Power of Yoga to Kick Addictions and Change your Life

Christy Turlington Burns and Nikki Myers talk about  Y12SR.

"I stayed “out there” a while before I got back into 12-steps and back into yoga. I originally tried yoga in the 70s and a seed was planted then, but men, sex, drugs, alcohol and money diverted my attention and I let yoga go. After this relapse though, I did some deep study and practice. I let the 12-step program go and put everything into yoga. That worked for four years until I relapsed again. That’s when I reached the WTF point and asked myself, “I’m an intelligent woman. Why can’t I do this?” Every time, the consequences of too much drinking, drugging and living outside my value system, outside of integrity with myself, digs me deeper and deeper. It was after that relapse I believed the problem was I was separating 12-steps and yoga and they don’t really belong separate.

The 12-step program talks about addiction as a physical, mental and spiritual disease. They address the cognitive piece pretty well and I love that it’s free and accessible. What’s lacking is a deep connection to the spiritual. They talk about having a God of your understanding and about prayer and meditation but it’s this cursory mention without any depth. They also don’t address the physical piece except at detox. Putting those things together was how the Yoga of 12-step Recovery program came about, out of my own need for a relapse recovery program. It’s been almost 13 years now since my last relapse so for an addict like me (and there are a lot of addicts like me) I’m finding there’s a lot of value. It’s not meant to replace a 12-step meeting. It’s meant to be something that only compliments it and provides an additional tool to support recovery." ~ Nikki Myers

"What happens at Y12SR meetings? Modeled from 12-step programs, Y12SR is a group sharing circle plus an intentional, themed yoga class intended to deepen or jumpstart the journey of self-discovery. The Y12SR foundation has trained 300 teachers and currently conducts 50-plus meetings through out the country."

See the full article at http://everymothercounts.org/blog/201301/christy-turlington-burns-and-nikki-myers-talk-about-power-yoga-kick-addictions-and