In her final blog of our 12-month series, Niya Bajaj explores how the experiences of systemic exclusion and the power imbalance in healthcare systems impact how people seek help for eating disorders, and how yoga therapy can support inclusive recovery. 

Guest contributor Isabelle Gillibrand shares how embracing an anti-diet mindset is a practice of the yoga concept of ahimsa, which means nonviolence or kindness. By including aspects of her own story as well as current research, Isabelle discusses components of the wellness industry that are harmful and seeks to help people live their yoga in all aspects of their lives, including in their relationship with their body, food, and health.

The representation of who is affected by eating disorders is changing in blog posts and on social media to depict more gender, socioeconomic, racial, and sexual diversity. As guest contributor Niya Bajaj points out, “this increase in representation is not the same as inclusion” and asks: “How can yoga, beyond the mindful movement practice, help us address eating disorders in a truly inclusive way?” Learn how the ethical principles of yoga, or the yamas, are guides for removing barriers and biases that discriminate and for creating true inclusion for all by including systemically excluded populations in the eating disorder community.