Movement is the song of the body

-Vanda Scaravelli

Mindful movement practices are an integral part of recovery. The body cannot heal unless we lean into it, listen to it, attend it its needs. Movement is a sacred act to celebrate the recovering body. Integrated Eating provides several avenues to make peace with our bodies in a safe space.

Yoga therapy combines the ancient wisdom of yoga with science to develop a therapeutic modality that promotes healing to one’s body, mind and spirit. When an individual experiences trauma on any level, this trauma gets stored in our body-in our muscles, joints, organs, facia on a deep cellular level all the way to our DNA. We respond to this type of somatic integration with body ailments, mind distortion, emotional instability and spiritual unrest. Yoga therapy uses breath, movement, mindful and meditation practices and the grounded pillars of yoga philosophy to lean into the parts of the body where traumas are stored for processing and healing.

Yoga therapy is proven to support individuals who struggle with depression, anxiety, addiction, PTSD and eating disorders.

Yoga, when applied therapeutically to individuals with eating disorders:

• Increase body responsiveness

• Aid in body acceptance

• Reduce disordered eating thoughts and tendencies

• Decreases cortisol

• Decreases osteoporosis

• Facilitate compassion

• Strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system response promotion calm

Integrated Eating incorporates Inner wisdom practices with  Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. This Rogerian steeped practice is client centered and non prescriptive.  Practitioners provide the client with a safe space to explore physical sensations, thoughts and emotions, and foster deep trust for the body’s guidance. Through the process of awareness and discernment, clients have the opportunity to become present to the realities of their body, minds and souls and then release any old or undigested experiences, traumas, personal beliefs and out of date habits and patters. Once processed, the client can move more fully into recovery with new perspective and personal efficacy. 

Maria’s training and experience in yoga therapy has led her to develop her own unique programs such as Recovery stories and Safe Space Yoga. These yoga styles offer yoga to all bodies in a safe therapeutic environment-facilitating embodiment of the recovery process. Individual, class and group experiences are done with eyes closed to foster an inner focus as well as to work with body image concerns of our clients.

• Yoga therapy can be done individually in 60 and 90 minute sessions

• In a class setting

• In a facilitated group setting. 

See what clients have said about yoga therapy at Integrated Eating!

"Yoga therapy with Maria is totally different than anything I've ever done before. It was like therapy and movement at the same time. It was one of the first times where I started to trust my body again."

“Overall, I think that the yoga therapy session was extraordinarily powerful and was very much aligned with the IFS (internal family systems) work that I am doing with my therapist, which I really like.  I found it to be a very intuitive, very centered, self-oriented practice that somehow seemed to pull emotions out of me that I think are harder to get through via traditional therapy.  I felt that in a way, I was being led by a power that I was fully in control of but yet, it powered and led my experience.  I felt one with my feelings yet they were being exposed in a manner that was raw, unadulterated and real.”

Sit, Stay, Heal: Integrated Eating’s exclusive program to rehabilitate individuals with chronic, obsessive and compulsive exercise issues. In addition to yoga therapy, Integrated Eating provides RecoverED movement practices.

Mindful Movement with Maria Video Blog Series