Day 1 - Yoga for Sobriety - How & Why Yoga can Support Addiction Recovery

Transcript

foreign [Music] so what does yoga have to do with sobriety and how is it supportive well that's taken me a while actually to figure out um so I've been sober for about nine years but I was introduced to yoga before that about 14 years ago I took my first yoga class in a drug and alcohol treatment center one of many that I went to but luckily one of them had yoga in it and I was like whoa I didn't know why it felt supportive um I didn't know what was really happening but I know that I felt connected and I felt an ability to listen in a different way than I normally was my life was very loud very chaotic and when I got onto my yoga mat it's like something cracked open there was a little bit of a space to listen in a very noisy world that contrast is quite um profound I suppose so I didn't get sober there's not like a certain yoga pose that's going to get you sober there's no like magic method or magic formula unfortunately sorry but it's a support and through the years I've become to you know realize and understand why and my these is my theory is that one it provides us a place to check in with ourselves when often we don't have that space we create quite noisy lives in addiction to breath I like Vinyasa yoga which is breath and movement so you're really focusing on the breath and when our nervous system is out of whack which it is in stressful situations it is an addiction then the breath helps us to regulate it so if we're adding focus and we're adding attention onto the breath it helps to unwind tension in our nervous system and it helps us be more useful helps us look at the world from a different perspective when we can shift our nervous system State there'll be another class to talk about the nervous system more movement is getting back in our body because addiction creates so much disconnection from our body we are overriding messages that we're getting we're like we are formulatically wanting more of this and less of this and all of these things that are happening in our body is not they're not very um graceful or woven or nurturing so when we can move our body in a connected way you know creating connection then that's so wildly so wildly supportive so breath movement space that's that's a few things but then whenever you bring in some of the yoga philosophy and I love to bring in like some Buddhist philosophy and stuff as well they've been talking about this stuff for a long time it's the reminder that our pain is not personal and as Buddhists would say that to be a human is to be an addict in a way that we're always wanting things that feel good wanting to get away from things that want bad and that craving for things to be different than they are Keeps Us in this cycle of addiction whether that looks like drugs and alcohol which is a very obvious form of addiction you can see that from the outside or whether it is creating forms of things that feel more subtle or maybe not as easy to see from the outside eye but how do you act when you're in discomfort is it you know people getting relationships codependency uh Netflix numbing shopping working like all of these things help to change the way that we feel but are they sustainable are we running from ourselves or is what we're doing supporting ourselves are we getting drained by our behaviors or are we getting nourished so yoga and Buddhist philosophy really examine all of that and they've been examining it for thousands of years and that really feels supports me and feeling like I'm not alone in this because addiction also separates us it makes us think that we are different but actually we're all doing this it just looks different to that beautiful butterfly just looks different powerful Salve to know that to really to really know that but today wanting to just breathe and move and have a little space for reflection and again like I said there's no formula I'm not going to show you any like secret ancient method for never you know reaching for a line or a drink again because that's that's not true but we can get to know ourselves better and this practice of yoga it it helps me do that it has helped me do that time and time again and I'm still on that Journey so about befriending ourselves which is also what's recovery what recovery is about so today just going to do a grounding yoga practice will do some sun salutations and some a few grounding Asana which is what the poses are called so whether you've done yoga before whether this is your first time it doesn't matter about what it looks like um it just matters what it feels like and that you're in it so let's begin sitting cross-legged and closing your eyes down if it feels okay or letting the eyes be heavy and we're just turning inward so we're turning our outer perception inward it's called interception getting to know what's going on with our system which is very important in recovery is learning how to listen because likely you've spent a lot of time not listening and overriding I know I have steady breath and begin to notice your breath something that's always happening and we don't really give it much attention so give some attention to your breath find a fluid pace and we'll try to take that with us through class and you'll forget about it and then you can remember and come back and I'll cue you and we'll put some movements with the breath so that really supports Us in Remembering to breathe Vinyasa to move with breath let's bring the hands together and just setting an intention here of just exploring of just trying this out and seeing what happens being open to what happens releasing control and allowing tall order all right let's let's do it inhale lift the arms up and you're going to bring them wide turn the Palms up and lift them up the Gaze can follow hands come together and an exhale draw them down to Heart Center and see if you can do this really slowly and move with resistance kind of like you're moving through thick honey or something inhale arms go wide Palms go up and again like push up thick air long inhale and then exhale pull down use the whole exhale to get where you're going so maybe you're moving faster than me maybe moving slower that's fine but move with your breath again inhale and exhale out breath once more and this time on the exhale right hand comes down and reach over to the left side press your left sit bone your left booty into the ground and then reach to the left fingertip so you're getting along from the fingertips down to the booty big side body stretch can you spiral your ribs around your spine so you're kind of opening the heart to the sky one more big inhale here and then exhale heart as if it was a light shine it down