While there is no cure for addiction, there are practices a person can adopt and use to help heal their bodies and minds.
Many addiction treatment centers are now including holistic treatments in addition to traditional clinical methods. Some of these holistic treatments include acupuncture, meditation, nutritional programs, and yoga. As most people know, drug and alcohol abuse and addiction affects every aspect of a person’s life. There are ramifications that apply to the body, mind, and spirit. It makes sense, then, that a practice that heals each of these areas can be very beneficial to the addicted person. The Ministry of External Affairs of the government of India says, “Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is an art and science of healthy living.”
Healing addiction with yoga is a fairly new concept, but it is gaining momentum.
The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous has become the most well known program for individuals to participate in to remain clean and sober. The steps have been adopted by well over 100 other fellowships looking to find reprieve from addictions other than alcohol, and they have been quite successful. Aruni Nan Futuronsky, a Kripalu Senior Life Coach and Kripalu Yoga teacher who teaches Yoga and Recovery: 12-Step Spirituality, says that the complementary relationship between the 12 steps and yoga is a perfect marriage for healing. “Addiction is the ultimate checking out of the moment … Yoga, on and off the mat, is the checking in to reality,” she says. “Brilliantly, yoga and recovery programs work together to cover all bases.”
In an article titled “9 Ways Yoga Helped Me Recover From Addiction” on Hip Sobriety website, the author lists the benefits she found in healing addiction with yoga. They include: replacing artificial highs for natural ones, eliminating reactiveness, providing community, developing control of mind, increasing control over stress and anxiety levels, and reparation of the nervous system.
Whether you are seeking inpatient treatment or using resources such as a 12-step fellowship, including yoga in your addiction recovery plan may help you heal from addiction. If you are concerned about yourself or someone you love, please reach out and speak with someone. Recovery is possible!
References:
Basavaraddi, I. V. (2015, April 23). Yoga: Its Origin, History and Development. Retrieved January, 2017.
Break the Cycle: How Yoga and Meditation Can Help Heal Addiction | Kripalu. (n.d.). Retrieved January, 2017.
9 Ways Yoga Helped Me Recover From Addiction. — HIP SOBRIETY. (n.d.). Retrieved January, 2017.
