Yoga for Fighting Addiction
Yoga for Fighting Addiction
Recognizing and accepting an addiction is the first and most critical step to fighting and overcoming it. Most addiction programs focus only on the body, but there are many that understand the value of power yoga for fighting addiction. Yoga, the Sanskrit word means ‘to unite’. It aims at strengthening the bond between the body, mind and spirit. In order to make the body strong it must be healthy and free of toxins. It also needs a strong mind and spirit to support its endeavours.
Yoga cleanses the body
A long period of addiction leaves the body impure and unhealthy. It disrupts the body’s natural way of working and thus, organ systems don’t work optimally. Yoga exercises all parts of the body, muscles, organs and all. It cleanses the system of toxins and leaves it clean. This promotes good health and allows organs to function properly. Yoga improves the performance of the pituitary and pineal glands.
Often what addicts perceive as the body’s indication for alcohol, drugs, food or sex is a misinterpretation of the body’s state. With regular practice of yoga the body feels stronger and more energetic than it has in a long while. Fat is burned and muscles toned. Blood circulation and metabolic rate is improved and the lymphatic system efficiently clears the body of toxins. The body feels and looks better and this vastly improves self image. The student is correctly able to understand the cues offered by the body.
Unlike other schools of exercise, yoga follows a slow and smooth routine. The student focuses on deep breathing and on performing the asanas properly. The mind is left clear of worries or stress and hence, a sense of calm and control prevails. Breathing exercises such as pranayama help an addict realize that he or she has control over the most basic and important body process. The body receives more oxygen than it may have earlier. This makes the body feel reenergized and ensures that all parts of the body receive oxygen rich blood.
The yoga asanas are performed slowly and in succession, encouraging self control. At the end of the class and outside it the student becomes more aware of his or her thoughts and impulses and learns that they can be controlled. He or she also begins to make better life choices. Addiction is as much a mental and spiritual condition, as it is a physical one.
Yoga helps the body grow stronger and healthier. Within days students begin to feel better and find a marked improvement in the way they feel about themselves. With improved self esteem and confidence they are able to look at their problems in new light. Yoga strengthens a student’s will power and encourages them to stay peaceful and look at their problems calmly. An addiction is often the symptom of an underlying problem. And until a person doesn’t understand this, he or she cannot fight the addiction effectively.
Yoga fills the student with new energy and helps him or her deal with physical as well as emotional pain. He or she also receives the support of the yoga class and that of the instructor too. This group is a support network that helps the student understand the many physical, mental and lifestyle changes that need to be made to overcome an addiction.
Refer
http://www.best-holistic-addiction-treatment.com/yoga.html
http://www.pacificcollege.edu/acupuncture-massage-news/articles/464-yoga-for-addictions.html
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/679