YogMantra | Study Shows Yoga Efficient Add-on Therapy in Treating Substance Use Disorder

Yoga can be an effective treatment for drug abuse, according to a recent paper published in the oldest scientific journal on the discipline. Yoga Mimamsa is a publication of Kaivalyadhama – one of India’s pioneering yoga organisations especially focussed on research since its inception in 1924.

WHAT IS THE PAPER ABOUT?

The paper describes an evidence-based study conducted by scholars Atmika Yantra Ramsahaye, K Rajesh Sasidharan, and Vikas Rawat from the School of Yogic Sciences at S-VYASA Yoga University.

For the study, a module with yogic practices to combat drug abuse was developed from research evidence, which was then validated by 30 yoga experts. This was then tested on patients.

The patients who completed the treatment reported better quality of life – as well as abstinence from drugs – after one month of completion of the study. The authors concluded that this module can serve as a ready-made programme for randomised controlled trials across any type of drug abuse or substance use disorder.

WORLD DRUGS DAY & ‘SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER’

According to the latest World Drug Report 2024, there are nearly 300 million users of drugs worldwide. Most consume cannabis, approximately 20 per cent use opioids, 10 per cent use amphetamines, eight per cent cocaine, and seven per cent ecstasy.

Many of them suffer from substance use disorder (SUD) – a mental illness affecting an individual’s brain and behaviour.

This menace of drug abuse continues unabated across the globe, with ramifications not just for the individual, but for the family and society. To create awareness to bring this severely damaging issue under control, World Drugs Day is observed on June 26 each year.

Standard Treatment for Substance Abuse: Short‑term or long‑term residential (or outpatient) programmes are the standard treatment for drug abuse, which include pharmacological treatment with methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.

This is often combined with cognitive behaviour therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and 12‑step facilitation therapy – especially when SUD co‑occurs with other mental disorders like depression.

YOGA’S ROLE & THE NEW STUDY

The Biological Mechanism of Yoga: Yoga therapy helps fight drug addiction through changes in the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis.

Yoga interventions help in these ways:

• bring pain relief, increased sleep quality, and reduced stress, anxiety, impulsivity, and depression. This is because they help in reducing cortisol levels and increasing naturally-occurring endorphins (endogenous opioids), oxytocin, and gamma‑aminobutyric acid.
• They reduce patients’ withdrawal symptoms and relapse.
• They have the potential to increase resilience, adherence to treatment, and quality of life.

Suggestions from Yoga Experts: Yoga experts favoured chest-opening poses, challenging postures, and breath work to regulate impulses and craving urges. Research shows that twisting asanas like the Half‑Spinal Twist pose, and forward-bending poses like the Hand‑to‑Foot pose create a massaging effect on the internal organs, which can stimulate the repair of damaged cells of these organs.

Preparatory practices such as stretching exercises, warming‑up exercises, pranayama, relaxation, and meditation enable participants to ease into the yoga practice and can help reduce the risks of injury.

Testing and Proof: Nineteen participants in the age group of 18-40 were enrolled from a nine‑week residential rehabilitation centre in Mauritius, which follows the 12‑step facilitation therapy programme for addiction recovery – after approval by the Institutional Ethical Committee and the Ministry of Health Ethical Committee, Republic of Mauritius.

The participants had been diagnosed with SUD and suffered from polysubstance use. There was one primary substance of abuse such as heroin (68.4 per cent), marijuana (5.3 per cent), synthetic drugs (21 per cent), or alcohol (5.3 per cent).

They volunteered to undergo rehabilitation and agreed to practise yoga. The module was taught as an add‑on to their existing treatment. The final list had thirty-seven yoga practices.

YOGA PRACTICES EMPLOYED

• LOOSENING EXERCISES: Finger movements, wrist rotation, shoulder rotation, neck movements, neck rotation, waist rotation, side bending, forward and backward bending
• BREATHING EXERCISES: Hands in-and-out breathing, hand stretch breathing, ankle stretch, cobra breathing, half-locust breathing, half-moon breathing, bow pose breathing
• POSES: Palm tree pose, half‑wheel bend pose, hand‑to‑foot pose, triangle pose, bow-and-arrow pose, half-moon pose, hare pose, back stretching pose, twisted pose, camel pose, cow’s face pose, fish pose, snake pose
• PRANAYAMA: Frontal brain cleansing breath (3 min), alternate nostril breathing (3 min), humming bee breathing (2 min), psychic breath (2 min), cooling breath (2 min)
• RELAXATION TECHNIQUES: Quick relaxation technique
• NADANUSANDHANA: Sound resonance technique
• AUM CHANTING: Chant A, U, M and AUM each 10 times
• OM MEDITATION

Participants particularly enjoyed these practices:

• Quick relaxation technique
• Nadanusandhana
• Cooling breath pranayama
• Palm tree pose
• Snake pose

These, along with relaxing techniques for a sense of calmness, and balancing asanas to build confidence, can be used in case a shorter version of the model is required.

EFFECT OF YOGA

At the end of each session, most participants felt relaxed and peaceful and also had reduced drug cravings. This is due to the stress‑reducing mechanism that occurs as yoga’s ability to prime the parasympathetic nervous system and the promotion of mindfulness.

Of 19 participants initially enrolled, 12 completed the sessions (others dropped out owing to Covid‑19 disease or drug relapse). At the one‑month follow‑up, 11 of the 12 were found to be able to abstain from drugs. There was also a significant change in the participants’ psychological, social, and environmental conditions. All 12 participants reported “no adverse effects” and expressed willingness to continue yoga practices.

It was found that yoga’s influence added an important dimension to the rehabilitation centre’s inpatient programme which already included activities for group interaction, skills development, hobbies, and time management.

This article is meant for educational purposes only. Before attempting yoga, get a go-ahead from your physician/medical care provider. Do not try any of the exercises without first learning from an experienced yoga teacher. The author is a journalist, cancer survivor, and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at [email protected]. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.