The Impact of Yoga on Body Image and Self-Acceptance

As early as 1980, Clance, Mitchell and Engelman reported findings from their study about body satisfaction. The team observed that low body-cathexis (or acceptance) correlates with low self-cathexis. In their study, the researchers randomly assigned twelve children to either an experimental group that received awareness training and a yoga class, or to a control group.

The children tested were Black and approximately 9-years-old. Participants of the study, identified by their gym teachers as having poor coordination and lacking interest in physical education, had the lowest scores on a subjective test that measured body satisfaction. Using a before-after two-group design, the team found that children who experienced awareness training with the yoga had increased body satisfaction, but there was no change in the control group scores. Despite the small number of participants, the study suggests that the practice of yoga may counteract the impact of some of the negative beliefs a person’s body image has on self-image--and especially in children who have been identified by their teachers as having a bad self-image.

As the researchers pointed out, “the relationship between mind and body has long been a consideration of psychology” (p. 82), and not every girl develops a positive attitude about her body. What their study suggests is that a yoga practice during early years could be the link to prevent a girl from developing negative attitudes about her body; it instead, encourages her to nurture positive ones about herself.

Reference

Clance, P., Mitchell, M., & Engelman, S. R. (1980). Body Cathexis in Children as a Function of Awareness Training and Yoga. Journal Of Clinical Child Psychology, 9(1), 82.