“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” -B.K.S. Iyengar
Sometimes people try to find answers in different places or in other people, when in fact the answer is always been inside you. People that suffer from eating disorders are often people that go through destructive thoughts in their minds all the time. Nowadays, the statistics of people struggling with eating disorders has increased by an incredible percentage, and the numbers keep rising year by year. Eight million people in United States have an eating disorder—seven million are women and one million are men. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness according to the Southern California Department of Mental Illness (SCDM).
You may be thinking …. What does this have to do with yoga? I was trying to find a solution for my eating disorder, and after researching and analyzing all of my options, I came to the conclusion that I can not afford a psychologist each week, but I can afford yoga classes, which is very similar to a personal therapist. After having my first class, I had flashbacks of the old days when I took my in-patient treatment in Mexico. The music and the breathing exercise made me feel good and my mind was blanked out until I reached peace. That blank moment in my life made everything worthwhile.
Eating disorders can be treated through calmness and a peaceful mind. With the power and knowledge of meditation in yoga, people develop self-esteem within themselves, acquire true knowledge of their body, and connect their mind with their body and soul. This is the main problem with people that suffer from eating disorders.
Since I had been struggling with my bulimia, I wanted to know how it would feel for one day to not be thinking about food, how fat I am, or what can I do to slim down. That’s only possible when I am in my yoga classes. For one hour I can feel myself the way I am. Yoga gives me that feeling of peace that nothing else, not even a psychologist, can give me.
