Core Benefits of Yoga Therapy in Recovery

Nervous System Regulation
Clients learn how their nervous system responds to stress, trauma, and cravings—and practice tools like breathwork, grounding, and movement to shift out of fight/flight or freeze states. Over time, they build the capacity to sit with discomfort without reaching for substances.

Emotional Awareness & Resilience
Yoga therapy teaches mindfulness and interoception (the ability to sense what’s happening inside). This helps clients notice their emotional cues and body signals earlier, so they can respond with care rather than react on autopilot.

Reconnection to the Body
Addiction often creates a disconnection from the physical self. These sessions guide clients to feel safe in their body again—reducing dissociation, building trust with themselves, and offering relief from shame and judgment.

Self-Discovery & Identity Repair
Clients often say this is where they begin to “feel like themselves again.” Through embodied practices and self-reflection, yoga therapy helps them explore who they are beneath the addiction story—and who they’re becoming.

Peer Connection & Belonging
Group sessions foster safety and connection—clients move and breathe together, creating a nonverbal sense of support that can be especially powerful when traditional group therapy feels overwhelming.

Each Session Includes:

• Gentle, somatic movement practices
• Breathwork and vagus nerve toning techniques
• Guided meditation and sound therapy
• EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique/tapping)
• Education on nervous system and emotional regulation
• Space for integration, rest, and reflection

These sessions are designed to complement your existing clinical programming—not replace it. Many facilities find that yoga therapy improves engagement, reduces agitation, and enhances clients’ ability to participate in group and individual therapy.

Rates & Scheduling

• $150 per 60-minute group session 
• $135 per session for 2+ groups per week at the same facility 
• Available on-site (In the greater Richmond area) or virtually from anywhere
• Weekly scheduling options available

Interested in bringing yoga therapy to your program?

Let’s set up a time to talk about what your clients need and how this work can support them.

What the Research Shows

Yoga therapy is increasingly recognized as a valuable adjunct in addiction treatment. Studies highlight its ability to:

• Reduce stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms
• Improve emotion regulation and impulse control
• Support neuroplasticity and nervous system repair
• Enhance body awareness and self-efficacy
• Decrease relapse risk by building internal coping resources

Selected research supporting yoga therapy for substance abuse disorders:

Jordan Esfeld, Kathryn Pennings, Annie Rooney & Stephanie Robinson (2023) Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Addiction Treatment, Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 18:2, 209-218, https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1972067

Khanna, S., & Greeson, J. M. (2013). A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. Complementary therapies in medicine, 21(3), 244–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008

Kuppili, P. P., Parmar, A., Gupta, A., & Balhara, Y. P. S. (2018). Role of Yoga in Management of Substance-use Disorders: A Narrative Review. Journal of neurosciences in rural practice, 9(1), 117–122. https://doi.org/10.4103/jnrp.jnrp_243_17

Lutz, D. J., Gipson, D. R., & Robinson, D. N. (2019). Yoga as an adjunct for treatment of substance abuse. Practice Innovations, 4(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000079Walia, N., Matas, J., Turner, A., Gonzalez, S., & Zoorob, R. (2021). Yoga for Substance Use: A Systematic Review. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM, 34(5), 964–973. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2021.05.210175