It is not often that young people are given the chance, much less encouraged, to reflect kindly or positively on their bodies.  The Center for Eating Disorders’ Love Your Tree poster campaign creates this opportunity by inviting all of Maryland’s middle school, high school, and college students to create a poster that celebrates their body and promotes a positive dialogue about the diversity of beauty.The Love Your Tree poster campaign was developed three years ago by The Center’s senior art therapist, Julia Andersen.  She adapted the concept from a play written by Eve Ensler in which she travels the world and talks with different people about how we view our bodies.  One of those people is Leah, a Masai woman in Africa who is puzzled by Ensler’s negative attitude toward her own body.  In the play, Leah says:

“Eve, look at that tree? Do you see that tree? Now, look at that tree (pointing to another one). Do you like that tree? Do you hate that tree ’cause it doesn’t look like that tree? Do you say that tree isn’t pretty cause it doesn’t look like that tree? We’re all trees. You’re a tree. I’m a tree. You’ve got to love your body, Eve. You’ve got to love your tree.” (excerpt from The Good Body, 2004 by Eve Ensler).

The ‘Call for Posters’ encourages participants to respond to the phrase “Like a tree, my body is…” by creating a 2-dimensional design that celebrates their body and conveys a positive message about body image.  Please be sure to submit a completed Registration Form and artist statement when you submit your poster design.

The 3^rd annual Love Your Tree poster campaign began in September and will run through December which means students have less than one month to submit their posters!  All posters must be received by December 12^th, 2008.   Maryland teachers are also invited to get involved by working with their classes and students to submit posters.  Teachers can request a free workshop to help educate students about body image and engage them in the creation of Love Your Tree posters.  All participating students and teachers will be invited to attend the Love Your Tree reception and Poster Exhibit in February 2009.  Several artists from each age group will be recognized with awards totaling $1200. One poster will be chosen for reproduction and used by the Center for Eating Disorders’ to promote positive body image throughout the year.

Please call Kate Clemmer at (410) 427-3386 for more information about submitting a poster or to request a Love Your Tree workshop for your school or organization. Details are also available on our Events page at http://www.eatingdisorder.org/events.php

1.)  In your book, Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women, you talk about the fact that the subject of eating disorders among adult women does not get the attention it deserves. Why do you think this is?

The media perpetuates a myth: that eating disorders happen only to teenagers who want to look like fashion models. Society at large accepts that myth and doesn’t realize the older women suffer too, in fact doubly. Older women feel like two-time losers 1. Because they have an eating disorder and 2. Because they think they should know better due to age.

Finally, older women are less reluctant to seek help for the reasons above. Until recently, fewer were coming forward for treatment because they either were so embarrassed and/or did not realize they could have an eating disorder in the 40s, 50s even 70s.(The oldest women with anorexia in Lying in Weight was 92). The less that came forward, the less attention the issue received.

2)  What do you want the audience to take away from your talk at Sheppard Pratt on Oct. 5?

Anyone male or female of an ethnicity or race can get an eating disorder. But at the same given the right treatment and support, anyone can heal.

3)  What makes your talk at Sheppard Pratt relevant to everyone, not just those with disordered eating or those prone to developing eating disorders?

In only one instance have I met a woman who did not have some issue with her body size or image. Cindy Bulik’s group at the University of North Carolina found 75 percent of all American women endorse some unhealthy thoughts, feelings or behaviors related to food or their bodies. Men, particularly athletes and those involved in professions that value appearance, are joining the ranks of their female counterparts. Thus, a discussion of body image and food and exercise behaviors is relevant to a much larger group than those who have eating disorders.

4)  In your book, you say that midlife events can trigger disordered eating. What types of events are you referring to and what role do they play in developing eating disorders?

In midlife there are no less than 15 major transitions that can affect a person’s life i.e. divorce, an empty nest, menopause. Those life changes pile up in midlife, much like the physical, emotional and hormonal changes of adolescence cumulate in teenagers to cause overall tumult. The sense of everything coming apart is what prompts many latent eating disorders to ripen.

5) What advice would you give to someone who thinks they may be at risk for developing an eating disorder as a result of midlife events?

Know that you are not alone. Early statistics show that the number of women in their 40s and 50s seeking treatment have tripled and quadrupled, respectively, in the last decade.

Reach out for help. Your body is not that of a teenager and will not bounce back from unhealthy behaviors as quickly. Also, if you have children and/or loved ones, they will suffer from your lack of attention to the problem and benefit beyond words from your courage in undertaking a journey toward healing.

As part of the activities arranged by the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt to acknowledge National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, February 24 to March 1, Heather Whittington, a certified Phoenix Rising yoga therapy practitioner and meditation instructor spoke with us about the connection between eating disorders and yoga. See below for more info on yoga classes with her during NEDAW.

1. Do you think meditative and yoga therapies directly help ease the symptoms of eating disorders, like anorexia and bulimia, or do you think those disorders are inadvertently helped through the healthy self esteem that the therapies help create?

Healthy self-esteem is certainly a side-effect I encounter with both private Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy clients and meditation students. Some say it out loud, others exhibit it though their actions. While I am not a researcher (yet!), my experience is that the majority of people I work with express a change in the relationship with their body. They begin to connect with the little things that feel good, often discovering that something as simple as their breath invites an element of self-acceptance and release. I can say that I have seen people respond to this work even in their first session! It affirms my commitment to this type of work over and over again.

