Yoga is offered in most treatment programs for addiction and alcoholism today because of the many benefits it provides.
Yoga makes you more aware than drugs did
Mindfulness is an integrated part of yoga. A yoga practice challenges you to pay attention to your breath and your body, noticing the flow of your breathing and paying attention to any tension or resistance in the body. Sharpening the mind through mindfulness has a greater effect than drugs. Drugs eventually wear off. Mindfulness, and the benefits of yoga, on the other hand, do not. The changes yoga makes in the mind are progressive, increasingly changing the way you see yourself and the world around you. Yoga is a way better habit to get the hyper aware benefits of being able to notice and pay attention to your life.
Yoga actually chills you out
Yoga reduces stress. The true traditional purpose of yoga is to prepare the mind for meditation. Sitting quietly for long periods of time is a practice in quieting and calming the mind. Yoga is scientifically proven to reduce stress, symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, and the effects of cravings which can act like obsessions of the mind. These reductions have been demonstrated through multiple studies in which participants who regularly practiced yoga saw impressive reduction in symptoms of depression, enough for doctors to declare them in remission.
Yoga is as cool as going to the bar
One of the biggest fears people have about getting sober has to do with having fun. Going to yoga regularly is a great way to meet people, build a community, and have a regular thing to do. You can replace going to the bar with going to the yoga studio. Many yoga studios have modern classes which use fun lights and music to create a cool atmosphere supporting the yoga practice. The only alcohol you are likely to find is in trace amounts in someone’s kombucha.
Yoga heals your mind and your body
Yoga, mindfulness, and meditation, have been scientifically proven to increase the production of gray matter in the brain, reduce inflammation which can cause stress, and improve emotional wellness. One practice at a time, yoga heals you holistically, working with your mind, your body, and your spirit.
Yoga is part of our focus on healing the mind and the body to provide patients with an unparalleled sense of peace. At Design For Change, we know that treatment should provide a refuge from addiction. That is why we emphasize physical wellness in addition to mental wellness. Our variety of treatment programs and recovery services strive to help each patient realize they are capable of recovering by empowering their ability to change. For information, call us today at (877) 267-3646.
