Developing a yoga practice can be an especially helpful tool in recovery because of its holistic nature. Holistic practices are tailored to address the whole person and include mental, spiritual, and physical benefits. Whether experiencing back pain, struggling with depression or caught up in drug and alcohol use, yoga has been proven to help.
Yoga is frequently practiced in detox, rehab, 12-step, and other recovery settings as a way of helping addicts and alcoholics achieve states of serenity and balance in their lives. Developing these tools can be an essential step in recovering from your alcoholism or drug addiction.
The Proven Benefits of Yoga for the Body
Yoga is proven to have a broad range of physical therapeutic benefits. The application of yoga poses can target and address structural and physiological pain in the body. By developing your mind-body connection, yoga can also improve your overall muscular strength, body flexibility, respiratory and cardiovascular functions, sleep patterns, and overall well-being.
The Proven Benefits of Yoga for the Mind
We live in a very busy world. Slowing down and quieting the mind helps our brains manage the stresses of daily life without becoming overwhelmed. Studies indicate that a yoga practice can improve the mind’s relationship to outside stresses so that the individual experiences less anxiety.
In particular, yoga is able to help individuals dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”). Scientists have found, for example, that after natural disasters like tsunamis and hurricanes, individuals participating in yoga experience improved symptoms of PTSD. People in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction often experience symptoms similar to those due to PTSD, all of which can be alleviated by yoga.
The Proven Benefits of Yoga for Sobriety
Studies demonstrate the effectiveness of yoga in reducing craving and substance use among alcoholics and all varieties of drug addicts. This is achieved through yoga postures by helping to connect the mind, body, and breath in order to gain more self-awareness and focus attention inward. This helps combat compulsive behavior and negative thinking.
If you believe you have an issue with alcohol or drug use, yoga may be a helpful tool on your road to recovery. However, yoga is recommended as an “adjunctive” practice for addicts seeking sobriety. It is unlikely to be effective when used without complementary interventions such as detox, rehab, talk-therapy, or community-support meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
If you are looking to overcoming addiction or alcoholism and are interested in developing a practice of yoga to help you achieve sustained sobriety, contact us today. We will be happy to take your call and discuss your options for recovery.