Substance use disorders affect millions of Americans of all ages. Thousands of programs are available throughout the nation to help those struggling with addictions to drugs or alcohol get sober and learn the vital relapse prevention tools necessary to remain free from addiction throughout their lives. In a New Jersey treatment program like Relevance Recovery, different therapy models, including traditional and alternative approaches, are used to offer a holistic or “whole person” approach to addiction treatment. Unlike many conventional rehab programs, holistic approaches include complementary therapies like yoga.
What is Yoga?
Yoga is a spiritual practice used to promote physical and emotional health. The classical yoga practice includes many spiritual elements; however, traditional yoga, as practiced in the United States, is a series of physical postures and breathing techniques combined with meditation. There are several yoga styles. Some are very gentle and easily practiced by almost anyone, whereas others are physically demanding and complex.
Benefits of Yoga for Addiction Recovery
1. Find a Sense of Inner Strength and Resilience
Overcoming the emptiness associated with addiction, yoga promotes self-awareness and self-acceptance. Regular practice cultivates a connection with inner selves, fostering a sense of wholeness.
2. Support Through Trauma
Addressing the prevalence of trauma in addiction, yoga serves as a safe space to navigate difficult emotions, regulate the nervous system, and promote grounding in the present moment.
3. Regulate Emotional Energy
Yoga aids in rebuilding emotional resilience, offering a means to process challenging emotions, and ultimately empowering individuals with healthier coping strategies.
4. Reduce Stress
Acknowledging stress as a significant trigger, yoga’s ability to reduce stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system supports individuals in managing cravings and maintaining sobriety.
5. Improve Physical Health
Recognizing the toll of substance abuse on the body, yoga enhances physical health by increasing strength, flexibility, and balance. It also addresses chronic pain, improves cardiovascular health, and boosts the immune system.
6. Build a Sense of Community
Combating the isolation often felt in recovery, yoga classes provide a supportive community, fostering connections with others facing similar challenges and goals.
Is Yoga Used in Rehab?
Yoga is a complementary or “alternative” therapy model. This means that it is often used as a component of a comprehensive addiction treatment program. Yoga is not a replacement for traditional therapy models but rather a therapeutic model used in addition to conventional addiction therapy. Several studies suggest yoga is beneficial in all aspects of addiction treatment. Currently, yoga is used as part of substance abuse treatment programs to help with relapse prevention, reduce cravings and the intensity of withdrawal symptoms, and provide a lifelong coping tool to manage future triggers and daily stressors that often lead to relapse after treatment.
Yoga as Holistic Therapy For Addiction Treatment
Holistic treatment is a non-medical form of treatment that helps in assisting with the more traditional addiction treatment process. More popular types of holistic therapy will include yoga, massage therapy, and acupuncture.
Practicing yoga as a form of holistic treatment for addiction is a growingly common exercise that has changed the recovery process in rehab centers across the nation. Yoga for recovering addicts will help balance the body and mind through physical exercise, which involves postures and concentrated breathing. Additionally, to the physical aspects of yoga, there is also a great number of emotional benefits as well.
Studying and practicing yoga for recovering addicts will help patients become in tune with their bodies while learning calming techniques like controlled breathing. Yoga encourages how to appreciate the present moment and having a sense of self-awareness. When focusing all energy inward, the benefit is gaining deeper ownership and understanding of personal emotions.
Holistic therapies like yoga help to assist in the overall recovery process. Yoga helps to enhance the individual’s recovery experience and arms them with the tools needed to live a healthier lifestyle that promotes sobriety.
How to Find Yoga Therapy for Addiction
When people talk about (or think about) yoga practice, they envision stretching and poses. But, the advantages of yoga go far beyond enhancing flexibility. As part of a comprehensive addiction treatment program at Relevance Recovery, yoga offers several short and long-term benefits. As part of addiction treatment, yoga can help you manage withdrawal symptoms and focus your mind on healing and recovering from addiction. Yoga is a healthy practice that provides lasting relapse prevention and physical and emotional health benefits in the long term.
Contact us today to learn more about yoga therapy for addiction and New Jersey outpatient treatment programs.
