Practicing yoga may help addicts make it through recovery

Thousands of Americans engage in Dahn Yoga, often as a way to unwind, stay fit, reduce one's burden of stress, control the body's energy flow or reconnect the mental and physical selves. However, yoga also has a number of therapeutic uses, not least of which may be the ability to help drug addicts overcome their substance abuse problems.

A master's thesis published by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University states that yoga may contribute to a recovery plan, since it may help addicts calm and comport themselves.

This effect is not solely intended to make detoxification easier, writes thesis author Mark Griffiths. Instead, it is conceived as both a self healing technique and a behavioral aid, the latter of which might help social workers make the most of a person's recovery period.

Griffiths noted that even the teacher-student relationship between a yoga instructor and a new pupil can act as a type of interpersonal guidepost for recovering addicts, allowing them to accept their newfound freedom from drugs and to learn to interact with others in a healthier, more committed way.

Regardless of a person's age, background of physical state, Dahn Yoga accepts members from all walks of life.

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