Yoga for Addiction Recovery

Patty Wildasinn

Description

Yoga for Addiction Recovery delivers practical, hands-on yoga techniques for use in recovery from addictions, breaking unwanted habits, and overall support for creating change.
Yoga for Addiction Recovery delivers just that; practical yoga techniques and tools to support ongoing recovery from active addiction. Years spent, by the author, in both recovery and in practicing yoga have made clear that the underlying principles of both yoga and the 12 Steps weave together, complimenting each other in a totally cohesive way. If you are in recovery yourself, apply and absorb what you can use. If you are wanting to teach a yoga class to a recovering population, this book will give you a better understanding of the disease concept, in addition to the process your students will be walking through.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé du quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Self-help

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press
• Date de parution: 06 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798765233122
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

YOGA FOR ADDICTION RECOVERY

8 LIMBS, 10 BODIES, 12 STEPS





PATTY (PATWANT) WILDASINN
Companion soundtrack by Jap Dharam Rose
Illustrations by Israel Ron
Edited by Dr. Dorothy Wills
Cover by Dr. Mandi Batalo









Copyright © 2022 Patty Wildasinn.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.



Balboa Press
A Division of Hay House
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com
844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

The exercises and recipes in this book come from the teachings of yoga. No medical advice is intended or given herein. Always check with your personal physician or licensed health care practitioner before making any significant changes in your lifestyle or exercise regimen to ensure that any changes may be appropriate for your personal health condition and for any medications you may be taking.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Israel Ron

ISBN: 979-8-7652-3311-5 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-7652-3312-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022915116



Balboa Press rev. date: 08/25/2022



Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface

1 What is Addiction?
2 Chakras
3 Eight Limbs of Yoga
4 Ten Energy Bodies
5 The Twelve Steps
6 A Spirit of Collaboration
7 Introduction to Kundalini Yoga
8 Step One
9 Step Two
10 Step Three
11 Step Four
12 Step Five
13 Step Six
14 Step Seven
15 Step Eight
16 Step Nine
17 Step Ten
18 Step Eleven
19 Step Twelve
20 The Heart Centered Mind

Music
References
Resources



Acknowledgements
The task of acknowledging everyone who contributed to the creation of this book feels overwhelming. The list spans a lifetime. I acknowledge and give credit to all of the individuals who helped to make me who I am today. It’s the relationships in recovery, yoga, and beyond that gave birth to this project. My gratitude is immense.
I would like to give special thanks to those who shared their creative hand in this project; editor Dr. Dorothy Wills, illustrator Israel Ron, cover design Dr. Mandi Batalo, the many who shared personal testimonials, and especially to Jap Dharam Rose for recording the very beautiful and functional companion soundtrack.



Preface
Where did this come from?
This entire book on 12 Step recovery and yoga was originally going to be a single chapter in my first book, Yogable, A Gentle Approach to Yoga for Special Populations. As I began to dive into writing on this topic, I quickly saw that there was just too much information to share in one chapter. As I was contemplating simply deleting the chapter on addiction and dealing with it later, I had an Akashic Record Reading that confirmed this was the right decision. In the most rudimentary sense, the Akashic Record stores all information of current and past incarnations on a cosmic level. An analogy would be similar to how the grooves on a vinyl record contain the music notes, lyrics, and songs. The facilitator told me that I would be writing a whole book on yoga and addiction in the next five years. The timing is about spot on.
Both addiction and yoga are topics near and dear to me, and I realized personal insight into the workings of recovery and yoga would be beneficial in book form. I have attended yoga trainings with wonderful information about using yogic technology to support addiction recovery. The teachers have had intellectual knowledge, but have lacked personal experience with addiction. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not passing judgement, they have helped many people, but I understand why they are left baffled and in tears when someone they are trying to help leaves yoga and returns to using behaviors and drugs of choice. Addicts have an amazing ability to be manipulative and enchanting. Addiction is an affliction of deep self-centeredness. Both the 12 Step programs and yoga derive from spiritual principles and encourage connection with a like-minded community, which helps to relieve the obsession of self.
It is not my intention to outline the 12 Steps in their totality, or tell people how to work a program. My goal is to provide insight into addiction and recovery through the use of the 12 Steps and yoga, sharing a technology of body and breath, as well as the mind. I intend to introduce the concepts of yoga that support the entire recovery process, and I will share helpful practices that can be used in a concrete and practical way.
The 12 Step programs are anonymous in nature, and so right off the bat I stretch beyond my comfort zone in a very public way. As a recovering addict I have maintained my anonymity in both private and public sectors of my life, and have been reticent in sharing on the level of full self-disclosure. When my children were young, it was a choice made on their behalf as well as my own. That time is over now, and I am very openly breaking my anonymity in the hope of helping others. If just one person reads something that helps them stay in recovery one more day, move more deeply into a relationship with self or a Higher Power, or try a practice that makes them feel good, then my goal is accomplished.
Some of the basic yoga information shared within these pages comes from my first book, Yogable. It is shared in a condensed manner in order to prepare for the yoga experience outlined for each of the 12 Steps.
May you approach these pages with an open mind and willing attitude. This book is put together in a way that it may be used by individuals seeking a personal practice, or for yoga teachers wanting to teach those in recovery, possibly in treatment centers, prisons, sober living centers, or private yoga studios. Adapt the information to your own personal needs and/or target audience.



1
What is Addiction?
I was almost dead from my addiction by the time I was twenty. Physically still alive, but spiritually and emotionally bankrupt, I was hopeless and full of despair. I hated everyone, but most of all I hated myself.
As far back into childhood as I can remember, I felt as though I didn’t quite belong. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin, insecure, angry and fearful, although I knew not why. I felt like I missed the secret to life. On the outside it sure appeared to me like others knew something I did not.
My first intentional experience with alcohol, at the age of fourteen, filled the dark void within. The alcohol filled the empty hole. Even though I ended the night with my head in the toilet, I was in love. I found the solution to my internal dis-ease and couldn’t wait to drink again. I had found liquid comfort and courage. I made a conscious decision that night that I was going to drink when I grew up.
It was on! The disease of addiction did not wait for me to grow up; it took over immediately. The use of chemicals was an attempt to soothe internal conflict, although I would not have been able to make that identification in the early stages of using. I was drinking and experimenting with substances as often as I could, and very shortly after I turned seventeen, I was shooting heroin. I was after total obliteration through silent, self-destructive rebellion. At first, the drug culture lifestyle was actually quite fun. It took me out of my self and eased self-doubt. My engagement with life was aloof at best, as the drugs ran through my veins in a desperate attempt to fill the inner void. The punk rock music scene echoed the rebellious attitude in my mind. I’m sure I often smelled like stale beer and a smoky bar, even though I wasn’t technically old enough to be in one. Ahh, the 1980’s in Los Angeles and Hollywood.
In a short period of time my life became a blur. What initially worked to numb, and offer an escape from reality, quickly turned dark and out of control. As tolerance increased, I could never get enough.
I recall having moments of clarity, but was unable to stop using of my own volition. I tried a geographic move by going out of state to college, punk rock rebel turned sorority girl. I should note, I had excellent chameleon skills back in the day. It was there I remember waking up one morning out of money (which was the norm), wondering with desperation where I was going to get a drink that day. I was only nineteen years old and had a glimpse of clarity where I knew that this was no way to live, that maybe I had a probl