Yoga and Eating…

I was reading the blog at Yoga Journal and saw a post stating that beginning a yoga practice has been shown to help teens with eating disorders. This is according to a recent study quoted in Time Magazine. The Time article sums up by quoting the researchers, who “suspect that yoga may help by reducing the obsessive concern about weight associated with eating disorders. They write, ‘Food preoccupation may be reduced by focusing attention on yoga poses.”

IMO this misses the point. If “focusing attention on yoga poses” is all that is required, then focusing attention on Sudoku or knitting should work just as well. To me, a major point of yoga is that it makes me feel more connected to my body and appreciative of my body as it develops in strength and flexibility. In addition, many yoga poses are specifically geared toward balancing the body’s glandular system and I could add that yoga can have psycho-spiritual benefits as well that might relieve an over-concern with food or appearance.

I enjoyed the article because it made me realize I have been neglecting yoga in favor of activities that burn more calories, but Yoga has intangible benefits that may outweigh its actual calorie burn. I will have to add more yoga to my rotation.