{"id":1626,"date":"2014-08-28T14:57:52","date_gmt":"2014-08-28T14:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/?p=1626"},"modified":"2023-07-21T10:39:57","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T10:39:57","slug":"learn-how-yoga-helps-in-addiction-recovery-tommy-rosen-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/learn-how-yoga-helps-in-addiction-recovery-tommy-rosen-interview","title":{"rendered":"Learn How Yoga Helps in Addiction Recovery with Tommy Rosen [Interview]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tommy<\/a>Tommy Rosen is an internationally-recognized yoga teacher and very well known addiction\u00a0recovery\u00a0expert. He has spent over two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness. He holds advanced certifications in both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga. Tommy can offer an expert perspective on the science of healing and the fitness and nutrition tips.<\/p>\n

YogaCurious conducted an interview with Tommy Rosen in which he shared precious information on addiction recovery with yoga and meditation. Here we go!<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> After reading Tommy Rosen’s interview, if you still has any question for him. Do write here by comment.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong> First of all thank you for your time to consider YogaCurious to share your experience. Let\u2019s begin our interview with first question, How you started your journey in Yoga?<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong> How I found yoga\u2014and fell in love with it\u2014is somewhat serendipitous. Basically, in 1991 I walked off the street into Janet Macleod\u2019s Iyengar class in San Francisco. I had never seen a person move with so much freedom. It was an outward representation of something I greatly desired within.\u00a0 My practice and focus was very physical for a long time.\u00a0 I saw yoga as a great detox, release of stress and a strength builder.\u00a0 It would not be for many years that I would understand the deeper meaning and power it held.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0How did you discover the importance of yoga in addiction recovery?<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0I had been sober 12 years when I reached an emotional and physical bottom in my life.\u00a0 It had everything to do with the way I processed the world around me.\u00a0 I carried so much stress in my body.\u00a0 Of course, the day would come where my body revolted.\u00a0 In my case, my back went out and I was basically cripple for 9 months.\u00a0 I could move, walk slowly, but could not run and had no freedom in my body.\u00a0 I\u2019m one of the lucky ones.\u00a0 I was blessed to find a teacher who taught me how to breathe and how to move and how to detox at a much deeper level than I had known was possible.\u00a0 I healed through this process and much more than that, I reached a stronger level of recovery.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0As an addiction recovery Yoga teacher, please share your experience about yoga as a addiction recovery tool.<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0We know that people who struggle with addiction carry a deep sense of lack.\u00a0 Something seems to be missing.\u00a0 An itch needs to be scratched.\u00a0 With acute addiction, one\u2019s entire organism is caught up in a pursuit to fulfill needs that can never be met.\u00a0 This is true for active addicts as much as it is true for people in recovery until they have been able to work out the complex roots of trauma that drives their behavior.<\/p>\n

In the body\u2019s hierarchy of needs, breath is #1.\u00a0 We can live without food for weeks.\u00a0 We can live without water for days.\u00a0 But without breath (in yoga we use the term Prana<\/em> or life force) for even 3 minutes, we get into real trouble.<\/p>\n

Vinyasa yoga<\/a> is the primary form of yoga practiced in the United States today.\u00a0 Vinyasa simply means movement coordinated with breath, but all yoga emphasizes a focus on breathing.\u00a0 Through dedicated and sometimes strenuous practice, we develop a relationship with our breath.\u00a0 We come to understand that by focusing on and controlling our breath we can change how we think and feel.\u00a0 We can use the breath as a vehicle for entering states of meditation and also as a means of changing our emotional state and managing stress.<\/p>\n

By learning to do simple long deep breathing<\/a> through the practice of yoga, which is accessible by almost anyone, we send a different message to our nervous system, namely that all is well and our core need is being met. This allows our body-mind system to relax and moves us toward healing, recovery and wholeness.\u00a0 This counters the sense of lack that plagues most addicts.<\/p>\n

