YOGA FOR drug addiction
About YOGA FOR DRUG ADDICTION
People with addictions use substances to try to change the way they feel about themselves. Although the most common underlying issue is a desperate lack of self-esteem – feeling worthless and not good enough, sufferers tend to look for answers outside of themselves.
Yoga, mindfulness and meditation can help sufferers look within. Taking one step at a time is at the centre of the practice – focusing on the present, and not too far into the future. Cultivating stillness through meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises) can enable the sufferer to experience the connection between body, mind and breath, and to move towards self-acceptance and, eventually, self-love.
Practicing a gentle style of yoga can also help to detoxify the body.
Clinical studies have suggested that yoga, mindfulness and meditation can help reduce drug use, improve mood, quality of life and energy levels.
What the clinical studies say
Yoga
- Decreases criminal activities
- Improvements on the Behaviour and Symptom Identification Scale
- Improvements on the Quality of Recovery Index
- Improves mood during detox
- Improves quality of life during detox
- Increases energy
- Increases satisfaction and stability
- Reduces drug use
- Reduces and can halt consumption of marijuana
- Reduces drug use for those with PTSD
the clinical studies
Yoga
Evaluation of a Residential Kundalini Yoga Lifestyle Pilot Program for Addiction in India
Yoga as an alternative intervention for promoting a healthy lifestyle among college students.
A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction
Yoga for addictions: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials
Yoga as a Therapeutic Component in Treating Chemical Dependency
Physical Exercise and Yoga in Prevention and Treatment of Addictive Diseases
Comparing Hatha yoga with dynamic group psychotherapy for enhancing methadone maintenance treatment: a randomized clinical trial.
Meditation
PTSD symptoms, substance use, and vipassana meditation among incarcerated individuals
Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation for substance use disorders: a systematic review
