Online Course

Eating Disorders: How Yoga Supports Prevention and Recovery

This course will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to use yoga safely and effectively to support students facing eating disorders.

Eating disorders affect 70 million people worldwide—more than the populations of Canada and Australia combined. These serious illnesses, including Anorexia Nervosa, which claims one life every 62 minutes, are often invisible and life-threatening. Research shows yoga can support both prevention and recovery by fostering mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-compassion. But it also carries risks, especially for those in acute stages, where illness isn’t always visible.

Course Content

  • Welcome to the Course

    1. Introduction to the Course

    2. Welcome to the Course

    3. Meet Chelsea, Your Course Leader

    4. What you can expect from this course

  • Eating Disorders 101

    1. Introduction

    2. Beginning the Conversation: Myths About Eating Disorders

    3. What Do We Mean By the Term Eating Disorder?

    4. Clinical Diagnoses: What are the Types of Eating Disorders?

    5. Biological Causes: Genetics and Endocrine Factors

    6. Psychological Causes: Trauma and ACEs

    7. Social Causes: Family, Sports, and Cultural Norms

    8. Eating Disorders Across the Gender Spectrum

    9. Eating Disorders in Racial and Ethnic Minorities

  • How Yoga Supports Prevention and Recovery

    1. Introduction

    2. How Yoga Can Help Students with Eating Disorders

    3. What is Interoception, and How Does it Support Recovery?

    4. How to Incorporate Interoception in Your Classes

    5. Demonstration: How to Lead the Interoceptive Meditation

    6. What is Embodied Self Regulation, and How Does it Support Recovery?

    7. How to Teach Embodied Self Regulation in Your Classes

    8. Demonstration: Grounding, Orienting, and Resourcing

    9. Compassion: Replacing Self-Harm with Self-Care

    10. How to Incorporate Self-Compassion in Your Classes

    11. Demonstration: Self-Compassion Meditation

  • Risks and Best Practices for Teaching Students with Eating Disorders

    1. Introduction

    2. Risks and Best Practices for Working with Students with Eating Disorders

    3. Cardiovascular Complications in Eating Disorders

    4. Suicide and Non-Suicidal Self-Harm

    5. Risk Assessment and Scope of Practice

    6. Crisis Intervention and How to Refer to Treatment

    7. Speaking to a Student You're Concerned About

    8. Next Steps and How to Get Involved with Eat Breathe Thrive

    9. Recommended Courses and Free Resources

    10. How to Get Continuing Education Credits for this Course

34 lessons, 4 hours of video content

Meet the Instructor

Chelsea Roff, C-IAYT, is the Founder and Director of Eat Breathe Thrive, a nonprofit organization that helps people overcome eating disorders. A yoga therapist, educator, and research collaborator, she has spent the better part of a decade working to make integrative health programmes available to people with mental illness. Prior to her work in the charitable sector, Chelsea worked as a researcher in psychoneuroimmunology, with a focus on yoga as a complementary treatment for breast cancer and HIV/AIDS. She is currently overseeing a research initiative, which includes two randomized controlled trials, on a manualized yoga program for eating disorder recovery.