5 Yoga Teachers Who Overcame Addiction Share Stories Yoga + Addiction

Addiction is something that most people suffer from in some form or another. Whether it be addiction to substance, negative thought pattens or other destructive behaviour. Addiction is rooted in fear and disconnects us from our intuition. Mantra translation ~ SAA, TAA, NAA, MAA translates as Infinity, Life, Death or Transformation, Rebirth. This mantra increases intuition, balances the hemispheres of the brain & describes the continuous cycle of life & creation.

Both of these mental health conditions are common with substance abuse. The chemicals released from the brain during these practices can help to feel calm and happier. Regardless of the origins, both yoga and meditation have been introduced to Western culture to extreme popularity and benefit, including helping people through addiction recovery. Led by a world-class teaching staff who represent a wide variety of backgrounds and modalities, this conference offers strength and hope on the journey from addiction to recovery. I believe that getting sober at age 33 in 2008 was the beginning of my kundalini awakening. The doubt, fear, unexpressed grief, and years of unprocessed emotions needed to be allowed up to consciousness before my inner light could be remembered.

Choose the Length of Practice

The
pictures were so breathtaking and peaceful and I enjoyed how they
showed each posture so I could follow along. There were even types of
food and prayer designed to help us move past our addictive obsessions
and embrace life in a positive and blessed way. This small wonder has
made it clearly and easily into my spiritual tool box and I would
recommend it to anyone looking for glorious ways to hope and health.

I had fallen into the trap of looking for something outside of myself to make me whole. The ego is kind of like a child in our brain while the higher self is the all-knowing adult. To sit in this part of our mind gives us a greater ability to see the underlying feeling that causes the compulsions.

Meditation for Healing Addictions

An imbalance in the pineal area of the brain can make mental and physical addictions seem unbreakable. Balancing the glands in this area helps to break those patterns. Everyone’s experience with yoga and meditation will be different.

In 2010, at a year and a half sober, I was suffering from those underlying issues terribly (depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts), when my AA sponsor brought me to my first Kundalini Yoga class. I felt like I had come home, and that the daily relief I had been searching for had finally been found. I began doing Stretch Pose and Ego Eradicator every day before getting out of bed, and it was suggested that I start a 40 day practice of Kirtan Kriya. In addition to my daily practice, I attended AA meetings and worked the 12 Steps, and began to develop the courage to make some big changes in my life, including ending a dysfunctional marriage. In 2011, I began the Kundalini Research Institute Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training in order to share this life changing practice with others. Right after completing my training, I went to West Africa to share the healing power of Kundalini Yoga with young victims of a civil war in Liberia.

kundalini Yoga

I was creating the internal equivalent of a cocaine high every time I gambled. My heart rate would increase, my breathing would become shallow and my adrenals started firing as they will always do when I am in a fight-or-flight situation. There were moments in casinos where I felt as if I my heart might explode—precisely the feeling I was after. Building a “toolbox” of practices that encourage a sense of well being and peace, can assist with replacing destrucitve behaviors with healthier habits. Habits like spending time in nature, walking, hiking, practicing yoga and meditation slowly build a pattern of healthier and less destructive choices.

• The term addiction in basic terms is the uncontrollable compulsion to do something.
• Connected to our wholeness, we more readily recognize our addictive behaviors and find the inner strength to move beyond them.

Even after many years of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, I found that a very deep sense of disappointment with life and even loneliness pervaded me. My outward success was apparent; I’d gone back to school, received a master’s degree, repaired relationships, and had even received acknowledgment and accolades as a yoga teacher and therapist. However, I knew that there was something eating me up from the inside. My intimate relationships reminded me of “Groundhog Day.” I kept choosing the same dysfunctional person in a different form and I even thought I enjoyed it.

Those who approach it from a more spiritual lens may find enhanced mental wellness, kindness, and compassion, for instance. Additionally, with the various types of yoga and meditation available, the positive outcomes will vary. As you are practicing your breathing and chanting, focus on how your breath is moving through your body and helping you to relax. Whenever your mind starts to wander, consciously return your focus back to your breath and mantra. My addiction to alcohol was a response to my inability to feel safe or settled. Unless I was watching TV, reading a book, or playing a sport, my experience of everyday life was that it was something to endure without the prospect of things getting better.

Since your business is an extension of you, it’s up to YOU to define what success means to you… Best believe that if you’re ready to nourish your online empire as you continue to answer the call to unleash your medicine, you found yourself at the right place. We offer simple meditations https://stylevanity.com/2023/07/top-5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-sober-house.html with inspirational words for you to use in your everyday life. These are the original teachings that Yogi Bhajan used when he first came to America. Inspired by the results in Washington, the Tucson, Arizona center conducted a pilot project for a drug user to enter treatment.

You’ll know if you’ve found the sweet spot as the muscle behind your thumbs start to rhythmically move to the the Panj Shabd mantra. In our modern culture, addictive behavior is everywhere. We may be addicted to smoking, eating, drinking, or drugs; or we can be addicted subconsciously to acceptance, advancement, rejection, emotional love, etc. All of these lead us to insecure and neurotic behavior patterns.