Starting Yoga

I have decided that I am going to start doing yoga which is held each Wednesday night in the school gym. It only started last week and I was talkinng to the lady that takes it and she said that she would be more than happy for me to come. I told her that I have ligamentous laxity (so I am super flexible) but she seems to think that it is ok for me to do yoga as long as I don't over stretch my body and as long as I focus on holding poses and controlling my movements carefully.

In fact it should help me alot as it will help me to build up the muscles around my joints so that they can support my joints in the ways that my ligaments fail to. I think that yoga is also a fantastic sport to start participating in as it can help me rebuild all of the muscle that I lost through my anorexia, without exerting myself too much. Afterall, I want to reach a healthy weight by gaining back some of my muscle as well as just fat. I know that I need to have some fat on my body too but I obviously don't want to just have all fat.

So I am going to ring the yoga instructor and let her know that I am going to be there Wednesday night. I work at the supermarket Wednesdays anyway and finish work at 5:45 so it will be perfect as Yoga starts at 6pm. I am excited to be doing this as I do not only think it will be good for my body but also for my mind too. And it will be a great way to get out in the community and meet new people and spend time with those I already know.

I found the following article online which talks about how yoga can help a person to
recover from anorexia.

Research shows yoga helps eating disorder recovery

Interestingly, despite the growing numbers in terms of eating disorders in our nation, very little is actually known in regards to how they form, and what causes relapses in sufferers. Researchers led by Lourdes P. Dale from the University of Hartford determined to discover alternate healing for eating disorder recovery as it was noted that many of the traditional healing techniques failed at focusing on the emotional and body awareness aspects of eating disorders. 

The study involved a 6-week yoga workshop incorporating women with a history of eating disorders. The results were reported that the women who attended the workshop were better at identifying their emotional states, being aware of their emotional states, and found themselves more capable of handling their mood fluctuations. There was also a significant drop in the level of eating concerns for this particular group of women, and these positive outcomes carried on even after the workshop was complete.

Yoga practice focuses on deep breathing, mindfulness, and attention to how the body is working. It literally allows you to take your attention off of the matters surrounding you, and forces you to only think of the matters at hand, the person struggling with an disorder is thus allowed to redirect all their pain, and energy into the mat itself. Peaceful meditation allows for the re-centering of the thought processes, and the poses provide the strength of the body and redirection in the flow of the bodies energy. All positive, and necessary benefits in terms of eating disorder healing. 

The biggest challenge in any form of recovery, is taking the first step. It is literally mind over matter and a clarity will suddenly strike the sufferer that says, “I will no longer let this control my life. I am in control.” And when that clarity finally hits them, they will be ready to begin the healing process. Yoga can be there to guide them through to full, and lasting recovery.

http://www.evolationyoga.com/yoga-eating-disorder-recovery/

Here is also a video which I found from someone who strongly believes that yoga can make a wonderful difference to a person recovering from anorexia.

https://youtu.be/khB79zfC0hU

So if you think yoga might help you to recover, give it a go. I will let you know how it goes for me on Wednesday night. :)