Addiction recovery is a journey with no specific path. Everyone’s steps that they take to accomplish a lasting recovery are different. Because of this, it’s important to recognize that there are many different tools that a person can use to move towards recovery. One of these tools that many addiction rehab centers have available for patients is yoga. Even if a rehab doesn’t offer yoga, recovering addicts may find that yoga has numerous benefits, as it pertains to recovery…
Reduces the effects of stress and anxiety
One of the main things that yoga is able to accomplish for recovering addicts is that it helps them reduce the effects of stress and anxiety on their life. Stress and anxiety both have the potential to be dangerous drivers that lead people back to substance abuse. Being able to relax and reduce these things helps a person have better control on their life and their cravings. Yoga helps relax the mind and body, and thus contributes to this goal.
Helps create a natural physical “high”
People engage in substance abuse because it gives them a powerful high that is hard to replicate naturally. The thing about addiction that doesn’t get discussed enough is how most addictive substances make a person feel incredible, which is what makes them so addictive in the first place. Physical exercise, while probably not as strong as artificially induced highs, helps the body release endorphins that creates a natural “high” feeling, but without the destructive side effects. Yoga can be an intensive physical activity that helps this pursuit.
Helps keep a clear and focused mind
Addiction, at its core, is a behavioral disease the feeds off of a person’s mental demons. Stress, grief, loneliness, and other such feelings are the shelter in which addiction is able to grow and manifest on a person’s mind. Because of this, it’s important for recovering addicts not to get trapped in their own thoughts. Yoga helps clear a person’s mind and keep a clear focus on the things that really matter to them. The natural ways in which yoga affects a person’s brain chemistry helps them regain balance and builds confidence and mental strength.