Category: Addiction
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In the Om: Teenage Warrior Yogis Develop New Tools For Recovery
Four teenagers unroll yoga mats in the common area of the East Coast drug rehabilitation center they currently call home. They’re ready for their Sunday afternoon vinyasa flow. Today, they seem tired. One of the teens, Vicki (name changed to preserve confidentiality), requests a gentle practice. She emphasizes: “No downward dogs!” I tell them I’ll happily oblige. Working with recovering addicts, you quickly…
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Yoga for Recovery
The day after I flew back from my 200-hour Teacher Training & Intensive program at Devanadi School for Yoga and Wellness in Minneapolis, I began orientation with Root to Rise NJ, a non-profit organization whose mission is: “to break the stigma associated with addiction by pushing the limits of what is physically and mentally possible.”…
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Ash Dreams
In the years before the pipe became her cradle, Ashley lived her life in Technicolor, wore baby doll dresses in turquoise and gold, puckered up in sparkly fuchsia lipstick, flirted with older boys in her innocent never-been-kissed-but-it’ll-happen-soon sort of way. She kept a diary, laughed and cried with her friends at her side, longed for…