Yoga Therapy | Benefits and How it is Used
For a lot of people, hearing the word “yoga” brings to mind tricky poses and intense workout classes. In recent years, yoga may have become the world’s biggest fitness trend, but it is rooted in centuries-old healing practices. At Linwood House, we include yoga therapy in our rehab programme to help support your recovery gently and meaningfully. It has become one of our clients’ favourite treatment approaches, and it has massive benefits both during treatment and long after you leave us.
What is yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India thousands of years ago. The word “yoga” comes from a Sanskrit term meaning “to yoke” or “to unite,” referring to the connection between mind, body and spirit. Traditionally, yoga was a way of life, not just physical exercise, and it included movement, breathwork, meditation, and spiritual reflection. Over time, different schools and styles of yoga developed, from Hatha yoga’s slow, meditative movements to the flowing sequences of Vinyasa and the more physically demanding practices like Ashtanga and Power yoga.
Today, yoga has become a global phenomenon, with millions of people practising it for everything from fitness and flexibility to strength training and stress relief. Yoga can be practised in a group class or just at home, and there are over 2,000 yoga channels on YouTube alone. No matter how you practise, yoga is a fantastic way to bring your mind, body and spirit into sync and help you feel more grounded in your everyday life.
What is yoga therapy?
A regular yoga class might focus on fitness or flexibility, but yoga therapy is very different. While regular yoga classes often focus on fitness or relaxation, yoga therapy is designed to help with deeper stuff like anxiety, trauma and, crucially, addiction. There is no pressure to “perform” or hold tricky poses in yoga therapy; gentle movement, breathwork, and guided relaxation help you feel more at ease in your own body.
When you are constantly stressed in life or during rehab treatment, it’s easy for your body and mind to feel completely out of sync. Yoga therapy brings the two back together, with simple stretching and breathing helping to release tension and calm your racing mind so you can relax and focus on getting better.
Yoga therapy in an addiction treatment setting
At Linwood House, yoga therapy is part of our whole-person approach to recovery. While our treatment for drug addiction begins with detox, we believe that successfully sustained recovery requires deeper healing. Yoga therapy can help with that healing, giving you a welcome break from intensive talking therapy but also providing real benefits for every aspect of your health.
Our yoga therapy sessions usually last around an hour or an hour and a half and can be done independently or in a small group. Your yoga therapist might start with a bit of mindful breathing to help you settle in and then guide you through a few gentle poses that match your energy and mood. Try some simple meditation or visualisation, which can boost your mood or energy and clear out any negative thoughts and emotions.
Afterwards, your therapist may suggest a few easy practices you can do between sessions, like different breathing techniques or a certain pose to stretch out after a long day.
Our yoga therapist shares the philosophy which guides our sessions:
“We carry so much of our story in our bodies, so it’s no wonder recovery feels heavy sometimes. In yoga therapy, we use breath, movement and stillness to help you reconnect with yourself and release anything that’s feeling stuck. Whether you are dealing with cravings, self-blame or just trying to slow down, we take it one stretch, one breath and one moment at a time.”
How can yoga therapy support addiction recovery?
For anyone in recovery, yoga therapy for addiction recovery can ease stress, reduce cravings and help your body heal gently from the strain of addiction. It is especially useful if you have been feeling anxious, down or physically tense, all common side effects when you’re trying to get sober and make big changes in your life.
When things get tough, your mat can become a place where you can breathe, reset and refocus. It strengthens not just your muscles but also your ability to cope, and that makes it easier to stick with your recovery, even when the emotional work feels hard.
After rehab, yoga can still be your anchor. It supports better sleep, less stress and more stable moods, giving you everything that helps you stay on track. Keeping up with your yoga practice also gives you something positive to focus on, a healthy way to cope with difficult days and maybe even a new community of people who support your sober life.
How does yoga therapy complement other rehab therapies?
There is no universal formula for addiction treatment but yoga is one of those tools that blends beautifully with a lot of other approaches. For example, CBT helps change how you think and yoga helps with how you feel in your body. That is a powerful combo with yoga slowing everything down enough for those therapy lessons to really sink in.
Yoga is also a great support during group therapy. Some people feel nervous or tense in group settings, and a little bit of yoga can help them to loosen that up. There is always a lot of laughter in yoga therapy, which can make you feel safer, calmer and more willing to open up.
If you are working through a 12-step programme, yoga can even become a physical expression of some of its core ideas. This includes things like surrender, patience and showing up one breath at a time. Yoga therapy gives you a quiet space to reflect and reset and that can be a real game-changer in how you carry those steps forward into everyday life.
Begin yoga therapy at Linwood House
If you are interested in trying something new to support your recovery, yoga therapy might be a great place to start. At Linwood House, we offer gentle, guided sessions that are designed to help you reconnect with every part of yourself. Whether you are brand new to yoga or you’re an experienced yogi, yoga therapy can help you take serious steps forward. Contact us today to learn more about how yoga therapy for addiction recovery works.
Frequently asked questions
Disclaimer:
The availability of therapies may vary across UKAT centres. The specific therapies provided will be determined based on your treatment plan and the programme offered at your chosen facility. All treatments are subject to clinical assessment and programme availability at the time of admission. For further details on the therapies included in your treatment plan, please contact our admissions team.