Our obstacles are our greatest teachers

Through mindfulness yoga, our patients with eating disorders can grow and transform. In yoga for eating disorders,  clients often find themselves in physically uncomfortable yoga postures-a metaphor for the uncomfortable emotional situations one may need to endure to grow and transform. Challenges and obstacles are life’s greatest teachers-both on and off the yoga mat.

From the outside looking in, change my seem easy. However, change implies a forced state of being, with often short term results.Change often works from the outside in. Transformation works from the inside – out. It heals on a much deeper level, through exploring what is going on emotionally and spiritually. It feels right–not forced. You work at your own stage of readiness vs. that of your healthcare provider.

Your client's yoga mat is an excellent teacher and metaphor for transformation. Holding uncomfortable postures and experiencing the edge is a dynamic way to move your clients to change from the outside-in. The meditative aspects of mindfulness yoga can help your client go inside to discern what feels right for them at any given moment. The message from you give your client through a yoga session can be heard on a deep, connective tissue level.