In this month’s blog series on yoga therapy and inclusive eating disorder recovery, Niya Bajaj investigates the impact of systemic exclusion on eating disorder recovery. She educates about how we can apply the niyama of tapas (TAH-pahs) to make systems more inclusive. Niya offers practical suggestions for how researchers, care providers, and individuals seeking care can practice tapas to build systems that are more inclusive.

In our latest blog series on yoga therapy and inclusive eating disorder recovery, Niya Bajaj investigates how gender identity impacts eating disorder recovery, and explains why yoga therapy —specifically the practice of pratyahara—can help support a more inclusive eating disorder recovery for transgender, non-binary and agender individuals.

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.

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.