46: Expert Insights: Addiction Recovery & Yoga with Lara Ederer

Today we discuss a topic that affects many people in our communities whether we know it or not. Host Rachel speaks with Lara Ederer, a yoga teacher, Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist, and Chemical Dependency Professional with both personal and professional experience with addiction.

In this episode, Lara talks with Rachel about how she defines addiction, what withdrawal and recovery can look and feel like, how yoga contributed to her own sobriety and the many ways it can support the recovery of others.

Listen in to this episode to explore how yoga can ignite a student’s awareness of and appreciation for their body, perhaps for the first time, as well as the importance of a supportive group environment, the potential for symbolism and storytelling to plant powerful philosophical seeds, and other advice on how to incorporate yoga and meditation practices into addiction recovery.

“Yoga gives people a time to connect with the actual pride of having this suit of ours.” – Lara Ederer

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“On and off the mat, it’s all work.” – Lara Ederer

Show Notes:

Lara’s background in yoga and addiction recovery [3:10]
Difficulty defining the scope of this growing problem [4:56]
Recent changes in addiction perception [7:30]
Defining addiction [8:51]
Potential withdrawal symptoms [11:26]
The role of yoga in Lara’s recovery [15:11]
Social support is key in the recovery process [20:24]
Yoga can interrupt – even replace – the urge to use addictive substances [23:09]
Tips for teaching yoga to those in addiction recovery [29:41]
Advice on teaching meditation during recovery [36:02]
Incorporating yoga philosophy into recovery [39:12]
Sprinkling seeds of philosophy: the power of symbolism and story [41:53]
Boundaries matter when teaching in recovery settings [44.40]
Suggestions to address financial barriers to yoga for people in recovery [45:25]