Addiction and alcoholism are a matter of obsession. The brain obsesses over drugs and alcohol every time it uses them and every time it is without them. A large amount of dopamine and other happy/pleasurable chemicals are created in the brain by drugs and alcohol which leave an impact. Your brain notices what feels good and when something feels really good according to the brain, it wants more, creating obsessive thinkings until you feel a compulsive urge to act.
Treatment for recovery is full of feel-good activities to help the brain re-learn what it is like to enjoy and feel pleasure without using drugs and alcohol. Healing therapies, alternative activities, expressive arts, and more are meant to help the brain explore new forms of stimulation, release, and happiness. All of these reasons plus many mental and physical health benefits are why yoga is being offered at treatment programs like the one at Lakehouse Recovery.
Yoga is a science of body and mind. Quite literally, yoga has been studied scientifically since it became such an obsession in Western cultures. In Eastern cultures, yoga has been a discipline and a practice for thousands of years. The benefits of yoga are catching on across the globe and bringing people to the mat every day.
Physical Health
Yoga is a combination of stretching and strength building, working on flexibility, core, and muscle development all at the same time. An instructor often guides participants through each yoga pose by offering mindfulness insights about how to hold the body, position it, and stretch it in the right way. Bringing together cardio, body weight exercises, and flow, yoga helps the body break up toxins, sweat, and regain its strength.
Mental Health
The mind and the body are young when they regularly practice yoga. Physically, yoga can keep the body in top shape. Mentally, yoga incorporates the practice of mindfulness. Each flow of movement, like upward facing dog to downward facing dog, for example, includes the breath. You inhale into upward facing dog and exhale into downward facing dog. This resonates throughout yoga. A focus on the breath and mindfulness on the body deepens the yoga practice and heals the mind. Mindfulness has also come under the microscope of scientific inquiry. Researchers have found that mindfulness, as well as yoga, reduce stress, inflammation, symptoms of depression and anxiety, in addition to increasing grey matter in the brain where new synapses form.
Spiritual Health
Yoga is about more than the physical and mental benefits. Many of the lessons in yoga and the practice of yoga are valuable life lessons. Just showing up to the mat every day is a discipline and a lesson in showing up to life. Focusing on the breath, staying present, and practicing non-judgment are all critical life tools you learn in other areas of recovery. People who have been researched for the effect a yoga practice has on their life report feeling more connected, compassionate, and grounded, with a greater sense of universality and appreciation.
Lakehouse Recovery Center offers both recovery and non-recovery activities to give each client a variety of therapy options. Our beautiful location on Lake Sherwood allows us to take our recovery outside, practicing yoga by the lake and connecting to our surroundings. For information on our approach to treatment and our unique 12 month aftercare program, call us today: 877.762.3707