It is late on Saturday night. The week has been tough and the endless notifications from your phone have filled your week up to the brim with stress. It’s time to check out. So you go for that bottle of whiskey that has so often addressed the feelings of discomfort. To your surprise, you are almost out. “It has been a rough week,” you think to yourself. That bottle of whiskey didn’t just drink itself, but what the heck, might as well finish it.
As any alcoholic will tell you, addiction begins with the desire to check out. Yoga and meditation are practices that require being present and checking in. The Twelve-Steps to Recovery found in The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) emphasizes a very similar approach to the universal principles of Buddhism’s Eightfold Path.
The Big Book promises that anyone willing to practice such characteristics as rigorous honesty and self-acceptance can stay clean. In Buddhism, the practice of mindfulness keeps one active in the present moment and engaged within the realm of truth. The First and Second Noble Truths state that there is suffering and through craving and clinging, suffering is created. Meditation specifically aims at removing the suffering induced by craving and clinging. Therefore, meditation is a powerful tool that can also aid in the path to recovery from addiction.
As a co-founder of Y12SR and the Yoga of 12-Step Recovery, Nikki Myers found that an integrative approach at both the cognitive level and the somatic level work the best. She emphasizes that a Twelve-Step program soothes cognition, while yoga soothes the body. There are centers such as Asana Recovery Center that aim the approach with a mindful recovery.
Asana Recovery offers supervised detoxification and residential treatment programs in a supportive, relaxative, and inspiring environment. There is no better time than now. Call us today at (949) 438-4504 to learn more about the facilities and discuss whether our comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction program is right for you.
