Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T08:34:46.437Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - Mindful Self-Care and Positive Body Image

Mindfulness, Yoga, and Actionable Tools for Positive Embodiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2018

By
Catherine Cook-Cottone
Edited by
Elizabeth A. Daniels ,
Meghan M. Gillen  and
Charlotte H. Markey
Elizabeth A. Daniels
Affiliation:
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Meghan M. Gillen
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
Charlotte H. Markey
Affiliation:
Rutgers University, New Jersey
Get access

Summary

This chapter defines and describes an embodied pathway to positive body image. Building on the work of Drs. Niva Piran and Tracy Tylka, positive body image is defined as multifaceted, stable, malleable, and protective. Case examples are offered to provide lived experiences of an individual being as a body compared to living in dysregulation and objectification. Positive embodiment is detailed using philosophical theory and empirical work addressing both developmental and societal influences. Mindful self-care is introduced as an antidote to societal pressures and as an actionable set of tools to cultivate positive embodiment. This practice is detailed and an assessment process is explicated. Last, yoga is offered and described as a specific example of how mindful self-care and practice can shift one’s individual relationship with the body.
Type
Chapter
Information
Body Positive
Understanding and Improving Body Image in Science and Practice
 , pp. 135 - 159
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benelam, B., & Wyness, L. (2010). Hydration and health: A review. Nutrition Bulletin, 35, 3–25. doi:10.1111/j.1467–3010.2009.01795.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beydoun, M. A. (2014). The interplay of gender, mood, and stress hormones in the association between emotional eating and dietary behavior. The Journal of Nutrition, 144, 1139–1141. doi:10.3945/jn.114.196717CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Braun, T. D., Park, C. L., & Gorin, A. (2016). Self-compassion, body image, and disordered eating: A review of the literature. Body Image, 17 , 117–131. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.03.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, R. P., & Gerbarg, P. L. (2015). Nutrients, phytomedicines, and mind–body treatments for substance abuse. In Bruwn, R. P. & Gerbarg, P. L. (Eds.), Textbook of addiction treatment: International perspectives (pp. 747–772). New York: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Büssing, A., Michalsen, A., Khalsa, S. B. S., Telles, S., & Sherman, K. J. (2012). Effects of yoga on mental and physical health: A short summary of reviews. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: eCAM, 2012, 165410. doi:10.1155/2012/165410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappuccio, F. P., Cooper, D., D’Elia, L., Strazzullo, P., & Miller, M. A. (2011). Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. European Heart Journal, 32, 1484–1492. doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehr007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carei, T. R., Fyfe-Johnson, A. L., Breuner, C. C., & Brown, M. A. (2010). Randomized controlled clinical trial of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46, 346–351. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Center for Disease Control [CDC] (2015, June 4). Physical activity basics. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm.Google Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. (2013). Dosage as a critical variable in yoga therapy research. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 23, 11–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2015a). Incorporating positive body image into the treatment of eating disorders: A model for attunement and mindful self-care. Body Image, 14, 158–167. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2015b). Mindfulness and yoga for self-regulation: A primer for mental health professionals. New York: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2016a). Embodied self-regulation and mindful self-care in the prevention of eating disorders. Eating Disorders, 24, 98–105. doi: 10.1080/10640266.2015.1118954CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2016b). Yoga for the re-embodied self: The therapeutic journey home. Yoga Therapy Today, Winter, 40–48.Google Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2017). Mindfulness and yoga for schools: A guide for teachers and practitioners. New York: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P., Beck, M., & Kane, L. (2006). Manualized-group treatment of eating disorders: Attunement in mind, body, and relationship (AMBR). Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 33, 61–83. doi:10.1080/01933920701798570CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P., & Douglass, L. L. (2017). Yoga communities and eating disorders: Creating safe space for positive embodiment. International Journal of Yoga Therapy. Advance online publication. doi: 10.17761/IJYT2017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P., & Guyker, W. M. (2017). The development and validation of the Mindful Self-Care Scale (MSCS): An assessment of practices that support positive embodiment. Mindfulness. Advance online publication. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671–017–0759–1Google Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P., Jones, L. A., & Haugli, S. (2010). Prevention of eating disorders among minority youth: A matched-sample repeated measures study. Eating Disorders, 18, 361–376. doi: 10.1080/01933920701798570CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook-Cottone, C. P., Kane, L., Keddie, E., & Haugli, S. (2013). Girls growing in wellness and balance: Yoga and life skills to empower. Onalaska: Schoolhouse Educational Services, LLC.Google Scholar
Cook-Cottone, C. P., Keddie, E., Guyker, W., & Talebkah, K. (2017). A controlled study of a yoga-based eating disorder prevention program: Working toward attunement and self-care. Eating Disorders Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 25, 392–405. doi:10.1080/10640266.2017.1365562.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, M., Eshelman, E. R., & McKay, M. (2008). The relaxation and stress reduction workbook (6th ed.). Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.Google Scholar
de Beauvoir, S. (1952). The second sex (Parshley, H., Trans). New York: Knopf.Google Scholar
Douglass, L. L., & Bottrill, S. (in press). Yoga as a tool for emotional regulation in individual with eating disorders. In Mason, H. & Birch, K. (Eds.), Yoga for mental health. Scotland, UK: Handspring Publishing.Google Scholar
Duckworth, A., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Self-control and grit related but separable determinants of success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 319–325. doi:10.1177/0963721414541462CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duyff, R. L. (2011). American dietetic association complete food and nutrition guide. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Google Scholar
Dweck, C. (2015). Carol Dweck revisits the “growth mindset.” Education Week, 35(5), 20–24.Google Scholar
