Blurred Lines: The Harmful Intersection of Diet Culture & Yoga

with Jessica Grosman & Elyssa Toomey

Sorry, this workshop has been canceled due to low registration.

Please follow Jessica and Elyssa to learn more from them.

Blurred Lines: The Harmful Intersection of Diet Culture & Yoga

with Jessica Grosman & Elyssa Toomey

1.5-Hour Online Workshop

When: November 3, 2022
11am PDT | 2pm EDT | 7pm GMT
*Replay Available for all registrants until Dec 1, 2022

How can we take harmful diet culture out of yoga?

What do we say to yoga students who want to be more “fit”?

What is in (and out) of our scope of practice as yoga teachers when it comes to food and nutrition?

$50 USD
*If you have questions or thoughts on how this workshop can be more accessible to you (financially or otherwise) — please don’t hesitate to ask us.

Conscious Marketing with Tristan Katz

Diet Culture is omnipresent. Its latest disguise – Wellness Culture – is everywhere from food/diet trends, the medical establishment to face cream advertisements.

Sadly yoga, as it is taught and practiced in Western society, is not immune. Jessica Grosman and Elyssa Toomey, both Registered Dietitians and Yoga Teachers, are sensitive to how Diet/Wellness culture has impacted the ancient and modern traditions of yoga.

In both subtle and crude ways, Diet Culture has insinuated itself in the yoga world, often with harmful and damaging effects.

Yoga practices can be wonderful complements in healing and recovery for all bodies. However, we firmly believe that not all yoga is good yoga. The acrobatic, athletic yoga highlighted on social media and the bodies pictured in yoga clothing brands may be damaging as they promote weight stigma and body dysmorphia.

Alternatively, yoga classes led by teachers who are trauma-informed, body neutral, skilled to guide somatic experiences and do not speak about nutrition, thus staying within their scope of practice, can be amazing opportunities for people to come home to themselves.

Workshop goals:
1. To identify where Diet Culture shows-up in yoga.

2.  To clarify the role the yoga teacher plays in food/diet/nutrition; Scope of Practice.

3.  To identify how yoga teachers can use embodiment practices to help foster a more harmonious relationship with one’s own body.

“All bodies are yoga bodies. All foods fit.”

Workshop outcomes:

Yoga teachers gain a better understanding of their potential role in perpetuating Diet Culture.  Going forward, how yoga teachers can create an Anti-Diet Culture space that is safer for all bodies.

About Jessica

Jessica Grosman, MS, RD, LDN, RYT is an anti-diet Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Weight-Inclusive Health Practitioner and Yoga Teacher.

Jessica’s mission is to help people get comfortable and connected with their own body through food and yoga; she believes that all people have the right to health, regardless of size or medical condition – aligning herself with the approach of Health at Every Size.

As a yoga teacher, Jessica helps students find the ways in which their bodies feel most supported and at ease. The focus of Jessica’s yoga teaching is Yin Yoga, a quiet, introspective and meditative practice.

Jessica’s client-focused work as an anti-diet Registered Dietitian focuses on helping individuals recover from disordered eating, to find a peaceful relationship with food and body.”

Jessica’s website

About Elyssa

Elyssa Toomey, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Supervisor (CEDS-S), Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) is an experienced anti-diet, Health at Every Size informed, weight-inclusive eating disorder dietitian who is passionate about helping people develop a peaceful relationship with food and their body.

She specializes in helping clients heal from chronic dieting, disordered eating and eating disorders. In addition to her one-on-one work with clients, Elyssa provides ongoing group and individual clinical supervision and case consultation.

Elyssa combines medical nutrition therapy with advanced training in eating disorders, intuitive eating, yoga, mindfulness, and somatic practices. She believes in an integrative approach, blending evidenced-based science with Eastern philosophies and embodiment practices to help her clients recover and live full, meaningful lives.

Elyssa’s Website