A 2005 study from Psychology of Women Quarterly states that people who practice yoga “reported less self-objectification, greater satisfaction with physical appearance, and fewer disordered eating attitudes compared to non-yoga practitioners.” The article goes on to say, “results suggest that not all physical activities have the same relationship to disordered eating symptoms with increased participation, and some, such as yoga, may promote better eating habits with greater practice.” Furthermore, the study found that “yoga practice is associated with greater body awareness and responsiveness, which, in turn, are associated with lower levels of trait self-objectification, greater body satisfaction, and lesser disordered eating attitudes.” The study says, and I agree, that these results “are encouraging because they suggest that yoga may be a means to reduce the internalization of a self-objectified view in girls and women.”

2. What is it about yoga that positively affects self esteem?

There is a saying that in yoga there is no right or wrong, no good or bad, no better or best. In yoga, we learn the art of not comparing, but accepting this moment and ourselves just as we are. Sure, it takes practice and willfulness. It may seem impossible at first. But if you are courageous, and ready to step out of what Tara Brach calls the “trance of unworthiness,” you will find the rewards are endless. I have seen powerful transformations - in myself - in my clients. It often starts with something as simple as enjoying your breath. Ultimately, I would say that learning to be compassionate to one’s self, and eventually others, is the essence of the practice.

3. Why is yoga more effective at helping eating disorders than other types of exercise/therapies?

I like to say that yoga is a work-in, not a work-out. The first instruction in yoga is to incorporate “present moment awareness” into your practice. This is achieved by paying attention to your breath, to body sensation.

This means pay attention to what is happening right here, right now. Consider a gym full of cardio equipment with headphones and televisions, or people reading while on the treadmill. They have little connection to their body, and in many cases do not even enjoy what they are doing! By paying attention in a yoga class, many people find out that there are things about their body they actually like! “This stretch feels good” or “Hey! I feel my breath!” or “I noticed I stopped worrying for a moment.”

They learn to slow down, to watch their thoughts, and to be more aware and take an active role in their own life.

Unlike many exercise programs, in a yoga class you are experiencing your body in a way other than visual - it is rare that you will find mirrors in a yoga studio! If you can imagine stripping away the image of an ideal, and really experience your body from the inside, you might be surprised what you will find. I have seen many first-time practitioners weep as though they just reunited with a long lost friend. In this case, the friend is their body. It is powerful.

4. Are there certain types of yoga, or specific moves, that are more (or less) beneficial than others?

This depends on the person. Yoga class is an opportunity to find balance in your life. If you are anxious, competitive or lead a fast paced life with no downtime, you will benefit from the slow pace of a gentle, restorative class. If, on the other hand, you find it challenging to get out of bed in the morning, and feel you have virtually no energy, a flowing vinyasa class may be more your style. There are gradations in between. Ultimately, find a practice that helps you achieve equilibrium, and does not add stress and anxiety to your life.

As far as specific postures, there are many schools of thought. My style of yoga is non-prescriptive, so generally I will say find the postures that make you feel connected to your body, and explore them with curiosity.

5. Is it important to go to yoga in a group (for the support) or is stay-at-home-yoga OK too?

Why pick one or the other? Here are my thoughts:

I think many people benefit from a group class because of the support and the instruction that a certified teacher is going to give. While there is no “right or wrong,” there are certainly postures where you can harm yourself through improper alignment. It also gives you a way to keep your practice going - how many times have people decided to make a positive change, only to abandon the effort a few weeks in? The support you can get from a teacher and a class is priceless.

Don’t be discouraged if the first studio you visit isn’t for you. It may take a little shopping around to get the right chemistry. Another tip - call or meet the instructor prior to class and ask questions. If you are comfortable, let them know where you are coming from. Yoga teachers and therapists are compassionate people who want to support you. Use that to your advantage. If you are not comfortable in a group, you can always seek out a private instructor or yoga therapist.

Once you learn postures and techniques in class, practice at home. You will find that you develop your own posture series just by going to class! There are some good books and DVDs out there, but often they present an idealized image - what I call “model yoga.” By combining the two venues, the benefits will increase significantly.

6. How does meditation positively affect the urges/symptoms of binge eating?

Jean Kristeller completed a study at Indiana State University that implemented a 6-week meditation group. The results showed a decrease in the frequency of binge eating, as well as a decrease in reported depression and anxiety. It seems that the compassion towards self and others, paired with a clearer connection to physiological cues, were particularly important. I am especially happy to see that the practice of “forgiveness meditation” was incorporated into the study, and a reported half of study participants found this especially helpful. When we can forgive others, and ourselves, our life really can open up. When we slow down and listen to our body - I mean really pay attention - transformation can take place.

In addition to being a yoga instructor, Heather K. Whittington is also a former executive and winner of the 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year award. She now works with corporate executives and other people who are ready to manage stress and feel fully alive. We thank her for her input on this entry. To participate in Heather’s free yoga classes during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, visit www.eatingdisorder.org/events.php or call CED at 410-938-5252.