Treating Addictive Behaviors through Yoga and Buddhism
The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too
strong to break Samuel Johnson
Some teachers, doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and social
commentators say that we are living in a day of addictions.
There is much in the environment that we can easily become attached
and addicted to and new things are being introduced into our lives
each year.
They may be of a technological origin, watching television, playing
on the computer or something that stimulates and excites our body
and consciousness through their use and indulgence in, such as
drinking beer and alcohol, drugs, coffee, cigarettes, pornography
and food.
With the sometimes lonely and confused feelings that we as
individuals experience, it is easy to understand how these
attachments and addictions can develop.
We all probably know someone, a friend or co-worker, who has a
husband, wife or child who has a drinking or drug problem.
Maybe it is someone in our own family who is dealing with his or
her demons in this manner.
Most of the people that I have met in my life grapple with these
issues or have someone in their life who is grappling with
them.
Addictive behaviors can consist of many things.
They can be very overt and commonly thought of as being
addictions.
This would include drugs and drinking, perhaps overeating, gambling
and compulsive shopping also.
They may also be more subtle and not commonly thought of as being
an addiction.
An addiction to anger and rage. An addiction to self-pity and
feeling victimized. An addiction to being critical and judgmental
of others.
Addictive behaviors are a result of some kind of lack of ease with
the way things are in our life.
We may come home from work exhausted and not find anything in our
home, personal and social life that makes us enthusiastic or
fulfills us.
Our evening may consist of sitting in front of the television,
eating and drinking.
These habits, that we may associate with just being relaxed and
enjoying life, have become so commonplace that we can not see their
destructiveness.
An after work drink becomes a habit where we drink until we fall
asleep, not seeing the condition that we are in each night and in
our life.
The after work joint becomes a daily habit which dulls our
consciousness and plays havoc with our eating and sleeping
habits.
A harmless surfing of the net to look at pornography becomes an
hours long sojourn and obsession.
These addictive behaviors compromise our mental and physical
health, sometimes in ways that are very severe, even life
threatening.
Why have we got to these addicted states.
It could be the routine of our work, with its frustrations and
humiliations or the perceived hopelessness or loneliness of our
home and social life.
It could be that we perceive that no one listens to us and respects
what we think and feel.
We do need to be noticed, respected and loved.
It could be that we do not sense anything grand in our life to find
joy with, in the present or in the foreseeable future.
Our life moves very fast, from work, to home, to tasks and
errands.
We seldom do slow down and see things more clearly.
Dr. Charles Swindoll, a well-known and well-respected teacher on
the Christian path and tradition states it so well.
For many of us, our lives resemble an article without punctuation.
There are no pauses for prayer, no commas of full stops of silence
and solitude, just one hectic string of worries that hound us from
one activity to the next. (1)
These worries can be noticeable, a worry about our health, a worry
about or relationship, a worry about the economy in times of an
economic downturn or recession.
Sometimes these feeling of worry are more feelings of
dissatisfaction, of a chronic anxiety or unease, and as mentioned
earlier, a lack of satisfaction in life.
S. Radhakrishnan, the former president of India defines man and the
human existence in this manner.
In each man are these two kingdoms of light and darkness
(2)
For many of us, it is when this darkness sets in that we look for
escape and pleasure in those habits that can become and have become
self debilitating and self destructive addictions.
Even though S. Radhakrishnan talks from the understanding and
practice of the Hindu and Yoga tradition, and Dr. Swindoll from the
Christian tradition, they call our attention to the same aspects of
our being.
Again, Dr. Swindoll puts this aspect of life and our being, the
tendency to dullness or darkness, or acute and chronic
dissatisfaction, anxiety and worry in this manner.
None of us are free from its presence. It roams in the minds of
even the holiest of saints. And though none of us can actually see
it or touch it, we can prepare for this invisible marauder by
adopting a watchful attitude (3)
What is this watchful attitude?
How is it cultivated and made part of our lives?
How does it help us in dealing with attachments and addictions that
can harm us in both subtle and overt ways?
This watchful attitude is known as awareness or mindfulness.
It is cultivated and made part of our life by knowledge and
practice.
This knowledge consists of teachings that show us a better and more
skillful way to live.
This way is based on respect for all people and living in a
harmonious manner with them. It is also based on doing those things
which bring a balance within ourselves.
This mindfulness gives us options to pursue.
This mindfulness lets us see more clearly those states, habits and
tendencies within us that lead us to engage in habits and addiction
that are harmful and compromising to our own health and our
relationships with others.
This mindfulness lets us see that there are options and
alternatives to pursue that in the short and long-term that bring
us something more worthwhile and satisfying the sensual pleasure or
excitement that we are seeking or needing at the moment.
Both Yoga and Buddhism offer us these teachings and
practices.
They both emphasize meditation as a way to cultivate concentration
and mindfulness.
Yoga teaches us specific postures and breathing techniques which
get us more relaxed and assist us in letting go of tension in the
body and mind.
They both give us guidelines about how to live and act, so we do
not create disharmony within ourselves and with others.
For some, our addiction may be so deep, that we may have to go to
an organization such as AA or NA first in order to get away from
our addiction.
When we talk about our addiction, we are increasing our mindfulness
of what brought us to it, and how we have hurt ourselves through
it.
When we see another honestly and sincerely share their experiences
with their addiction, we see that we have not been alone in our
pain and confusion.
We see the depths that others have fallen to in their lives.
We learn from them. We connect with them. We grow with them.
Some organizations such as AA or NA frown on people working another
way or path besides the philosophy and guidelines that they
follow.
There may be some wisdom in this approach, or it may be limiting
what people can learn and heal themselves with and from.
Certainly, the regular and diligent practice of Hatha Yoga is
something that can assist in the healing and balancing process for
any individual regardless of their physical and mental state when
they come to it.
To deal with any addictive behavior, both overt and subtle,
requires accountability, effort, discipline and perseverance.
One needs to make a constant effort to stay mindful and on top of
things, with the understanding that these things can be dealt with
effectively.
(1) Dr. Charles R. Swindoll. Christ At The Crossroads (Anaheim,
California: Insight for Living. 199
Page 20
(2) S. Radhakrishnan. The Bhagavad Gita (New Delhi, India: Harper
Collins. 1993) Page 335
(3) Dr. Charles R. Swindoll. Christ At The Crossroads (Anaheim,
California: Insight for Living. 199 Page 6
Ó2003 John C. Kimbrough