"Overeating is not about the food": women describe their experience of a yoga treatment program for binge eating.

As part of a larger mixed-methods study, data from 20 personal journals were analyzed to examine the experience of a 12-week yoga treatment program for binge eating among a sample of 25 women who were obese. Qualitative analysis revealed a positive shift experienced by the women during the program, summarized by a general structural description: disconnection versus connection. Women's comments suggested that the program appeared to encourage a healthy reconnection to food, as well as the development of physical self-empowerment, through cultivating present-moment awareness. Specifically, women perceived an overall reduction in the quantity of food they consumed, decreased eating speed, and an improvement in food choices throughout the program. The women also reported feeling more connected to and positive about their physical well-being. These evolving outcomes were summarized through two major themes: the way their physicality changed, and the way their food consumption changed over time. Findings provide insights relevant to therapeutic processes that might occur within eating disorder interventions that draw on meditation-based approaches.

Yoga as a treatment for binge eating disorder: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of a 12-week yoga program aimed at reducing binge eating severity. DESIGN: A randomised trial was undertaken assigning participants to yoga (n=45) or wait-list control (n=45) groups. Of these, 25 in each group were analysed. PARTICIPANTS: A community-based sample of women between 25 and 63 years of age who identified with diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder (BED) and a BMI>25 were recruited for the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Secondary outcomes comprised measures for BMI, hips and waist. RESULTS: For the yoga group, self-reported reductions in binge eating and increases in physical activity were statistically significant. Small yet statistically significant reductions for BMI, hips and waist measurement were obtained. The wait-list control group did not improve significantly on any measures. CONCLUSION: In conjunction with formal weekly sessions, home-based yoga programs are potentially efficacious for the treatment of binge eating.