Before the month of September is over, I want to bring attention to the fact that it is National Recovery Month. If you or someone you know has ever dealt with addiction of any form – be it drugs, alcohol, food, smoking, or gambling – and are looking for tools to help overcome these addictions, I hope you will consider the practice of yoga and meditation.
On October 21, a book called Recovery 2.0 is being released. It’s by Tommy Rosen, an internationally-recognized yoga teacher and addiction recovery expert, who has spent the last two decades immersed in yoga, recovery, and wellness. Recovery 2.0 is not a how-to book, but rather an exploration of what recovery is – and why yoga and meditation is so important to the process. I absolutely love this book for two reasons: Tommy is a great storyteller who shares his stories so honestly, and Recovery 2.0 is full of inspiration and hope.
I first met Tommy back in 2013 when I attended the Tadasana Festival in Los Angeles. Not only was Tommy one of the co-founders of this event; he was one of the featured teachers along with his wife Kia Miller. I recently got on the phone with Tommy to hear the story about how we came to yoga and how his book Recovery 2.0 came to fruition.
In the late ’80s, Tommy sought help for his drug addiction, and through the 12-step program, therapy, and much support, he has been sober for over 20 years now.
With three months of sobriety under his belt, he was drawn into an Iyengar yoga class where he witnessed the yoga teacher moving with grace and elegance. This instructor was bending into a shape that was so flexible, he felt as if he was watching a cartoon, but he was attracted to the freedom he saw in physical form. Despite his body being tight and full of tension, he decided to try it. He remembers the sweat just pouring off of him in those early practices, but he had finally found the freedom in his body and mind that he had been seeking.
After about 10 years pass, Tommy was still practicing yoga, but was in a lot of trouble emotionally. He felt still stuck in the frequency of addiction, acting it out in other ways such as gambling and smoking. His body started to break down again, and he started to experience low back pain to the point that he was nearly crippled for a year. His doctors told him it was a condition he would deal with for the rest of his life with either drugs or surgery.
Fortunately, at this time Tommy was introduced to Guru Prem, a master of Kundalini yoga. Guru Prem explained that very few people really know how to breathe. We get stuck breathing shallow and have no real connection to our breath. After 90 days of practicing Kundalini yoga and its breathing methods, along with eating a cleaner diet, Tommy’s back pain went away and has stayed away without drugs or surgery, but rather through holistic healing.
So, needless to say, Tommy is a huge advocate of yoga and meditation as an important tool in the process of overcoming addiction and leading a fuller and happier life.
Tommy told me that when he went to pick up his pin to commemorate his twentieth year of sobriety, he was told, “Congratulations, you are 1 in 1000 [of people who make it to 20 years of sobriety].” This comment really resonated with him, and I’m sure it’s a big reason why he is so committed to helping others stay sober.
He went from a state of not being able to imagine a day without drugs and alcohol to a state where he couldn’t imagine a day WITH drugs or alcohol, and that massive shift was a huge blessing for him.
The book looks at addiction and the best practices for overcoming it. It’s about changing the perception of Alcoholics Anonymous because a lot of people think it is about sitting in a basement, smoking and eating donuts. Tommy provides real tips on how to get the best of the 12-Step teachings and community, daily practices in breathing, meditation, and yoga, and healthy diet recommendations designed to boost immunity, increase vitality, support recovery, and prevent relapse. All of this is done in an inspirational way so that those in recovery can thrive and live a life second to none.
I know a lot of people think and dream about about writing a book, a smaller percentage actually get off their butts and write one, and just a few lucky ones get the thrill of seeing the finished product in print. It has got to be the most incredible feeling to flip through the pages of your very own book. That is why I love this picture of Tommy holding Recovery 2.0 for the very first time. The smile on his face tells it all. This is a man full of joy, living the fullest life possible!
Tommy told me that it took about 14 months after receiving the book deal to finalize it, but in essence the book took 47 years to write because he had to do the work spiritually to get where he is today. He struggled quite a bit writing the book because it covers such an important topic, one he didn’t want to mess up. Tommy, you should be proud of what you have created!
I have two copies of Recovery 2.0 that I would love to get in the hands of someone in need. Please leave a comment below, and I will select two people to receive the book at 11:11 AM on October 1, 2014. This giveaway is limited to residents of the United States.
If you would like to order the book or learn more about the work Tommy is doing, here are a few links:
Preorder Recover 2.0 – it will be available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble after October 21.
Visit TommyRosen.com
Check out Tommy’s Recovery 2.0 Online Conferences that have gone global in over 100 countries. If you missed them, they are available to stream online. The next one is planned for January 2015.
Tommy will be hitting the road to promote the release of Recovery 2.0 in these towns:
Sunday, October 19 | Workshop & Book Signing | 1:00 – 5:00 PM
YOGA SOURCE | Davie, FL (3510 University Dr.)
Link: http://tickets.brightstarevents.com/event/TommyRosen
Wednesday, October 22|Workshop 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Book Signing 6:30
KUNDALINI YOGA BOSTON | Cambridge, MA (14 Arrow St.)
