I was having coffee with some friends today and one said I’ve never tried yoga, another said I never exercise, another said I’m afraid. It got me thinking so I thought other people in recovery may need to hear this too. Yoga for me is like meditation it is movement but it is also stillness. It is the one place other than in actual meditation where I am forced to be present. I cannot focus on the brain as much when I am trying to hold a pose and listen to the next pose instructions. It removes toxins from the body and has a whole slew of health benefits. It can heal trauma which we store in our hips. It can stretch sore muscles and allow us to be more flexible. But one of the most important things it does is it re-disciplines you daily. If you get up and do yoga it requires a choice just as our old habits often got us into trouble or pain or addictive behaviors. Yoga is a healthy lifestyle that keeps your body and mind disciplined. When I miss a week or even a few days of not doing yoga stretches at home I feel it. I feel different. More achey more apt to snap at small things. Less centered so it has become like medicine for my soul.
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