Everyone has a different journey for addiction recovery. But for many individuals, yoga, and meditation can be effective and highly therapeutic techniques, both for short-term addiction recovery assistance and long-term wellness.
Indeed, yoga and meditation comprise important parts of holistic treatment programs. Let’s take a closer look at how you can use yoga and meditation for addiction recovery.
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Understanding Yoga and Meditation in Addiction Recovery
Yoga is an exercise form derived from Eastern flexibility and strength-training traditions. Although yoga and meditation are closely linked, meditation is not the same thing.
Meditation is primarily mental, while yoga is primarily physical. Regardless, many people practice meditation while performing yoga routines, as both go well together. Yoga’s focus on specific body postures and breath control promotes physical wellness while simultaneously assisting with many meditative exercises.
As the years have gone on, many wellness and recovery clinics have discovered that yoga and meditation have long-lasting positive benefits for those who practice them. In a recovery context, they can even assist those recovering from addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Benefits of Yoga for Addiction Recovery
Those addicted to substances or recovering from substance abuse disorder may benefit from yoga and meditation for addiction recovery. Yoga, in particular, can be an excellent therapeutic technique1 because:
- Yoga grounds the mind and the body, helping to avoid triggers and stop cravings from dictating one’s actions.
- Yoga further promotes good physical well-being. You’ll be in better shape if you take up yoga regularly, especially as you learn more advanced poses and strength training techniques.
- Since it is a form of exercise, yoga can even promote emotional and mental well-being by releasing stress hormones and working the body. When you are less stressed out, you are less likely to relapse or to take dangerous substances in the first place.
Individuals recovering from addiction can especially benefit from regular yoga techniques. Yoga may lead them to experience stress reduction, improved self-awareness, and greater resilience, even in the face of great adversity.
The Power of Meditation in Addiction Recovery
Meditation can similarly be quite powerful and effective for addiction recovery.
Meditation is all about calming the mind, relaxing racing thoughts, and enhancing focus. All of these elements can combine to give those struggling with substance abuse disorder greater control over their cravings and their personal actions.
Indeed, there is a lot of scientific evidence2 showing that mindfulness meditation is highly effective in the treatment of substance use disorders. More importantly, meditation can improve individuals’ self-control so much that it may help to prevent future relapse.
There are clinical implications for this, but for the time being, many wellness clinics now offer extensive meditation and yoga classes and group experiences. Anyone can benefit from meditation, but those dealing with intense inner turmoil may find extra value in it.
Yoga, Meditation, and Inner Peace
If both yoga and meditation are excellent for addiction recovery and cultivating inner peace, using them together is even better.
For example, you can learn how to practice various yoga poses and exercises. At the same time, you’ll use the breath control inherent in yoga to calm your mind and order your thoughts at the beginning or end of the day.
In this way, you’ll simultaneously exercise your body and calm your mind down, both of which are excellent for improving your self-control and maximizing your recovery progress. As you become more experienced with meditation and yoga, you may be able to use these techniques for self-reflection and mindfulness.
For example, you’ll learn more about yourself, your thought patterns, and negative behaviors that previously dominated your life. Mindfulness meditation is effective for addiction recovery; it can help you avoid succumbing to triggers or cravings, even if you are in a dangerous or stressful situation.
Incorporating Yoga and Meditation into Daily Life
When you learn about yoga and meditation for addiction recovery, you can take the skills taught from your recovery program and implement them into your life each and every day, even long after your recovery program concludes.
For instance, you can start a regular yoga routine that you complete every single morning or evening. Such a positive habit can help you maintain good overall lifestyle patterns and prevent you from slipping back into bad habits after you leave a recovery clinic.
Meditation can also be implemented as a daily routine. But unlike yoga, you don’t need a designated space to meditate. You can meditate at work, in bed before you go to sleep, or anywhere else. This makes meditation a particularly good tool for those who struggle with substance abuse disorder.
In any case, to reap the maximum benefits of yoga and meditation, you’ll need to consistently apply yourself to these techniques. You can use your recovery program as an opportunity to learn how to do just that and build not just one but two massively beneficial habits to maintain throughout the rest of your life.
Cultivate Inner Peace and Wellness with Yoga and Other Holistic Practices at Clear Life Recovery
In the end, yoga and meditation could be highly beneficial for your addiction recovery program. That’s why Clear Life Recovery leverages holistic wellness techniques for many of our programs. When you get in touch with one of our specialists, we’ll walk you through your options and help you progress through a custom-tailored recovery plan so you can get back on the right track. Contact us today to learn more.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5812135/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6247953/
