Yoga offers more than just a physical workout. For people in recovery, it can be a path to healing, self-awareness, and resilience. Whether you’re in the early stages of recovery or have been sober for years, yoga provides a grounding practice that helps soothe the body and mind while building resilience. In this 60-minute session, we’ll explore how yoga can support recovery by incorporating mindfulness, breathwork, and poses that encourage both physical and emotional balance.
It’s all about the nerves
Our nervous system can be seperated into several interwoven systems. The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and breathing. The parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems are two branches of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is often referred to as the “fight or flight” system because it prepares the body to respond to stress or danger by increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, and redirecting blood flow to the muscles. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is known as the “rest and digest” system, as it helps the body return to a calm state after a stressful situation. It slows the heart rate, stimulates digestion, and encourages relaxation and recovery. Both systems work together to maintain balance in the body, responding to various internal and external stimuli.
The Role of Yoga in Recovery
Yoga supports recovery by helping you reconnect with your body and mind. For many of us in recovery, the body has endured stress, trauma, and neglect. Yoga helps rebuild the connection between body and mind. Through breathwork, meditation, and movement, you can start to feel grounded and present again.
In terms of our nerves, yoga has a calming effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s rest-and-digest functions. Through deep, controlled breathing and slow, mindful movements, yoga activates this system, helping to lower heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and promote relaxation. By stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, yoga encourages the body to shift from a state of stress to one of recovery and balance, allowing for healing and emotional well-being. This makes yoga a powerful tool for managing stress and supporting overall health for we who are in recovery.
A Yoga Practice to Stimulate the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Here’s a 60 minute yoga practice to stimulate your PNS. We begin with some simple breathing and seated movements. Slowly, we move into larger movements and a gentle flow before winding back down into savasana.
“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”
― B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life