*This essay has been edited to be shared as this blog, and was originally written by Kala MacDonald for Seasons in Malibu’s 2020 Scholarship Contest

When I became both a meditation and yoga teacher specifically focused on Tantric Hatha Yoga, I found myself consistently referring to the idea of control with my clients and small groups. When it comes to addiction of any kind, I believe there is often a desire for said control, and that can be found through addiction of many types; alcohol and substance abuse to control how we feel and when, addiction to food and eating - or lack thereof - to control what goes in our bodies and/or how we are shaped, sexual addiction used to cope with a past sexual trauma, and so on. I've seen many foundational yogic practices, namely pranayama, used to successfully address and begin treating addictive tendencies of all shapes and sizes for people of all walks of life.

Pranayama is defined in many ways across many historical yogic texts, but we can summarize its definition in that it is control with retention of the breath. For example, a simply and popular technique almost anyone can practice is the 3-part breath; an equal inhale, hold, and exhale. The idea behind pranayama, and much related to Tantric Hatha yoga as I teach it, is that specific breath techniques and shapes we make with our bodies allow energy to move in and through the body in very specific ways. We so very often float through life without giving much thought to controlling something like our breath or the shape of our body, and yet when we learn how and why to do just that through yoga, we are able to find and harness a sense of control like no other.

This is, fo course, not to mention the myriad benefits of yoga at a glance, having nothing to specifically do with addiction, which tend to come along for the ride whether we mean for them to or not, which can include regulated blood pressure and stress levels, more cognitive mental function, and a sense of purpose. I find that after working with clients, and I am specifically keeping those with addiction or addictive tendencies in mind, they are able to take that newfound control and run with it into the other healthy avenues a foundational, purposeful, energetic yoga practice can provide. For some this may mean seeking and allowing one’s self to feel expansive and take up space when prior to their practices they used food to keep themselves feeling physically and otherwise as small as possible. One previously addicted to sex as a means of fulfillment and feeling is able to use enlivening, introspective yoga practices to self-fulfill, feel purpose driven for the first time years, and to access sensation more powerful and useful than any one night stand.

Related to addiction, but also in many, many other ways, I find the rooted, foundational yoga practices I learn and teach to be so important and transformational. This is why I hope to never stop learning and growing, not only in my practices on the mat, but in my work as a mentor, as a nonprofit founder, a podcast host, and more.

Pranayama and Asana For Shifted Control Within Addiction