​Ep 5. Orthorexia in Yoga Teachers with Amy Reich

​Research and experience tells us that in yoga teachers and practitioners, orthorexia may be the norm, rather than the exception. Check out this interview with Amy Reich, MS, RYT, Community Nutritionist, Health Education Program Consultant, Intuitive Eating Counselor (in process), and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500).

In this episode:

• Food rules in yoga and wellness circles
• That moment when Amy was holding a can of beans thinking, “I can’t eat this!” - and she realised something was up
• How becoming a mum tipped the scales towards Amy’s recovery from orthorexia
• The study that showed 86% (yes, you read that right) of yoga teachers have orthorexic tendencies
• People come to yoga classes and teacher trainings with wounds
• Yoga teachers can be well-meaning and still disseminate dangerous nutrition advice to susceptible people
• When “everyone thinks they’re a nutrition expert” and the industry is not regulated
• Crazy shit yoga gurus tell their students about food: The Rajasic Girls in my first yoga teacher training, and coming back as a cockroach in your next life if you eat the wrong foods (WTF!)
• Intuitive eating for yogis to prevent disordered eating
• Self-compassion in orthorexia recovery
• “Your tissues hold your issues” - partaking in psychological therapy as part of a yoga teacher training
• Weird stuff that becomes normalised in yoga bubbles
• Accessibility and social justice issues – how can we make our yoga and nutrition services accessible and sustainable?
• Amy’s professional education journey, from health coach to masters degree in nutrition
• “Sugar free” mania in parents, and raising kids who are competent, intuitive eaters

Links:
Where to find Amy:
www.curatednutrition.com and www.SOSStressRelief.com
Amy’s personal website, including art and music: www.amyreich.com
Facebook: Amy Reich - Curated Nutrition and Health Promotion

Resources mentioned:
Valera et al. (2014) Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa among ashtanga yoga practitioners: a pilot study. Eat Weight Disord. 2014 Dec;19(4):469-72.
“Everyone’s a Nutrition Expert” by Tara Leong
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

Learning opportunities:
Social justice and accessibility in yoga 
​www.yogaalliance.org/New_RYS_Standards/The_Ethical_Commitment
Dianne Bondy https://diannebondyyoga.com
Lucy Aphramor https://lucyaphramor.com
Body Positive Australia www.bodypositiveaustralia.com.au
Trauma-informed yoga http://collectiveresilienceyoga.com

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