Jennifer B. Webb

The present pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a 4-week online yoga and body gratitude journaling intervention for strengthening positive embodiment among racially-diverse higher weight college women. Seventy-five participants were initially randomized to either the yoga condition (n = 36) or to a wait-list control (n = 39). Participants completed measures of positive and negative body image, weight bias internalization, self-compassion, drive for leanness, and physical activity acceptance at both baseline and post. Preliminary results among the 42 analyzed completers (mean age = 20.9, SD = 2.4; 30% Black or African American) revealed acceptable feasibility given the low-intensity nature of the intervention reflected in a 36% attrition rate. Self-reported adherence was strong for the yoga component with 81% of participants indicating that they practiced with the videos ≥3–4 times per week as suggested. Although 71% reported completing the body gratitude journal ≥1–2 times per week, daily adherence was minimal. Acceptability was also high among participants randomized to the yoga condition as indicated by 86% expressing at least moderate levels of satisfaction with the overall program. Qualitative feedback from participants further supported the acceptability of the program and pointed to important areas in further refining the protocol in the future. Preliminary efficacy was supported by significant reductions in internal body shame and gains in body appreciation, functional body appreciation, functional body satisfaction, functional body awareness, and behavioral commitment to physical activity engagement among the yoga vs. wait-list control participants. These promising findings once replicated in larger, higher-powered trials may have important implications for extending the reach and accessibility of mind-body wellness practices like yoga to benefit racially-/ethnically-diverse college women of higher weight. This research is further responsive to the growing need for efficacious remotely-delivered, and scalable behavioral health interventions in the ongoing era of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, additional research is warranted to explore ways of enhancing engagement of participants with lower levels of positive embodiment and to further incentivize the journaling component of the intervention.

In the 21^st century, the ancient mind–body practice of yoga has surged in popularity among western enthusiasts for its numerous health benefits. Particularly, a growing evidence base supports yoga for cultivating positive embodiment and reducing risk for disordered eating. Nevertheless, amidst its rise are concerns about yoga’s departure from its spiritual foundations and increasing assimilation into the appearance- and commercial-driven exercise and fitness culture. Consequently, an exclusionary identity has been perpetuated in shaping norms surrounding who can and does practice yoga, which contradicts earlier egalitarian visions of a yoga for all. Therefore, we adopt a social justice lens in offering a focused analysis of the intersection of yoga, embodiment, and inclusion for select marginalized social identities typically underrepresented among yoga practitioners and in yoga scholarship. Data are synthesized from both qualitative and quantitative sources and integrate an understanding of how confined media representations of “the yoga body” and other practical constraints may undermine the perceived access to the practice for members of diverse groups. We conclude with inviting future considerations towards fostering more interdisciplinary community-based research partnerships among the variety of stakeholders invested in advancing the accessibility and inclusion of yoga and positive embodiment for all bodies.

Contemporary fat studies scholarship seeks to challenge and critique the normative weightist lens through which modern social media for example stereotypically represent the embodiment of higher-weight individuals or the typical underrepresentation of body diversity in the cases of mainstream Fitspiration and yoga lifestyle media. Simultaneously, proponents of the fat acceptance/body positivity movement are currently at odds over the increasingly expansive appropriation of the term curvy for self-identification. In light of these tensions, utilizing body conceptualization theory as a guiding framework, we examined the shared and distinct approaches used to exemplify and motivate fitness and health as reflected in 300 images sourced from #curvyfit and #curvyyoga on Instagram. Images were systematically coded for sociodemographic (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender), body-as-process (e.g., physically active portrayals), and body-as-object (e.g., weight loss, body modification) attributes. Results revealed that #curvyfit images featured a greater representation of physical appearance–oriented aspects of fitness; #curvyyoga images more often conveyed larger body sizes, shapes, and body-as-process characteristics. Preliminary findings have important implications for counteracting weight-biased perceptions equating thinness with physical fitness and promoting yoga as an important health practice among individuals with a range of body sizes. Our initial stage findings also raise areas of future critical inquiry surrounding the complex messaging at the intersection of fat embodiment, curvy identification, and healthism that are particularly ripe for subsequent qualitative investigation with actual digital media users.