Guest contributor Isabelle Gillibrand admits that she started practicing yoga to lose weight. Now, looking back on her own journey as well as how yoga is often marketed for weight loss, Isabelle is calling out why this is a problem and reminds us that, “Yoga is meant to celebrate you and your journey - not be a punisher.”

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 culture we are raised in provides the lens that determines what is beautiful and influences our body image. Guest contributor Niya Bajaj explores how the philosophical principles of yoga, or the niyamas, are guides for both addressing biases and definitions of beauty and healing body dissatisfaction. She offers practical suggestions for how to apply the niyamas to address eating disorders in a truly inclusive way, beyond the limitations of personal and cultural biases.