Thursday, October 23| Reading & Book Signing 7:00 – 10:00 PM
BARNES & NOBLE | Santa Monica, CA (3rd Street Promenade)
Saturday, November 1| Book Signing 4:00 PM
BOOK PASSAGE | Corte Madera, CA (51 Tamal Vista Blvd.)
Sunday, November 2 | Workshop & Book Signing 1:15 – 4:15 PM
YOGA TREE CASTRO | San Francisco, CA (97 Collingswood at 18th)
Contact: Nick Utley 415.800.8582 nick@yogatreesf.com
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=-45
Wednesday, November 5 | Reading & Book Signing with Mackenzie Phillips
PASADENA RECOVERY CENTER | Pasadena, CA (1811 N Raymond Ave.)
Friday, November 7 | Reading & Book Signing
NEW METHOD WELLNESS | Orange County, CA (31473 Rancho Viejo Rd.)
Fingers crossed that Tommy will come to the birthplace of AA as part of his book tour and visit us in Akron, Ohio!
Click to find out more about upcoming Daily Downward Dog yoga retreats! Come join us!
I am very inspired by this. I volunteer teaching yoga at the David L Moss jail in Tulsa, ok as well as the Juvenile Detention Center. Many of these people are struggling with years of addiction & I’ve wanted to incorporate some 12 step affirmations into my classes. I would love to be considered for the gifting of this book to help me better understand addiction & ways I can reach out to these souls… Oklahoma has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world particularly for women. Most of these charges are for non-violent drug charges.
Sarah: Thanks for doing the work that you do…you are truly serving others and that is what teaching yoga is all about!
My husband has been in and out of the hospital for a couple years now due to issues related to alcoholism. He has been struggling to quit drinking but having difficulties. He is in the hospital now, and has been for 3 1/2 weeks, and I am hoping this is the big wake up call after experiencing multiple organ failure. He has tried yoga before and told me the other day that he wants to try again and I am confident it would help him. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have this book so we can read it together when he gets home!
Hi Julie:
Thank you for stopping by the DDD. I will keep you and your husband in my prayers.
Thank you. It is very stressful watching a loved one go through this, that’s for sure!
I would very much like to receive this gift. My father was a veteran and this is very close to my heart. He was also an alcoholic. The reason I mention vetran is that I believe many of these individuals have these challenges due to what they expexperienced and their own makeup. I feel the understandings you gain thru recovery are the same things for these individuals. This is an audience I would like to work with. That is why I would like this gift.. To help open and fine tune my experience and theirs. Much love, Karen (I am a y teacher)
Karen – thank you for sharing about your father. I hope you get the opportunity to teach yoga to veterans. XO
greetings. my mother passed less than a month ago. we still haven’t had a funeral up to this point. she had a stroke at my brothers house, and was carried away to the hospital. she was a beautiful soul, but was very addicted to alcohol. i can’t remember a time in my life my mother didn’t drink, and i’m almost 40. because i see what alcohol has done to my mother i have decided not to drink, but i also wanted to be proactive about the situation. i figured i couldn’t help my mother no matter how much i tried, so i decided to try and help others. the first place i had the opportunity to teach yoga was at a place called syenergy. it is a place where addicted teens get a second chance. i volunteered my time, because for me yoga is a tool to change people, for the most part i give that tool away. i also work with “curvy women”. these women have food addictions and issues with how they feel about their body. i started a new class this week which i volunteer my time at a place called the friendly center. i’m teaching 3 trough 6 graders the beauty of yoga, and how it has the possibility to change lives. i would love to read the book you are giving away, because my objective is to study it, and give it’s content away. if it is a good reference book i could keep it, but i try not to just be a book keeper. i want others to learn what makes me feel good about yoga, or maybe they will find pleasure in something i missed between those pages.
thank you for sharing. watching my mother die for the past 20 years has been very challenging. i try not to label what i felt as good or bad. i just try and appreciate the time i did have, and the love she passed on. i’m sure others who have this same issue, or have have family members who are addicted can relate.
Namaste
Kam
Human Being
Kam:
You are a true yogi and I am so grateful that you share your love and yoga with so many in need. XOXO
Can’t wait to read it! Tommy’s story is so inspiring!
My step son recently began his recovery from a heroin addiction. I teach yoga, and reached out to him to begin practicing yoga and meditation with me as a way to support him. He likes yoga and meditation now, and Tommy’s book might encourage him to deepen his practice. I’m sure his book would be inspiring for both of us. I would give my step son this early release copy, and wait to study my own copy when my already pre-ordered book arrives later in October. Thanks for all you do!
I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment. I wish I had enough copies of Recovery 2.0 to send to each of you. I used random.org to select the winners and Sarah Thomas and Julie will both be receiving a copy of Recovery 2.0.
Don’t forget you can pre-order Recovery 2.0 from Amazon or Barnes & Noble and it will ship after Oct 21.