Homan, K. J., & Tylka, T. L. (2014). Appearance-based exercise motivation moderates the relationship between exercise frequency and positive body image. Body Image, 11, 101–108. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.01.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hopkins, M. E., Davis, F. C., VanTieghem, M. R., Whalen, P. J., & Bucci, D. J. (2012). Differential effects of acute and regular physical exercise on cognition and affect. Neuroscience, 215, 59–68. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.04.056CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206. doi: 10.1111/j.1471–6402.1997.tb00108.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein, J., & Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2013). The effects of yoga on eating disorder symptoms and correlates: A review. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 23, 41–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lim, J., & Dinges, D. F. (2010). A meta-analysis of the impact of short-term sleep deprivation on cognitive variables. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 375–389. doi: 10.1037/a0018883CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills training manual for treating borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-compassion, self-esteem, and well-being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5, 1–12. doi:10.1111/j.1751–9004.2010.00330.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norcross, J. C., & Guy, J. D. (2007). Leaving it at the office: A guide to psychotherapist self-care. New York: The Guildford Press.Google Scholar
Norman, K., Sodano, S. M., & Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2014). An exploratory analysis of the role of interpersonal styles in eating disorder prevention outcomes. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 39, 301–315. doi:10.1080/01933922.2014.948234CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2014). Yoga and eating disorders: Is there a place for yoga in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours? Advances in Eating Disorders: Theory, Research and Practice, 2, 136–145. doi:10.1080/21662630.2013.862369CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahlo, L., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). Yoga and positive body image: A test of the Embodiment Model. Body Image, 18, 135–142. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.06.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCusker, J., Cole, M. G., Yaffe, M., Strumpf, E., Sewitch, M., Sussman, T., Ciampi, A., Lavoie, K., Platt, R., & Belzile, E. (2015). A randomized trial of a depression self-care toolkit with or without lay telephone coaching for primary care patients with chronic physical conditions. General Hospital Psychiatry, 37, 257–265. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2016.02.004CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McIver, S., O’Halloran, P., & McGartland, M. (2009). Yoga as a treatment for binge eating disorder: A preliminary study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 17, 196–202. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2009.05.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, K. S., Mazzeo, S. E., Rausch, S. M., & Cooke, K. L. (2007). Innovative interventions for disordered eating: Evaluating dissonance-based and yoga interventions. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, 120–128. 10.1002/eat.20282CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pacanowski, C. R., Diers, L., Crosby, R. D., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2017). Yoga in the treatment of eating disorders within a residential program: A randomized controlled trial. Eating Disorders, 25, 37–51. doi:10.1080/10640266.2016.1237810CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piran, N. (2015). New possibilities in the prevention of eating disorders: The introduction of positive body image measures. Body Image, 14, 146–157. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piran, N. (2016). Embodied possibilities and disruptions: The emergence of the experience of embodiment construct from the qualitative studies with girls and women. Body Image, 18, 43–60. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piran, N., & Teall, T. (2012). The developmental theory of embodiment. In McVey, G., Levine, M., Piran, N., & Ferguson, B. (Eds.), Preventing eating-related and weight-related disorders: Collaborative research, advocacy, and policy change (pp. 169–198). Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Riegel, B., Jaarsma, T., & Stromberg, A. (2012). A middle-range theory of self-care of chronic illness. Advances in Nursing Science, 35, 194–204. doi:10.1097/ANS.0b013e318261b1baCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001). On happiness and human potential: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 141–166. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sayrs, J. H. (2012). Mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based interventions for addiction counselors: The benefits of practicing what we preach. In Hayes, S. C. & Levine, M. (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance for addictive behaviors: Applying contextual CBT to substance abuse and behavioral addictions (pp. 187–215). Oakland: Context Press of New Harbinger Press.Google Scholar
Scime, M., & Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2008). Primary prevention of eating disorders: A constructivist integration of mind and body strategies. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 41, 134–142. doi:10.1002/eat.20480CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scime, M., Cook-Cottone, C. P., Kane, L., & Watson, T. (2006). Group prevention of eating disorders with fifth grade females: Impact on body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and media influence. Eating Disorders, 14, 143–155. doi:10.1080/10640260500403881CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapiro, S. L., Brown, K. W., & Biegel, G. M. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 1, 105–115. doi:10.1037/1931–3918.1.2.105CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, S. L., & Carlson, L. E. (2009). The art and science of mindfulness: Integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/11885–000CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siegel, D. J. (2009). Mindful awareness, mindsight, and neural integration. The Humanistic Psychologist, 37, 137–158. doi: 10.1080/08873260902892220CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siegel, D. J. (2010). The mindful therapist: A clinician’s guide to mindsight and neural integration. New York: WW Norton & Company.Google Scholar
Svenaeus, F. (2013). Anorexia nervosa and the body uncanny: A phenomenological approach. Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology, 20, 81–91. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/511263.Google Scholar
Wood-Barcalow, N. L., Tylka, T., & Augustus-Horvath, C. L. (2010). “But I like my body”: Positive body image characteristics and a holistic model for young-adult women. Body Image, 7, 106–116. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2010.01.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×