and just kind of slice through the air and we'll come to the other side left hand plants right arm opens heart spirals open and just stay for a couple rounds of breath then we'll begin to move with breath so heart shines down swoop through the air inhale open so now breath movement exhale inhale open to the left and just move like you here you can add on anything if you'd like or make it your own again it doesn't matter what it looks like there's no Precision or formula here once more each side the breast lifts you up and then walk the hands forward and maybe you come to the forearms maybe you don't we're just kind of stretching forward here and have a little bit of a wiggle or a sway and just let it feel good in your body just exploring walking the hands in come to tabletop position so that's hands over the knees and hips hands over the shoulders over the wrists hands whoa shoulders over the wrist hips over the knees there we go so we're gonna take some cat cows here you may have been here a zillion times maybe your first time let it feel like first time at least isn't that what we're always looking for that's gonna get caught in that of looking for what it felt like the first time huh anyone relate to that soften your elbows let it feel like this time how about that soften your elbows so cat pose well let's do cow pose purse let the belly drop pull the Heart Center through the shoulders open the throat open the heart and the booty goes up so your arch so you have an arc in the back and then push through the hands let the tailbone reach down towards the backs of the knees the belly draws towards the spine chin to the chest and round this is cat pose so really exaggerate it really root down through the hands and then we'll move with breath between these two so soften the elbows pull the heart through booty goes up and then exhale push through the hands chin to chest puff up the back of the heart inhale cow pose kind of Sling the heart forward you can draw the hands and knees towards one another just isometrically energetically to exaggerate it and then exhale push and you can push the hands and the knees away from each other here really spread the scapula and then just move like you maybe find some Wiggles just organic cat Cow so moving outside the box a little bit scribble Outside the Lines [Applause] but continue that steady breath tuck the toes downward facing dog so you lift the knees press into the hands downward dog pedal out here the heels don't need to go to the ground don't even worry about it bend the knees as much as you'd like the heels are just going in that direction push through the hands you're creating like a triangle with your body here so long from the wrists to the sit bones and then the sit bones down to the heels downward facing dog and then slowly walk the feet up to the hands in a forward fold the feet are wide like hips distance wide bend the knees as much as you like bring the belly to the thighs grab opposite elbows and release maybe a little bit of a shake here and then push through the feet you can release the arms and roll up very slowly maybe still some more shakes here lift the arms up and then bring the hands to Heart Center so Mountain pose firmly footed through the feet so like bend the knees and push down like you should like shoot tendrils down through your feet so the same action that you're pressing down lift through the crown of the head so you're getting the long spine lengthens hands come to Heart Center here press into the hands so much that the shoulders come onto the back just a little bit like they draw together we're going to do a couple sun salutations it's just movement with breath don't worry so much about the movement I'll walk you through it but let the breath guide you we'll do three rounds this is called Sun salutation a so inhale lift the arms up maybe they touch above the head maybe they don't that's all right bend the knees Bend at the hips and fold forward maybe the hands draw down through prayer pose and they come down to the ground inhale halfway lift so lift up halfway on an inhale kind of puff up the back of the heart and then lengthen and then plant the hands and step your feet back to downward facing dog take a full round of breath here and then we're going to wave forward so lift the heels and then scoop the belly a little bit as you wave yourself forward shoulders over the wrists so plank pose knees can be up or down push into the Earth again like tendrilic like you're shooting Roots through the fingers and then we're going to come all the way down to the ground you can bring the knees down if you like untuck the toes and just find your way down to the ground nothing fancy all right hands down by the ribs you could also bring them out past the shoulders your choice and press down to lift up so Cobra pose so you can lift just a little bit you can lift a lot you could just lift the heart so your choice any of this is just you're choosing you got an agency and then hands down by the wrist will come back into downward dog so you can tuck the toes press into the Earth and the hips guide you back downward dog walk the feet towards the hands you're welcome to jump up there as well if you feel so inclined and then inhale halfway lift exhale fold forward again humble yourself down and then bend the knees press down to lift up any way you'd like to get there with the flat back or you can roll up hands above the head and then exhale hands to Heart Center we'll do two more rounds of this and we'll do it a little bit more with breath here all right let's do it inhale lift the arms and exhale fold forward inhale puff up the back of the heart and lengthen and exhale plant the hands step back downward facing dog inhale Way Forward plank pose in exhale bend the elbows find your way down to the ground knees upper Knees Down untuck the toes press down through the floor and then inhale lengthen heart lifts a little bit or a lot and exhale plant the hands downward facing dog three full rounds of breath here exhale out the mouth [Applause] inhale let the rib cage get wide belly wide and then exhale let something go as if you could actually push it out with your breath again inhale [Applause] okay it's towards the hands you can step or jump to the top of the mat maybe it's graceful maybe it not doesn't matter inhale halfway lift into exhale fold forward soft Bend in the knees press down to rise all the way up and neat exhale draw hands to Heart Center full round of breath here once more we flow we move with breath inhale lift exhale soft knees Bend at the hips fold forward inhale halfway lift up exhale downward facing dog inhale lift the heels wave forward plank pose exhale find the Earth come all the way down