“Addiction is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit,” says Jim Hoit of Saranac Lake’s Roots and Branches Bodyworks as he moves his arms in a wide arc demonstrating a Tai Chi form to the members of his class at St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Center.

St. Joseph’s has been providing treatment for those suffering from alcoholism and substance abuse since 1971 and the addition of Tai Chi, as well as yoga and meditation are representative of how addiction treatment has evolved.

“Anxiety and depression, which are viewed as manifestations of imbalanced or stagnant Qi by the Taoist philosophers, are also common components of addiction,” Hoit says. “Tai Chi stimulates the body to a greater level of internal power, releases energy blockages created by unresolved emotional issues, and through awareness and relaxation, St. Joseph’s residents are better able to respond appropriately to life’s challenges and opportunities.”

Traditionally St. Joseph’s use a “talking cure”, for example lectures and group sessions,” says Danny Ryan a counselor at St. Joseph’s. “The thing with Tai Chi is that it allows residents to experience their bodies differently than how they’re used to and really goes along with a lot of the emotional work we do here,” he says. The idea, Ryan believes, is to get residents to experience the pain, the irritability, the restlessness, the discomfort they carry and for them to find new responses than those they evoked in the past which might have included drugs and alcohol. “It’s a new way of gaining a sense of relief and well being.”

Resident Joseph C., who has been studying Tai Chi for ten weeks believes, “At the end of the day it gives me more energy, it puts me at peace. Going through the rigors of the morning when we have lectures and small group (sessions), when everything is so wound up in you, Tai Chi relaxes you. Colleague Vincent G. adds, “Tai Chi takes a lot of fear that you’ve got deep down inside of you. It gives you a little more courage. And if you don’t have a higher power, the practice gives you something spiritual to think about.

To compliment the benefits of Tai Chi, St. Joseph’s also provides residents with instruction in yoga. Yoga is a 6,000 year-old system of self improvement, the heart of which lies in the belief that a self-fulfilled person is a healthy person, free from disease caused by stress and unhealthy living habits. Yogini Mary Bartel owner and a professional level Yoga Instructor of Saranac Lake’s Inner Quest Yoga & Wellness Center teaches St. Joseph’s residents twice each week in Hatha Yoga, the yoga of physical well-being. “Yoga is a spiritual practice,” Bartel says. “The idea is that through the practice we invite students to explore inwardly and cultivate a deep sense of self awareness. People too much look outside themselves for happiness when if they looked more within they would find the peace they desire. Ultimately with practice, students are able to feel more centered collectively body, mind and spirit, such that they think before they act and become less reactive in life. “She says of her class, “I’m inviting them to be open to the possibility and the potential that can be gained. It’s like planting seeds and giving them new paths to remain sober.

“ In the streets, using drugs I didn’t have any balance,” says Vincent G. of Long Island who hasn’t missed a class in the three months he’s been at St. Joseph’s. “Yoga has helped me release stress, anger, and helps me believe in myself. Yoga cleanses my mind, and a clean soul is closer to God.”

Family counselor and yoga therapist Beckie O’Neill taught yoga to residents at St. Joseph’s for 21 years.“People with addiction are looking for a way to get outside of themselves, to not have to feel,” she says. “Yoga provides a way to alter one’s consciousness in a healthy way. Rather than take people outside of themselves, it takes them deep within. Yoga helps them connect with their feelings, their bodies, their minds, safely and therapeutically. It helps them learn to let go and to be okay with themselves in each precise moment of their practice. And then, from that acceptance, they’re able to literally and figuratively stretch, grow and change.”

Another of St. Joseph’s counselors, Steve Bailey, offers instruction on meditation as yet one more element of recovery.“Addiction is really just a magnified, blown out ego,” Bailey says. “Unless our residents allow themselves to back away from their ego, which is a fear-based, deceptive physical force, their sobriety will be hard won, and will probably be more abstinence, as true sobriety is a spiritual thing.” Before one can benefit from the process, however, one must prepare to meditate. “You can’t go through the day judging people, being slick and getting over on people” he says, “You need to lay a base of peace and centeredness for meditation. You need to slow your mind and body down because if your body is ten miles out ahead of your spirit, meditation won’t work.”

James R. of Brooklyn sought St. Joseph’s program of treatment specifically to strengthen his spirituality. “During the quiet times I practice the breathing I’ve been taught which helps me with my meditation. Increasing my spirituality is my main goal because without it I don’t think I could do any of this,” he says referring to St. Joseph’s program.

One’s recovery from addiction doe not occur on a certain date, rather the process is a lifelong one requiring a tremendous amount of personal growth. And, as traditional recovery practices continue to evolve and blend with holistic methods, St. Joseph’s residents will achieve the unique advantage of looking at life’s challenges in different and productive ways.

St. Joseph’s provides inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment services to promote healing and recovery for all persons who suffer from the disease of alcoholism and chemical dependency. For more information, please call (518) 891-3950.