\"tommy<\/a>Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0As you are going to publish your book entitled \u201cRecovery 2.0: Overcoming Addiction and Thriving through Yoga, Meditation, and the 12 Steps\u201d, share some information about book and how it has helped addict people to recover from it.<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0My book, Recovery 2.0, is being published on October 21st<\/sup> (Hay House).\u00a0 It is a distillation of much of what I learned in my 23 years of recovery, my time in 12 Step rooms and all the classes, workshops, retreats and trainings I have done on the yoga side of things.\u00a0 It will help people to better understand addiction and take a holistic perspective on recovery.\u00a0 People will have a better idea how to navigate the 12 Steps if that calls to them and also how to make them even more powerful.\u00a0 And, of course, the book talks about the integration of yoga and meditation into addiction treatment.\u00a0 Lastly, and this is very important, the book focuses in on the connection between the food we eat and our addictive thinking and behaviors.\u00a0 This is such an important piece of the puzzle.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0Share your most memorable incident as a yoga teacher?<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong> My most memorable incident as a yoga teacher is not just one incident.\u00a0 Every time someone tells me how their life has been changed by something I have shared, I am humbled and deeply moved.\u00a0 Everything I do is because of my teachers and because of a connection with God or Higher Power or whatever your word is for that.\u00a0 So, to see these teachings actually working in people\u2019s lives is nothing short of a miracle.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0What advice will you give to people who want to start practicing (learning) yoga?<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0Go slowly.\u00a0 There is no rush.\u00a0 First, learn how to breathe well.\u00a0 This, in itself, will change your life.\u00a0 Find a teacher you like and practice often.\u00a0 Use props when you need to so you do not injure yourself. \u00a0Use Yoga Mats<\/a> if you really want to feel comfortable while doing Yoga. Resist the temptation to compare your practice with anyone else\u2019s.\u00a0 If you do these things, great tidings are coming your way.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0What advice will you give to people who are addicted and want to recover from it?<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0If you are in an active state of addiction, ask for help!!!\u00a0 You may need to enter detox program and\/or a primary treatment facility.\u00a0 You may need to attend 12 Step meetings and work the 12 Step program. Do whatever it takes to heal from addiction so that you have a chance at living an awesome life.\u00a0 Yoga can enter your life a little bit later.\u00a0 First, you have to have recovery be the center of your life until you can heal.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0In today\u2019s era, all are busy with work and personal life and use addiction as a stress-relieving tool. What advice will you give to people to stay away from addiction?<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0Addiction is not a stress-relieving tool.\u00a0 We act out in different ways to feel better and to relieve stress.\u00a0 The problem is addictive behaviors are so destructive.\u00a0 We need an upgrade.\u00a0 We need to choose behaviors that relieve stress while at the same time, they strengthen our body and mind and uplift our spirit.\u00a0 If you want to reach for something to feel better, that\u2019s wonderful.\u00a0 Just reach for the things that promote you rather than demote you. And if you need help, ask for it.<\/p>\n

Yetta:<\/strong>\u00a0Say few words for our readers…<\/p>\n

Tommy:<\/strong>\u00a0Inside each of you is a stillness that when accessed opens doors into the future you hope for.\u00a0 Keep your practice going.\u00a0 Train yourself to be still and to focus.\u00a0 Build your strength, your calmness and your intuition.\u00a0 Always ask for help if you need it.\u00a0 Teachers lead the way.\u00a0 Realize your Self in this lifetime and all blessings will be forthcoming.\u00a0 I wish this for you.\u00a0 Love and Gratitude\u2026–Tommy<\/p>\n

\n

This interview is published under YogaCurious Interview with Expert series<\/a>. If you or any one in your contact has vast experience in yoga and want to share your experience with our readers, do contact us<\/a>. We would love to conduct your interview and will publish at our official blog.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tommy Rosen is an internationally-recognized yoga teacher and very well known addiction\u00a0recovery\u00a0expert. He has spent over two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness. He holds advanced certifications in both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga. Tommy can offer an expert perspective on the science of healing and the fitness and nutrition tips. YogaCurious conducted an interview […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,23],"tags":[218],"class_list":{"0":"post-1626","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-interviews-with-experts","8":"category-yoga-questions-answers","9":"tag-tommy-rosen"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1626"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3388,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1626\/revisions\/3388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yogacurious.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}