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6 Yoga Retreats to Help You Deal With Addiction

Whether you’re recently sober or finally ready to overcome workaholism, you’ll find community and practical tools at these yoga retreats.

STEPHANIE GRANADA

DEC 3, 2018

These yoga retreats for addiction can help you take your practice—and clean lifestyle—to the next level, whether you’re addicted to alcohol, prescription pills, food, screen-time, or more.

Kripalu Center For Yoga & Health

You can’t scroll through the news these days without hitting on a story about substance abuse or other behavioral addictions. (And yes, smartphone addiction is a thing now.) The disorders keep moving closer to home and take on many forms, ranging from one person’s obvious alcoholism to another’s murkier online shopping habit. We’re a culture hooked on work, social media, prescription pills, Netflix, personal image, food—the list goes on. And, while the daily coverage and troubling stats are enough to send us into a panic, the good news is that more people are getting help and dealing with their unhealthy habits and disorders in the open.

For many—like the powerhouse yogis who host these six retreats—yoga stands at the heart of their recovery.

See also 5 Yoga Teachers Who Overcame Addiction

It makes sense. Most of what addiction represents, your practice counteracts. Dependency keeps you stuck between the autopilot action and the constant worry of what will happen without your drug of choice; yoga, on the other hand, cultivates mindfulness. With uppers or shopping sprees, you might be avoiding emotional pain; yoga encourages awareness and radical acceptance. Where alcohol separates you from your body, yoga helps you go deeper into yourself.

There are the science-backed physical benefits, too: Yoga lowers stress hormones in the body, which drugs and alcohol can send into overdrive. Meditation can ease the pain that led you to opioids in the first place. And, a regular practice can help you sleep better, without the need for wine or insomnia meds.

Recovery has to be fought on all fronts, with a steely mix that strengthens you physically, mentally, and emotionally. These yoga retreats combine yoga, inspiring settings, workshops, healthy food, and good old fashioned joy to help you deal with addiction. Of course, they are not a substitute for a proper rehab program. (In fact, most of these retreats require that anyone with substance abuse disorders be sober for at least a few months before attending.) But at any of these retreats, you can count on an experience that will further empower your recovery. 

See also How This Yoga Community in Austin Is Supporting Addiction Recovery

Mindfully Recovering Retreat in Quebec, Canada

Escape to this 55-acre wellness center in Quebec’s wooded Gatineau Hills to kickstart the year-long Mindfully Recovering program, aimed at breaking addictive cycles. Mental patterns (ranging from the triggers that compel someone to overspend to the work-stress cycle that leads another to pills) are some of the biggest obstacles on the road to recovery. That’s why Gaia Wellness takes a long-term approach to fight relapse. The retreat, which you can choose as a three or seven-day experience, introduces you to the team and the curriculum with daily yoga classes, art and nature activities, one-on-one talks with peers and counselors, and healthy eats. After the kickoff event, you’ll remain accountable to the group through social media chats and monthly physical and virtual meetups. Ongoing workshops cover all areas of emotional health (forgiving yourself and others, recognizing triggers, transforming negative self-talk, tapping into your inner truth), as well as tools to overcome other side effects of addiction, like debt and damaged relationships. As a certified yoga teacher, reiki therapist, and meditation coach; founder Billie Lynn Hillis can also perform energy healing sessions and set you up with a personalized yoga and meditation routine to continue back home.

When: November 30-December 2

From $695, gaiawellnessretreat.com

See also 10 Best Women-Only Yoga Retreats Around the World

Gaia Wellness Retreat

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About the Author

Stephanie Granada is a freelance writer and editor, who splits her time between Colorado, Miami, and NYC. 

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 STEPHANIE GRANADA