You might be surprised to learn that yoga is an effective resource for substance abuse recovery. Yoga is an ancient practice that has been revitalized and westernized to accommodate our needs in modern times. Addiction is a disease of both the mind and the body. Yoga therapy can help forge a healthier mind-body connection.
Someone who seeks substances is often trying to fill a void or feelings of loneliness and emptiness in their life. Sadly, the addict ends up chasing an impossibility. No substance can fill a sense of lack within yourself. Yoga offers a method for battling this sense of emptiness, the need many of us feel for constant gratification. But we are often left feeling alone and unfulfilled.
In the context of addiction treatment, yoga can help provide addicts with the skills to manage unpleasant feelings and sensations that might otherwise lead to relapse. Yoga therapy treats a whole person. Yoga can be added to an individual’s wellness plan as they move forward in life, free from substance use.
Grace Counseling’s yoga therapy is a holistic approach to managing recovery. During the healing process, trauma-informed and therapeutic yoga can help guide patients through practices strengthening their minds and bodies. These practices help patients focus on what they want to be doing in their daily life instead of falling back on negative habits. Contact Grace Counseling today at 844.564.0712 for an in-depth assessment. Our medical professions will help you decide if yoga therapy could be a helpful component of your treatment plan.
The Value of Yoga in Addiction Recovery
Yoga focuses on breath as a way of being in touch with yourself and your body. Focusing on breathing and our body’s internal rhythms are a pathway towards stress management and emotional well-being. Stress on the body over time can lead a person to make unhealthy coping decisions. Using yoga therapy for addiction recovery can help regulate and balance stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Yoga therapy can also help brain pathways feel pleasure in a more normal manner that will help regulate emotions and control impulses.
The practice yoga therapy for addiction recovery helps provide:
- Holistic comprehension of addiction
- Stress management
- Emotional management
- Establishing a life-long coping mechanism
There are many forms of yoga. Hatha yoga, which is the most common form practiced in the United States, focuses on posture exercises and meditation. The aim is to heal a person’s body, mind, and soul through poses and breathing techniques. Benefits of yoga include:
- Reduced anxiety
- Lowered risk of developing depression
- Reduced drug cravings
- Reduced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms
- Improved self-awareness
- Improved self-acceptance
- Decreased pain
- Increased strength, relaxation, focus, and calm
- Improved sleep
- Reduced fatigue
- Increased energy
- Improved emotional well-being
Find Out if Yoga Therapy is For You at Grace Counseling
Yoga therapy is grounded in the 12-Steps. The practice of yoga increases well-being through exercises that strengthen both body and mind. Patients who participate in yoga therapy learn to better cope with situations that cause frustrating emotions, stress, and negative thoughts. For those who struggle with their mental health, the mindfulness practices incorporated into yoga therapy help empower patients to better cope with unwanted negative thoughts while boosting self-esteem and feelings of overall well-being.
The mindfulness practices associated with yoga therapy can have real-life utility value. They allow an individual to better manage stressful situations that may have led a person to seek substance use for relief in the past. If you think yoga therapy may be a useful recovery technique for you or your loved, reach out today to Grace Counseling, where trained medical professionals are waiting to assist you. 844.564.0712, or contact us online!
