Interview with Maris Degener 

I interviewed Maris Degener on July 5, 2019. Maris, currently 20, suffered from and was hospitalized with an eating disorder in high school. While recovering from her eating disorder, she began practicing yoga. In this practice, she began taking care of her body rather than continuing an unhealthy pattern of self harm and violence towards it.

In discussing her relationship with yoga and how it has transformed since she first began practicing, she described the transformation as physical to mental. She began practicing yoga while in recovery from her eating disorder. Because part of her eating disorder was over-exercising, her doctor stated that she could try yoga because it is “only stretching”. At the time, still deep in her disorder, Maris saw practicing yoga as an opportunity to burn calories. Throughout her journey, she began rejecting a concept she had a constant struggle with: perfection. Maris cites the opposite of perfection as curiosity. In her yoga practice, she found a sense of curiosity, freedom, and joy.

Regarding stress management, Maris stated that her tell-tale signs of stress are shoulders by her ears as well as being short with those around her. She told a story about how her mother suggested that she was due for practicing yoga because she was being short and had a mean demeanor.

This interview was extremely helpful for my research in that Maris is living proof that the mind and body are connected. She is an avid believer in the spiritual practice of yoga. In her yoga, she practices self-reflection, self-awareness, and selfless service.

Degener, M. (2019, July 5). Interview [interview with Beverly Worth and Jenna Faubion].