Meditation Practices for Recovery

During the process of overcoming addiction, you may encounter numerous feelings of anger and temptation. Restoration Recovery recognizes that people need more than just medical help to enable them to make a change and avoid relapse. A helpful solution to these challenges is meditation practices. By incorporating meditation techniques into our clients’ schedules, they can overcome the desire to use substances, manage their mood, and learn how to handle relapses better. 

Why Implement Meditation Practices in Recovery?

Meditation offers numerous benefits for individuals in recovery:

• Stress Reduction: Meditation is effective in the sense that it relaxes the mind, which may, in turn, prevent someone from turning to substances. 
• Emotional Regulation: Over time, people can develop ways of regulating their emotions, and these can help decrease the effects of emotions that are undesirable, such as anxiety, anger, or sadness. 
• Enhanced Self-Awareness: Meditation helps in the development of self-identity as well as the ability to recognize one’s thoughts and actions. 
• Improved Focus and Concentration: Meditation helps enhance the focus and concentration of an individual, leading to the formation of proper habits. 
• Craving Management: Cultivating mindfulness, the person is capable of recognizing the craving without fulfilling it and, therefore, preventing relapse.

Meditation Practices for Recovery

There are various ways to practice mediation. With each of these practices, it may take patience to achieve the desired results, but each is a great way to get started on your mediation and recovery journey.

Mindfulness Meditation

This form of mindfulness is simply the act of focusing on the present. This process can be especially constructive for clients at Restoration Recovery, as it makes them more attentive to their thoughts, emotions, and physical state. 

It is recommended that you find a place where you will not be interrupted. Relax and find a comfortable position while ensuring your back is straight and your hands are on your lap. Breathe in and out slowly, and keep your eyes shut for a few moments. Close your eyes and direct your awareness to your breathing. Feel the inflow and outflow of the air in your body. If your mind starts to drift, just bring your attention back to the breathing exercise. It is recommended to do this for 5-10 minutes a day and increase the time as you gain more confidence. 

Loving-Kindness Meditation

This mediation aims at cultivating positive and benevolent feelings toward yourself and others. This practice can be especially helpful for individuals in recovery who may still have feelings of guilt, shame, or resentment. 

To begin this meditation, relax and get comfortable, then close your eyes. Allow yourself to calm down for a moment and take a few deep breaths. Start to send positive messages to yourself and tell yourself that you are a good person. If appropriate, say these positive statements out loud to yourself. Successively apply these wishes to other people, first to family and friends, then to other people you know, and finally to all beings. Take a couple of minutes to express the emotions of love and compassion. 

Body Scan Meditation

The body scan meditation is a process in which you pay attention to different parts of the body to help relax the mind and become in tune with the physical feeling of the body. This technique allows you to be in touch with your body and identify physical markers of stress or temptation. 

To practice this technique, lay down on your back with your legs slightly apart and your hands by your side. Close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly. Begin with the toes and try to notice any feeling that you can experience. Bring your focus from the tip of your feet up to the top of your head. Take a few moments on each part of the body and feel for sensations without evaluating. If you find your mind drifting, then, without judgment, return it to the part of the body you are scanning. 

Breath Awareness Meditation

The practice of breath awareness meditation is one of the easiest and most useful methods, which uses the breath to put the mind in a relaxed state. It is quite simple to apply and can be done almost at any time depending on your schedule. This practice may seem very similar to mindfulness meditation but is more focused on the act of breathing rather than awareness of your current surroundings. 

To practice this, relax your body and get into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, and close your eyes. Breathe in deeply, then let your breath out slowly, and then let your breathing go back to normal. Pay attention to the feeling of the inflow and outflow of the breath through your nostrils. If you get distracted, just softly bring your attention back to your breath. Practice for 5-10 minutes and slowly incorporate more time into the practice session. 

The process of overcoming addiction to drugs or alcohol is not only a medical process but a mental one as well. It is recommended to include meditation in the recovery process as it can assist in controlling cravings, improve emotional states, and increase self-identification and awareness. By practicing mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, body scan meditation, and breath awareness meditation, you will be able to develop the coping skills that help you in preventing relapse and enhance the experience of inner calmness. Begin your journey to a healthier and more mindful recovery here with us. Reach out to Restoration Recovery today to learn more about our treatment programs at (888) 290-0925.