The creator of the Yoga Recovery meeting on In The Rooms, Kyczy Hawk, gives us the inside scoop on these weekly meetings, where yoga and recovery come together to create an enriching experience.
From small beginnings, with lots of unknowns
We started out small—maybe twenty in the room at a time. What was a Yoga Recovery Meeting? Why would there be a meeting of that name? What would we do? Was it a yoga class or a recovery meeting? It was a risk to combine them so boldly on the virtual platform and I am so glad that In The Rooms took a risk and let me play in the (virtual) yard with the rest of you.
My name is Kyczy Hawk and I am a woman in recovery. After many years in recovery, I hit some snags, and the practice of yoga came to my rescue. Not just the stuff on the mat, although that was key, but the spiritual principles that enhanced and supported my recovery programs. In the past decade or so, I have made it my mission to acquaint people with this powerful union. The Yoga Recovery Meeting is part of that effort.
Yoga and recovery, blended together
On any given Sunday, you may find one of the members or myself sharing for ten minutes or so about a concept of yoga that unpacks and substantiates challenges and solutions that we seek in the rooms of recovery. We find the timelessness of the struggles we have in maintaining the journey to our true selves, avoiding the pitfalls of addictive thinking, gain tools to treat ourselves and our fellows with more compassion and ease. We take the last 10 minutes of every meeting for a seated yoga practice; meditation, breath work or movement. That process can help us release stress, tension and stuck feelings that may reside in our bodies.
I have grown over the past four years. My experience with combining the two philosophies—yoga and twelve step recovery—has been enhanced with the weekly shares from the members of In The Rooms . I am both challenged and supported in my exploration of my personal challenges and growth in the weekly meetings. I am not alone. This is a supportive and wise community.
All types of recovery, speaking one language
People from all twelve steps programs and other recovery modalities share their experience, strength, and hope at the Yoga Recovery Meeting . I find this enriching as I am able to find more integration of all my suffering parts. Unlike single focus recovery meetings we hear from all paths in Yoga Recovery. All the members and I can speak from their primary program of recovery, be it AA, NA, ACA, OA and so on. All perspectives speak the same language. Addiction comes in many forms, and the Yoga Recovery meeting speaks to them all.
The number of regulars has risen steadily over the last four years, and it has become a haven for many. Often the shares begin with “yoga saved my life” and “I can’t believe how much better I understand that step/ promise/ principle” or, “I appreciate this forum for all recovery programs”. We have found another way to support one another and to validate the fact that some mindful physical process is useful in moving us through difficult times.
If you haven’t checked out the Yoga Recovery meeting yet, please give it a try. Share early, ask questions, stay for the final 10 minutes. You may be pleasantly surprised.
