keep your elbows straight. Press your legs into your hands, lifting the lower half of the body, while arching up with your head, neck and chest. You are balancing on your abdomen.
• Open your chest, relax the muscles along your spine, and look up.
• Keep an awareness of lengthening your spine and abdominal area. Continue for 15 - 20 seconds.

Namaste.

Comments

WOW - I learned a lot by reading this article. Our bodies and minds are connected and the more we pay attention "mindfullness" the healthier our eating choices become.

A lightbult went off for me when Beverly talked about eating healthy whole foods vs. processed foods and what our minds "think" we need. Empty calories are just that ... empty. This is an important area to consider thinking about children and the food they consume - or don't consume on a daily basis.