I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle it to be completely honest. I was sweating like a sheep dog in the middle of summer. The thing is, we weren’t even doing hot yoga! In the early days of my recovery and sobriety, I wasn’t that healthy but I knew I had to be active.
Yoga seemed like the right idea for me because, to be honest, I thought it would be easier. But, that morning, I was sorely mistaken. You see, yoga is a great full-body workout and when I was detoxing from alcohol, my body was pissed off with me.
Luckily that day I did not puke during downward facing dog but boy did I feel like I wanted to. There are many striking health benefits of yoga for people who aren’t battling addiction problems but what about for those of us who are or are in recovery?
The health benefits apply to all of us and research from Harvard Health had this to say:
Available reviews of a wide range of yoga practices suggest they can reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends.
By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly.
We just released a video on the benefits of meditation and prayer which is also linked to the practices of yoga (check it out here).
Since those early days of my recovery, I’ve tried to incorporate yoga and spiritual practices into my weekly approach to healthy living. I couple this with working out, running and generally being active.
If you’re still struggling with alcohol or drug-related addictions please check out our range of courses you can take from the comfort of your home or on the go.
To your sobriety,
Nick
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