How Meditation and Breathwork Help Addiction Recovery

Meditation and breathwork can work in tandem to assist in addiction recovery and sobriety. They are cope skills to bring awareness to the body and mind. They also help to alleviate triggers and cravings to reduce the likelihood of a relapse. Both practices aid in the reduction of stress and anxiety, increase in mood, energy and self-confidence. They also help to reregulate the central nervous system. Since both meditation and breathwork can be performed anywhere, they are wonderful tools to learn and develop.

Meditation

Meditating on a regular basis results in many benefits including a reduction in stress, anxiety and depression. It also boosts mood, enhances self-awareness, improves sleep, increases energy, and offers better mental clarity. It can be done in any location, even in crowded or loud environments. It’s an opportunity to focus attention and awareness inward to center, relax, and reflect on current sensations, thoughts and feelings. It allows for the development of personal connection and deeper understanding of oneself.

Meditation has been scientifically proven to relieve both physical and mental ailments. This includes irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, chronic pain, PTSD, negative self-rumination, and depression. Studies in 2012, used MRI and functional MRI imaging over the span of two months showed that regular meditation changes brain activity during meditation. These changes also expanded into daily tasks when the individuals were not actively meditating.

Addiction and Meditation

Addiction is essentially a coping skill. People with addictions want to escape their environment, body and mind. They cannot face being present so they alter their state of being so that they no longer need to. Meditation assists is rebuilding or establishing a connection with the body and mind. It can be done anywhere and at any time. It can be used for relaxation, reassurance, clarity, and reflection. Being aware of our thoughts is important and this is especially true for individuals on their recovery journey.

For anyone seeking a skill that will reconnect them with their physical experience then meditation is immensely beneficial. The best thing to do is to start small. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes or follow along to a guided meditation suitable for beginners. The goal is to sit with oneself and be present. Allow any thoughts to come in without force or action while remaining neutral to them. The goal is never to silence the mind. We want to open up the communication channels and allow there to be a free flow. The same is said for the body. Allowing any emotions or experiences to come in without attaching to them.

A daily meditation is a great way to progressively build up the skill and routine of the practice. As meditation can be used anywhere and at any time there is no equipment or special location needed.

Breathwork

Breathwork refers to the intentional manipulation of breathing. There are many mental, physical, and emotional benefits to practicing breathwork which include enhanced focus, sleep, mood, energy, self-awareness, immunity, memory, and self-confidence. It brings focus in to the body and calms agitation, frustration, and overwhelm. There are several different exercises that can be done to preform breathwork. Some examples include:

• 6 second inhale, 4 second hold, 6 second exhale
• 4 second inhale, 4 second hold, 4 second exhale, 4 second hold
• 8 second inhale, 5 second hold, 8 second exhale
• 7 second inhale, 7 second exhale
• Using your fingers, close one nostril and breathe in and out. Change sides and repeat.
• Inhale directing the air to the abdomen expanding it as much as possible. Exhale and notice how the body fully contracts.

There are no rules when it comes to breathwork. There are many techniques but essentially you can create your own rhythm just as long as you repeat the cycle for at least 3-7 times. It can be practiced at any time and especially during moments of stress, overwhelm, anxiety, fear, triggers, or anger. It can balance the body and reduce stress quickly by calming the central nervous system with makes it hugely beneficial. When we are stressed or triggered our breathing naturally becomes more shallow and rapid. This decreases the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream and forces us into a state of fight, flight or freeze. Essentially, the brain believes that it is in danger. Breathwork signals to the brain that there is no danger and replenishes the body with oxygen.

Addiction and Breathwork

How does breathwork assist for people in addiction recovery? Breathwork is a fantastic coping skill. It allows for a moment of space between a thought and an action, a feeling and an action, or a trigger and an action. It aids in the realignment of thoughts and to reconnect with goals and possible outcomes. The connection and body awareness that breathwork provides helps individuals with addictions to get comfortable in their own bodies and aware of their emotions.

Addictions tend to remove people from their bodies and breathwork reconnect them to it. Since it is a casual practice, it is not too overwhelming or confronting. Since it can be practiced in their own time and on their own terms it feels more personal and comfortable. People who are overcoming addiction or on a journey of sobriety can often feel overwhelmed and stressed quite easily. Breathwork helps to aid in the management of these emotional states.

Lastly,

As with everything in life, take what works for you and leave the rest. Even though studies suggest that meditation is a healthy and productive practice for addiction, it will not be for everyone. The main goal is to test it out and decide afterward. To give it a fair chance, both meditation and breathwork should be practiced daily for a minimum of two weeks. After this time, it can then be determined whether or not these skills match the individual. There may initially be some resistance towards these practices. This is normal. Humans are habitual and do not enjoy change. Push through the resistance and give it a try anyway.