88
may/june 2018yogajournal.com.au1 Sukhasana
Easy Pose
Sit in a comfortable, seated position with your
legs crossed and your sitting bones propped
up on a blanket, bolster, or meditation
cushion. Become aware of your breath
without changing anything. Begin to deepen
your breathing, eventually arriving at a
comfortable maximum inhalation and
exhalation. Notice what’s present for you in
your five bodies: physical, emotional, thinking,
character, and heart. Stay here, breathing
slowly and deeply, for 90 seconds or longer.IN 1987, I FOUND A 12-STEP PROGRAM
for my addiction recovery and stayed sober
for eight years. Then, on a business trip to
Germany, I made a bad decision to have one
drink that led to many more. Within a week,
I found myself in Amsterdam, where I
knew exactly who to be, what to do, where
to go, and how to talk my way into getting
my drug of choice: crack cocaine.
After Amsterdam, I got back into a
12-step program and discovered yoga.
I saw all the similarities between yoga and
the 12-step program, and I eventually made
the decision to let go of the program. I
th u ht a daily ashtan a y a practicI realised I couldn’t put the 12-step program,
which gave me a cognitive base
for recovery, in a separate box from
yoga, which gave me somatic tools. So
in 2003—after receiving training from the
Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute and
the American Viniyoga Institute—I created
Yoga of 12-Step Recovery (Y12SR), which
combines cognitive and somatic practices for
sustainable addiction recovery.
The following sequence is the first one
I teach to recovering addicts. It’s also the
one I come back to most often myself,
because it’s all about building a solid
undation. In each posture, ask: Do I feel
alanced? Can I find my centre—even when
eel overwhelmed? Sustainable recovery
quires continually asking these questions
—and continually finding our ground.A sequence to
Stay committed
to sobriety
2 Marjaryasana
and Bitilasana
Cat-Cow Pose, variation
Come to all fours with your knees under
your hips and your hands under your
shoulders. As you inhale, find a lift in your
chest (Cow Pose, shown); as you exhale,
bring your chest toward your thighs and
your hips toward your heels, so you’re in a
modified Balasana (Child’s Pose). Repeat this
movement slowly, allowing the inhalations
and exhalations to lengthen and deepen
with each repetition.3 Balasana
Child’s Pose
Rest your chest on your thighs with your
arms stretched out in front of you—or
along your sides. If you don’t find this pose
deeply comfortable, feel free to move into
a different one that feels more restorative.
Stay here for 8 long, deep breaths. This is
the “pause button” pose, a reminder that it’s
OK to slow down when life starts feeling out
of control.4 Bhujangasana
Cobra Pose, variation
Lie on your belly with your hands beside
your rib cage on the mat. On an inhalation,
lift your chest up into Cobra Pose; on an
exhalation, lower back down. On your
next inhalation, lift to Cobra again, this time
raising your right leg; exhale to come back
down, and repeat on the other side. Then
inhale and lift both legs as you come into
Cobra. Exhale with your legs and chest
lifted; inhale and lift a little higher,
spreading your legs apart behind you. On
your next exhalation, bring your legs and
chest down. Repeat this sequence 5 times.HOME PRACTICE
your practice
By Nikki Myers