A Call the Wholeness Through 12-Steps & The 8-Limbs: Recovery is for Everyone
Updated: Jan 6
Recover: To reclaim or restore
Recovery: The process of reclaiming what was lost
Addiction: Disconnection. Anything used to escape a perceived intolerable reality that can be found within. Arises out of lack of connection with oneself, God, life and the present moment.
In our purest essence, we are joy, wisdom, peace and happiness.
Life brings us to twists, turns, changes, challenges, traumas, great experiences, pain and suffering. Our mind & ego take control, helping us to survive and find our way down the path. Mix in societal & family pressures, expectations and things we "should" do, and we find ourselves moving down a path that is further and further away from our truth. Our current society doesn't value simplicity but rather "more, more, more" - more pressure, more "stuff" more notoriety, more "likes" more adventures, more, more more. This doesn't help. The unproductive thoughts that we consistently have and patterns that we continue to repeat become part of our belief system and identity. It can feel like we are not being our true self, like we are someone else, an imposter, or just plain lost.
Our ego wants us to survive. If we have past a trauma or issue that remains unresolved, it will keep creeping up and infiltrate our lives. Our brain then wants to believe something that was created for a matter of survival as a truth for other areas of our life. It can create toxic cycles that play out again and again. It's exhausting.
We can release false ideals & destructive patterns that have outstayed their welcome, sifting out concepts and beliefs we have collected over time, to recover our authenticity. But how?
The 12-Step Recovery Process is a really helpful lens to workshop any type of issue or pattern that we cannot seem to get a hold of on our own - not just addictions. While the 12-Step does have a foundation in Christianity, it is open to everyone, inviting you to connect with a bigger energy, God, Love, the Divine, Nature, Universal Oneness, the god of your understanding - the list goes on and welcomes all beliefs and religious thought. It is the process that matters as it helps us remember we are not alone, there is help through Love, that we can rely on one another and our unique divine wisdom for healing.
If you are unfamiliar with the 12-Steps of Recovery, think of it this way.
We are all born with a body to serve as a vessel that holds our unique spirit & wisdom. Our mind is a filter between our body and our spirit.
While beautiful, life is messy. Like our homes, our vessels can get messy, too. In time, they can be filled with junk, gunk, bad energy, dust and grime.
We need to take time to step back and look at the gunk. Acknowledge the gunk.
We admit that sometimes, we need help to clean up because it's a bigger mess than we can handle alone.
We make the decision to take skillful steps in cleaning out the dirt and releasing the junk.
We notice patterns start to fall away.
We apologize to others if our junk got in their way or hurt them, too.
We work on a daily basis, using our 12-Step tools to keep the space tidy.
When our home is clean, we have freedom and space to live our purpose without distraction.
We admit when we make a mess again and take the steps to clean it up.
We help others clean up their homes, too.
Now, what about Yoga, Recovery & Healing?
Healing: To make one whole, save, sound
Addiction: Disconnection
Recover: To reclaim or restore
Yoga: Union, balance, integration, path to wholeness