Yoga Therapy for Addiction

No two journeys to overcoming addiction will be the same. Addressing your unique combination of challenges, symptoms, mental health needs, and more is a crucial part of your effective recovery. Having as many options as possible can empower you to find your best combination of therapies throughout addiction treatment. Yoga therapy is just one of these options available to you at Hawaii Island Recovery and is becoming increasingly popular as an effective part of a holistic healing journey. Surrounding yourself with peers and professionals while engaging in effective yoga therapy can be the best way of making the most of this therapeutic option throughout any stage of your recovery, from alcohol and drug detoxification to residential and ongoing outpatient care. 

Overcoming the effects of addiction in daily life is complicated, and there is no single way of addressing addiction and its impact on your physical health, mental health, spiritual health, relationships, or professional life. Addiction can hijack the brain’s reward system and thoughts and influence behaviors, making effectively addressing addiction complicated without the support of educated peers and dedicated professionals. Truly transformative substance abuse and addiction treatment is not about finding one strategy that works but instead about finding your best combination of methods for addressing each of these areas of healing, with yoga therapy being one option for personalizing your treatment and overcoming addiction at Hawaii Island Recovery. 

Experiencing stress is common. Everyone experiences some stress regularly throughout their lives, from daily responsibilities and academic expectations to professional challenges, social interactions, and much more. However, for those in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction, overcoming daily stresses is paramount for preventing relapse and maintaining a healthy emotional state. The use of drugs or alcohol may have been a common way of coping with stress in the past, with stressful experiences bringing back urges, cravings, or memories of past use. Yoga therapy to reduce stress can help mitigate these challenges in recovery.

Finding a new way to process these same stresses in sobriety is paramount. Yoga creates a relaxing atmosphere and occupies the brain and body, putting you in control of your actions while increasing awareness through effective mindfulness practices. Being aware of these stresses and acknowledging them in a calm, curated, and comfortable space can allow you to confront and process feelings of stress without turning to impulsive reactions to these challenges. 

Managing emotions throughout recovery from substance abuse is also uniquely challenging, from your first step into alcohol or drug detoxification and throughout your time in residential and outpatient treatment. Feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, anger, stress, and more can all be incredibly prevalent at any of these stages. Yoga therapy can be a great way of exploring new ways of understanding and managing emotional responses to many of these challenges throughout addiction recovery.

Yoga therapy can provide an outlet for managing difficult emotions without falling back into self-destructive practices. Increased awareness through yoga therapy also empowers you to make more educated decisions about how to respond to emotional stresses, helping prevent relapse and giving you greater control of your recovery journey. Having space and time to challenge negative thoughts with positive ones, contextualize negative feelings, and more can all improve emotional regulation through effective yoga therapy.

Urges and cravings are common at any stage of recovery, whether you are overcoming drug withdrawal or continuing to manage successful sobriety as an alumnus. Simply experiencing an urge or craving does not mean you have somehow “failed” in your recovery efforts. However, having a plan to navigate their effects without a slip or relapse is paramount. Yoga therapy can be a great tool for practicing control and expressing agency over thoughts, behaviors, and reactions to stress. This feeling of control over your body and mind can be instrumental in overcoming urges and cravings without acting impulsively, with yoga or the skills practiced during yoga therapy being an essential element of dedicated relapse prevention plans and strategies.

Mindfulness is a crucial skill throughout recovery from any addictive substance or behavior. Effective mindfulness practices help you situate yourself in the present moment, feeling more in tune with your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Combining yoga with breathing practices, awareness, and other techniques can empower you to recognize when changes to how you are feeling affect your thoughts or behaviors, giving you a greater understanding and control over your daily life. 

Yoga is a great way to blend mindfulness with physical awareness and control, heightening the connection between your body and brain. It can also be a great way to embrace healthy exercise and explore physical and emotional needs simultaneously. Regular mindfulness practices like yoga therapy, coupled with professional and peer support at Hawaii Island Recovery, can help you recognize patterns of stress and personal triggers and adjust your treatment plan to reflect your sober needs, goals, and progress in recovery. 

Hawaii Island Recovery champions important physical and emotional healing opportunities alongside effective spiritual healing programs for a holistic approach to addiction recovery. Each treatment program embraces the spirit of aloha and spiritual energies of the beautiful big island of Hawaii for the most personalized, robust, and effective approach to sustainable sobriety and change. 

Yoga therapy is a great way to connect to yourself through effective mindfulness and embrace a new connection to spiritual opportunities. Outdoor yoga therapy is available to explore your connections to the island of Hawaii and its unique healing energies. Our approach to spiritual health makes treatment in Hawaii unique, using proven treatment modalities alongside holistic healing options to help you embrace new perspectives. You will also benefit from a sympathetic, understanding community of peers while you explore your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing practices, with yoga being a great way of combining these practices in an accessible opportunity. 

Those who have not tried yoga therapy before may still be skeptical about its efficacy. Having a community of peers and professionals who have lived through the challenges of addiction themselves can be a great resource to help you find your best approach to treatment, including deconstructing barriers around yoga therapy to embrace its healing and therapeutic effects. 

Hawaii Island Recovery celebrates truly transformative treatment. We understand that overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol is not about simply addressing a collection of symptoms. Rather, it is about genuine, daily change not just to challenge the effects of addiction but to empower you to find your best route to a transformed life while pursuing goals beyond stopping the use of drugs or alcohol. Having a supportive environment can be the first step in exploring what your new life can look like, with opportunities like yoga therapy in rehab being just a part of your transformative journey at Hawaii Island Recovery. 

While yoga therapy can be an amazing approach to embracing new healing in addiction recovery, it is not a replacement for other proven therapies used at Hawaii Island Recovery. Likewise, yoga therapy is largely just one element of a comprehensive treatment plan to be used alongside other holistic healing options and professional support. Yoga therapy can be combined with proven therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectal behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and medication-assisted treatment to empower you to find your best approach to overcoming addiction. Other holistic healing options with us also include:

Your unique needs and goals in treatment can also inform each step of your recovery journey. There is never a single way to address and overcome addiction. Hawaii Island Recovery embraces the personalized journey of recovery, empowering you to find your collection of skills and strategies that best support your transformative effort, helping you stay invested in your own healing, and becoming your best advocate for success. 

Yoga therapy has proven to be an effective treatment approach. However, that doesn’t mean it will necessarily work for everyone, nor will it always have the same level of transformational impact. We are always available to help you find the best practices for you, and you can always take control of your treatment plan, make adjustments and amendments, or explore entirely new options until you find what works best for you. 

Our supportive professionals and community are about creating a safe space to explore new ideas and healing outlets in addiction recovery. Your time with us is constantly personalized, allowing you to pivot to new strategies at any stage of your recovery while continuing to benefit from this community of peers and professionals, from detox and residential care to ongoing outpatient support. 

Yoga therapy is a great, holistic therapeutic option for exploring mindfulness and embracing change in recovery. We at Hawaii Island Recovery can help you explore this option in your treatment plan by calling (866) 390-5070.