Benefits of Yoga in Recovery from Substance Abuse
Good morning,
Today we share an article from Addiction Resource, entitled ‘Yoga – Why it’s Great for People Recovering From Drug Abuse.’ “Prescription and illicit drug abuse is a looming health problem in the US. In fact, it is a major cause of rising healthcare expenses, a general deterioration of health, as well as socio-economic issues. There are various approaches to treating drug abuse. These include medication-assisted detox, controlled drug therapy, counseling and other psychiatric support.’
‘Recently, there has been a rise of inclusion of yoga in drug addiction recovery programs. In relation to this, medical researchers are pursuing further studies to clarify the role of Yoga in drug addiction recovery programs.”
With more and more recovery programs integrating yoga, they are finding tremendous results. So how is yoga helping?
“A melding of the various physical and mental techniques involved in the different forms of yoga has been shown to have the most positive effects, physically, mentally and emotionally. The belief that yoga is also a spiritual pursuit helps increase its effectiveness in terms of bestowing a more relaxed mental state onto the one practicing it.
Since most meditation practices involve management of the mind’s energy and impulses, practitioners of yoga and meditation experience greater mood stability in the face of outside pressures. Having a calm mind and being mentally stable can contribute to the avoidance of self-harming behaviors and activities, like substance abuse.
Brain scans performed on substance abusers reveal hyperactivity in regions of the brain that signify a greater propensity to be self-interested and vulnerable to mood and behavioral disorders. Yoga and meditation strive to release a person from the concept of the self, something that goes back to the core principles of yoga.
Practitioners of yoga and meditation display a greater connectivity of all regions of the brain. They are able to achieve a sort of cerebral balance that the brains of substance abusers do not have, since most of their brain activity focuses on satisfying their immediate physical needs (addiction).” To view the original article and continue reading more on how yoga is helping people recover, visit the link here.