"This is the only hour in my week when I dont think about my weight," a girl with a severe eating disorder told researchers.

She was referring to her yoga class.

The girl was one of 50 adolescents (ages 11 to 16 years old) with anorexia, bulimia, or some other eating disorder who were involved in a study about the effects of yoga.

• Half of the students had been hospitalized for their eating disorder, and all were enrolled in a treatment program at Seattle Childrens Hospital.
• Dr. Rain Carel had 25 of the teenagers participate in yoga classes for two months.
  
• While the activity had no effect on their weight, taking the classes reduced their obsessive concerns about weight, food preoccupation, and other measures.
  

This study appeared in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Labels: treatment, yoga, exercise

Posted By: Aspen/CRC