"Ease First Always" - Yin Yoga Practice for Disordered Eating

Stomach Meridian

Spleen Meridian

Yin Yoga is a passive style of yoga developed by Paulie Zink and taught by Sarah Powers and Paul Grilly that integrates yoga poses and knowledge of Chinese meridian theory. Meridians are lines of energy that run through the body and correspond to internal organs. These can be accessed through acupressure, acupuncture, hand-on-healing, and even by your own stretching to activate them. 
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The Stomach/Spleen meridian pair are the main meridians you can target for benefits relating to disordered eating.
"The stomach meridian is the yang meridian and is paired with the Spleen yin meridian. It helps support physical and emotional nourishment. It functions with the Spleen meridian in the assimilation of Qi from food through digestion and absorption. The Spleen supports self-esteem and open mindedness." (Taken from NaturalHealthZone)

The idea in Yin Yoga is to target the energy lines so it's not as important that you do the exact pose in the exact right way. As long as you feel a stretch, an opening of energy, a deepening of sensation - in the area you're working on. 
Here are some tips for your Yin practice:

• Give yourself ample time for the practice. Light a candle, play some gentle music, invite in a soothing atmosphere.
• Stay in each pose for a minimum of 3 minutes and up to 10 minutes or so.
• You don't need to exert any effort. Once you find a position that is effective, you should be able to fully relax into the stretch. Use props such as blankets, pillows, blocks or bolsters to create ease.
• Come out of each stretch very gently and slowly. Allow yourself time to lay flat in Savasana between poses and wait for the areas you were working on to feel pleasurable and flowing before moving to the next pose.

Here is a list of some poses that correspond to the Stomach/Spleen Meridian:

• Wide knee child pose (with or without a twist)
  
• Saddle pose (shown above)
• Dragon Pose (Low lunge)
• Swan Pose (aka Pigeon pose)
• Butterfly Pose
  
• And don't forget to do Savasana or Corpse Pose - laying flat and relaxing all muscles at the end of your practice 
  

Saddle Pose