and then inhale lift the heart up exhale humble yourself down Tuck the toes find your way back downward facing dog three rounds of breath every inhale you infuse your body with oxygen fill up and then your exhale it carves out space that releases something you don't need and creates space for something sweet to come in gaze forward step or jump to the top of the mat inhale halfway lift and exhale fold down press down to lift up hands meet above your head and exhale hands to Heart Center full inhale full exhale the hands come down by the side separate the feet wide soften the knees let's just have a shake here this isn't a traditional yoga which a lot of mine isn't that shaking is so important really can help us shift our energy you can make it really big or you can make it really subtle flick the hands exhale out the mouth wiggle the hips and then find Stillness inhale lift the arms up and exhale fold down step back downward facing dog inhale wave forward plank pose stay right here a couple rounds of breath and then exhale slowly the knees come down untuck the toes and sit back onto your heels and take a simple twist so twisting towards the right the back of the left hand or the left hand can go on the outside of the right side you're just going to take a twist to the right right fingertips can come to a block or to the floor and the Gaze maybe goes to the right maybe just straight ahead and see what feels good in your body and then inhale come back to Center lift the arms up and then exhale twist to the other side three rounds of breath notice where the Mind goes when it goes because it goes that's normal inhale Center exhale to the right and when we have space and when we have quiet and you know on our mat we can practice watching where it goes when it goes sounds simple not easy inhale lift the arms and exhale twist to the left once more inhale Center and exhale release the hands let's send the legs out in front and we'll take a forward fold so pull the toes back you can bring your booty out just a little bit to help the pelvis set forward and then inhale from where your connection is with the ground press down so you can lift up grow the spine and then fold forward it does not matter how far you go forward maybe you come to the feet and pull yourself down maybe you stay up and you just walk the hands forward you can also put something underneath the knees a block you can also use your fists underneath the knees can be helpful as you fold forward wherever you are released the back of the neck and see where else you can soften maybe even releasing the toes let's keep this as a really yinny pose so not a lot of muscular engagements see if you can continue to soften not um all of our Mo's not mine maybe a little bit of a wiggle here to help release notice if you're tensing the jaw and then slowly rolling up so bending the knees we're going to come down to the back so roll yourself down and just take a few we're gonna take a few rolling Bridges you can go ahead and get going if you know what that is or I'll show you and show you a rolling Bridge here so you're going to press down through the feet so much that the hips begin to lift you're going to press down until they lift as much as they can and that'll be an inhale and then an exhale you're slowly laying the spine back down like you were making a print with your spine like if you painted your spine and you were gonna yeah make a make a print and then press down through the feet and roll up use the whole inhale to get where you're going whole inhale and then exhale release if you'd like to use the arms here you can so then inhale lift the arms up as the hips lift and then drape them drip them back down as they come back down so three more times like this with your breath foreign again beautiful extend your legs long open the Palms maybe roll your shoulders back shavasana this means corpse pose just helping to highlight the ending of something and we need to end things and we try to hold on so much but we need to end things so that something new can begin and the yogis really knew this they really highlighted this in all of their all of their philosophy the cyclical nature of life that death is needed endings are needed we need to let go so that new things can come thank you so what are you wanting to let go of what's past its due date what's ready to be done and release shavasana getting to deepen your breath just a reminder that we always get a chance to begin again no matter how many times we need to it's it's part of life that we end and we begin over and over and over Wheeling the fingers and the toes and then bringing the soles of the feet onto the mat and turn into one side or the other in fetal position and I love I love how you come out of corpse pose that it's you know this symbolism of death and then a rebirth of turning to the side and just an embodied reminder we always can begin again taking the top arm pressing it down into the ground the top hand and slowly letting yourself lift up and coming back into a seat I like to swirl the spine to kind of marinate a little bit and turn the Palms up in the lap or on the knees and just close with three rounds of breath together inhale sigh out the mouth [Applause] next to make a sound again [Applause] and bring the hands to the Heart Center maybe the thumbs up to the forehead point the third eye if you'd like and this is what one of my the first teacher I ever had in that rehab what she said to me that was so helpful is that namaste and her translation was that her higher self bowed and saw my higher cell and at the time I didn't know that I had a higher self I didn't know that that piece existed and that really kind of flipped it for me like whoa I have the possibility to have many different parts of me and maybe one of them has maybe one of them has my highest good in sites maybe one of them wants to tend and nurture so that part of me sees that part of you and My Shadow side also sees your satisfied I understand as I hope that you do that we have all parts of ourselves many many many parts of ourselves and that as we get to know each of them this practice helped us do that we become and we remember our wholeness because wholeness includes it all one more inhale and bow forward and thanks and gratitude hmm thank you so much I hope that you found some benefit from this class yoga has been such a massive part of my journey and my recovery and my continued part of getting to know myself I'm so grateful to get to be a little part of your practice hmm if you want to learn more about what I do in the recovery world and my upcoming course emerge then you can check out the link in the description it's it's quite a journey I'll see you next time on your mat