More Reasons to Add Yoga to Your Recovery

If you’re still reluctant to step on that mat and make yoga an integral part of your addiction recovery, you may want to read on. We’ve highlighted a few of the many ways that this ancient practice can strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.

Emotional: Yoga helps develop internal resiliency and cultivates mindfulness — both useful skills to help you resist cravings or social pressure and stay steadfast in your recovery.

Research even shows that it can change your brain — people who practice yoga have more gray matter in the areas of the brain responsible for self-awareness, compassion, and memory.

Physical: Regular yoga practice gets you moving and burns calories — and it can also help you become a more conscious eater and address any eating or weight problems on a deeper level. Another benefit of regular yoga practice, studies say, is better sleep — which means you’ll be less tired and less stressed.

Spiritual: As a spiritual practice, yoga can help you deepen the connection to your higher power. And finding inner strength and faith can help you find an inner sense of peace, even when life feels like it’s spiraling out of control.

Social: Practicing yoga in a group setting can help you develop new friendships and support with people who share similar values. Practicing yoga together can also help with stress management, too, say researchers, slowing down the mental loops of frustration, regret, anger, and fear.

Yoga Is for Everyone
Yoga is a holistic addiction treatment practice ideal for all ages, all exercise levels, and all rehab stages, and it is an excellent complement to traditional and non-traditional recovery programs. To learn more about our yoga program at Complete Harmony, call 866-930-4673.

4 Complementary Addiction Therapies to Try

More and more treatment facilities are turning to alternative addiction therapies for a holistic approach to recovery. While these techniques can’t do the job alone, when used in conjunction with traditional treatment, they have been proven very effective in addressing the physical and psychological impact of addiction. 

Here we take a look at some study-proven methods and why they work to help patients during active recovery and years after to maintain lasting sobriety. 

Yoga: Through physical postures, breath work, and meditation, yoga helps those in recovery align the mind, body, and spirit and find inner piece and comfort. 

• Reintroduces physical sensation
• Relieves anxiety, stress and depression
• Regulates stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline
• Releases tension and alleviates mental fatigue
• Redirects thoughts and wards off harmful cravings

Massage therapy: Research into the benefits of massage therapy as an addiction treatment is ongoing, but studies have shown that this therapy is gaining traction for people recovering from substance abuse disorder.

• Raises “feel good” endorphins
• Improves circulation and rids body of toxins
• Relieves the stress and anxiety that’s a natural part of the withdrawal and recovery process
• Balances natural neurochemistry after extended periods of substance abuse

Acupuncture: Some practitioners use auricular (ear) acupuncture in addition to whole-body acupuncture to treat points on the ear associated with the nerves and organs that become weak and unhealthy with prolonged substance abuse, including the liver, kidney, lung, and nervous systems.

• Balances and restores function to the body
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Alleviates withdrawal symptoms, pain, and cravings
• Combats insomnia

Meditation: An integral part of Buddhist tradition, mindfulness meditation has been shown to help substance abusers prevent relapse by teaching them to become aware of their feelings (good or bad) without reacting to them. 

• Improves decision-making and impulse control
• Relieves stress and anxiety
• Heightens awareness of cravings and triggers for better management 
• Pushes away thoughts of self-criticism and blame

Finding Holistic Treatment for You
At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help patients recover, including acupuncture, yoga, mediation, massage therapy, and others. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.

3 Reasons Why Men Should Do Yoga

While more men realize yoga’s proven benefits, the majority of classes are still filled with women. It seems the stigma around yoga as a women’s activity is alive and well.

The truth is, yoga is good for everyone: men, women, and students; couch potatoes and athletes; workaholics and free spirits. It is especially wise for recovering addicts to practice yoga since it has been found to reduce stress, improve circulation, and encourage inner peace.

If you are a male client in addiction recovery and are hesitant to dive into yoga classes, consider the following proven benefits. They may aid in your rehabilitation and help you develop a lifelong fitness and meditation practice that you can rely on when you are stressed or tempted to relapse.

3 Benefits of Yoga for Men
While the list of yoga benefits is long, there are a few major advantages for men recovering from alcoholism or drug addiction.

1. Yoga helps you achieve a state of relaxation & meditation. Whether you use your yoga time to pray, develop an inward focus, or simply listen to your breathing, your yoga practice eases muscle tension, lowers anxiety levels, and reduces production of cortisol (a stress hormone). Holistic stress relief is a critical part of dealing with relapse triggers and the physical and psychological symptoms of addiction recovery. Yoga has also been shown to increase circulation and lower blood pressure, resulting in reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

2. Yoga improves mental clarity & concentration. If you feel like you are still suffering from a drug-induced fog, yoga can help. As your body heals and you intensify your practice, you will be called to center yourself and “find joy” during yoga. Through an increase in serotonin (the “happiness hormone”), you will enjoy improved mood and a focus on the moment. Over time, your yoga practice will help you achieve clarity in other parts of your life—not just during exercise. This clarity helps you keep sobriety goals at the top of mind, and allows you to focus on your recovery priorities in a way you were unable to, before.

3. Yoga is a physical & intellectual challenge that keeps you young. As you search for new pastimes that don’t revolve around drinking and drugs, yoga fits the bill. From restorative to power yoga, there are many class options to challenge every individual in every physical condition. In yoga, you will develop a strong mind-body connection and learn to challenge yourself in healthy ways. And, when you continue your practice into old age, your body will perform as if it is younger! 

Southern CA Addiction Treatment for Men
During residential treatment at Complete Harmony’s facility, you have the opportunity to engage in holistic therapies like yoga, massage, and acupuncture. Helping men and women rebuild their lives after the ravages of addiction, our admissions counselors can be reached at 866.930.4673.