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Related to this post (To the big girl) I found some fascinating research on body image satisfaction and yoga. Yoga is very inwardly focused practice in which you discover your muscles and bone structure and may go even deeper into physical body awareness. It’s more about looking at yourself from the inside than from the outside. Okay, that sounds a little weird.
In a fascinating research study Mary Flaherty tested the body image satisfaction of yogis against men who did aerobic and weight training exercises. It seems that yogis have a better body image satisfaction to begin with and that regular yoga practice may further improve body satisfaction.
As for the girls, Daubenmier (2005) tested bodily sensations, self-objectification, body satisfaction, and disordered eating attitudes and found that yoga practitioners perform better on all measures. Well, we’re not surprised. In another study Impett, Daubenmier & Hirschman (2006) found that a more frequent yoga practice was associated with increased body awareness, positive affect, and satisfaction with life, as well as decreased negative affect (hey – in this study they actually used students of Anusara Yoga and mention my teacher Katchie Ananda…). But I am beginning to repeat myself…
I’m not going to tell you to ditch that diet and cancel the gym. But if you really want to be satisfied with your body: do yoga! You may not end up looking like this year’s hottest model, but you will feel like you own your world.
References:
Daubenmier, J. J. (2005). The Relationship Of Yoga, Body Awareness, And Body Responsiveness To Self-Objectification And Disordered Eating. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 29(2), 207-219.
Flaherty, Mary. (2014). Influence of yoga on body image satisfaction in men. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 119(1), 203.
Impett, E. A., Daubenmier, J. J., & Hirschman, A. L. (2006). Minding the body: Yoga, embodiment, and well-being. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, 3(4), 39-48. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2006.3.4.39
