Recovery isn’t an exact science, addicts must nourish their mind, body, and spirit to find the right balance that will help them maintain their daily reprise. Addicts in recovery may employ a number of holistic methods of balance such as meditation, exercise, and yoga.
Yoga is one of the most well-known holistic methods of recovery, it works on the body, the mind, and the spirit alike, making it an excellent practice for addicts seeking to get better. Yoga is usually offered as an upscale service in many luxury rehab centers, a practice that patients learn and carry with them even after leaving the facility.
What is Yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India, it commenced as a form of spiritual practice, but has since also become a popular practice for both physical and mental well-being. Yoga consists of employing physical postures with breathing techniques and meditation.
Yoga styles are varied and they range in difficulty, popular styles of yoga include:
- Ashtanga
- Hatha
- Hot yoga
- Iyengar
- Kundalini
- Power yoga
- Restorative yoga
- Vinyasa
What Are the Health Benefits of Yoga?
The benefits of yoga can be perceived across multiple health domains, including physical and psychological.
Research suggests that yoga may:
- Improve general wellness
- Release stress
- Improve mental/emotional health, sleep, and balance
- Relieve lower-back pain, neck pain, and possibly pain from headaches and osteoarthritis
- Weight control
- Reduce anxiety and combat addiction
- Helps reduce depression
- Relieve menopause symptoms
- Improves posture and flexibility
- Improves concentration and coordination
Does Yoga Improve Recovery?
Over the last decade or so, yoga has been a hot topic of discussion and a popular service offered for the treatment of addiction. But does practicing yoga in rehab actually work?
Yoga’s effects include inducing dopamine homeostasis – in simple terms, it means that yoga balances dopamine function in the brain. As it’s known, dopamine plays a key role in our rewards system, and it’s directly linked to addiction to substances that create a dopamine imbalance in the brain such as drugs and alcohol. This balance induced by yoga leads to long-term benefits in the management of addictive behaviors and a healthy recovery.
Furthermore, given its many wellness benefits, yoga can be considered an improving factor in recovery, as it may alleviate many of the discomforts addicts have to confront during their transition to better health such as anxiety, depression, and stress.
Practicing yoga in rehab also helps increase energy levels and its wellness benefits may encourage practitioners to lead a healthier lifestyle by inspiring them to eat healthier, improve the quality of their lives and relations, and overall feel emotionally and physically better. Because many 12-step programs deal with spiritual concepts, it’s also seen as a well-received practice within that community.
Yoga in Drug Rehab Centers
Yoga in rehab is increasingly being used as a complementary practice. Its physical and emotional benefits help prevent relapses, manage withdrawal symptoms and provide a healthy outlet for those seeking to relieve tension. However, yoga is not meant to replace traditional treatments, but rather complement them.
Get your family help
If you or one of your loved ones is suffering from addiction, then it’s important to get help. Finding a facility with holistic services such as yoga can be a step up to help gain and maintain sobriety.
Outpatient LA is a premiere outpatient drug treatment center in Los Angeles, California. Outpatient Los Angeles will arm you with the tools to overcome addiction in the real world.
Contact Outpatient LA today and find out how we can help!