and having gratitude become parts of everyday life. In both yoga and twelve-step recovery, being of service, or practicing karma yoga, is vital to both internal growth and communion with your Higher Power.
I was able to use what I had been learning on the mat—to use the postures with controlled breathing and a focused mind to become more self-aware—in my approach to life and self-discovery, and apply the yoga philosophy to enrich my Eleventh Step prayer and meditation beyond measure. I was truly being “rocketed into” what the Big Book (the basic text) of Alcoholics Anonymous (p. 25) describes as the “Fourth Dimension,” one day at a time, one practice at a time, one discovery at a time. Yoga, its roots more than 4,000 years old, helps us to be in life one breath at a time, one pose at a time. The practice and guidance of yoga invite us to leave the ego-self and to discover the essential, authentic self. In recovery, we develop a closer relationship with our Higher Power through a spiritual experience. In yoga, the physical exercises, breath practices, ethical observations, self-discovery, and meditation also lead us into a deeper relationship with the divine. In the practice of both yoga and a twelve-step program we seek to unify the body, mind, and spirit.
I was soon off to the races again, but this time in the enthusiastic pursuit of health. I began studying yoga and yoga philosophy. I became a yoga teacher. I enrolled in workshops and went on retreats to figure out how I could bring the beauty of yoga to those in recovery—those who might also have the curiosity and need that I felt. I am finding more and more people on a similar path, those who love recovery and yoga and who share in the desire to move from the Basic Texts onto the mat and into our true natures.
EXERCISE
FIRST BREATH PRACTICE
Three-Part Yoga Breath (Dirga Pranayama)
The three-part breath is an important technique that promotes relaxation and calming of the mind. It is often the first breath practice to learn in yoga. It moves one into mindful breathing. The benefits in healing or balancing the emotions are also great. When the mind is calm, it can also become clearer. In having the ability to relax, an individual lessens the harmful effects of stress on the body.
Focused three-part yogic breath awareness is often practiced while sitting comfortably in a cross-legged position on the floor, or in a straight-backed chair, though it can also be done while lying flat on the back on the floor. Novices may find it easier to learn this breathing technique while lying down, since you can better feel the breath as it moves through your body.
To perform the three-part breath, sit the in the comfortable cross-legged position or in a chair (or lie on your back), and close your eyes. If you’re sitting, make sure your spine is straight and erect. Relax your body and face. Start by observing your natural breathing pattern. Allow any distracting thoughts to drift away. Without judgment or attachment, invite them to come back later. Bring your attention back to the breath, allowing your focus to remain on the breathing.
Inhale through your nose, filling the belly with your breath as if it’s a balloon; exhale, expelling all breath from your belly through your nose, pulling in the stomach to make sure it’s empty of air. Watch that your breathing is smooth and relaxed, without any strain. Repeat several times, and then move on to the next step of this breath practice.
Perform the next inhale like the one before, but when the belly is full of air, breathe in a little more so the air enters the lower chest. Your rib cage should expand. Exhale from the chest first, and then exhale from the belly. Repeat this several times before transitioning to the third and final type of breath in this pranayama (breath control practice).
Inhale into the belly, then the lower chest, and then the upper chest so it expands and lifts your collarbones. Exhale through the nose, from the upper chest first, then the lower chest, and then the belly. Continue this for about ten breaths.
Return to your own native, natural breath and continue for a full minute before leaving this practice. Notice how you feel. Your breath is portable! You can use this type of focused, measured breathing anytime. It will add health, vitality, and ease to your life, and it can soothe you in trying situations, bringing patience and well-being to every moment. With time, this can become your conventional breathing pattern.
What Is Yoga?
There are many definitions of yoga, all of which depend on the context of what is being presented, especially in Hindu scriptures. There are schools, lineages, and unique practices. There are myriad interpretations of the original writings, with different areas of emphasis. For some, the term yoga refers exclusively to the physical practice, but for others the devotional aspects are of equal importance. I am going to keep it simple here and let the more in-depth explanations come later as we delve into our yoga practice.
Essentially, yoga is a philosophy that includes a system of physical postures, mindful breathing, and meditation intended to unify and balance the body, mind, and spirit in order to bring enlightenment, or an understanding of our true nature. In contemporary Western terms, it would lead to the understanding that we are not our ego but our soul, or higher self.
The Bhagavad Gita says, “Do thy work in the peace of Yoga and, free from selfish desires, be not moved in success or in failure. Yoga is evenness of mind—a peace that is ever the same.”1 Or, as Tav Sparks eloquently puts it in his book The Wide Open Door, “[Yoga] is the name used in India for the transformation of consciousness. Basically, yoga refers to the yoking, joining together, or union of the individual self with the Divine self, or Higher Power.”2
The term Higher Power as used in recovery is often seen as synonymous with a God of monotheistic religions. That definition works for some and alienates others. The concept of a single God can be incorporated into the practice of yoga. The underlying concept is that we all have a divine aspect within ourselves, within the illusions created by the ego-self. The journey is to remove these illusions to find the true, genuine, authentic self. To generalize, while Western religions search for an external source or authority to aid one in the search for the divine, Eastern religions look inward.
In discovering yoga and its philosophy, I found new ways of expanding this inner journey. I required some tools and methods to penetrate and dissolve the shell of ego, fear, insecurity, and denial that obscured my true nature. Yoga has a broad palette to choose from to help discover one’s true self, to reveal the selflessness, compassion, trust, and care in one’s core. To achieve this unveiling, there are yogas of devotion, duty, self-study, and physical practices for well-being. These can be incorporated into your life whether you believe in a monotheistic God or you are an adherent of an Eastern religion and are seeking alignment with the divinity within you. Your Higher Power can remain of your own choosing as you expand your tool kit to include additional practices to enhance your journey.
I will introduce several types and styles of yoga that are helpful in expanding recovery work. We are most used to hearing about the physical practice of yoga—the postures or asanas. Particularly in the last few decades, many new applications of hatha yoga have been designed, developed, and popularized in the West. There are systems and there are schools, and the majority of these focus on the poses; the philosophy is not usually a critical component in the studio or gym.
These styles are all variations of hatha yoga, and are developed, redesigned, or focused for a specialized approach to working with the body. The classical forms of yoga reach back to more basic poses performed in a style that focuses on integrating body, mind, and spirit. In that the true purpose of all hatha yoga is to unite body, mind, and spirit, to bring union to the entire true nature of a person it is helpful to be less focused on developing the body beautiful. My approach relies on the classical forms
