PORTLAND, Maine — Treatment and substance abuse recovery programs in Maine are struggling to keep up with demand. A unique program offered at a Portland yoga studio is helping to fill the gap, connecting the mind and body to treat the root causes of the problem.

Like any “hot yoga” class, this one attracts people who want to combine a healthy body with a healthy mind.





For some of the people, that’s been harder to achieve than others.

“I was a chronic opiate addict for years, until I found yoga,” Kelly Benson, a yoga instructor at Maine Hatha Yoga, said.

About half the people who come to the class are in recovery. Now a yoga instructor, Alexa Ward said yoga helped save her life.

“I can only speak to myself in saying it’s been one of the most essential things for me in helping to heal my own issues with addictive behavior patterns,” Ward said.

In a hot yoga class, the room is heated to between 103 and 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity. The combination of 26 postures and breathing exercises is more than just a workout. It’s a way of life.

“It’s designed to challenge you and make you uncomfortable. Push you out of your comfort zone, so you learn to be calm through the discomfort. And all the work that you do on your yoga mat in this room has a trickle effect to the rest of your life outside of this room,” Benson said.

Since the Recovery Donation Class started in 2013, it has grown into a community. Even if people in the class are not in recovery, they support those who are.

“There’s this feeling in the room, we’re all in this together and there’s this sort of connectedness and this level of presence and determination,” Ward said.

It’s that “presence” that the people at Maine Hatha Yoga say is critical to recovering addicts.

“Yoga has taught me how to be OK with what’s happening right now, and be present and enjoy what’s happening right now,” Ward said. “So you become less reactive. You’re more able to connect to the relaxation response of your nervous system. The nervous system is more balanced.”

No one is turned away from the class for inability to pay, because most have already paid a high price to get there.

Many continue to heal through the power of yoga.

“If you are in early recovery, if you are struggling with addiction and you feel like there’s no way out, give yoga a shot,” said Angela Weymouth, co-owner of Maine Hatha Yoga.

“I live a very fulfilled life now. Freedom, yeah, I feel free,” Benson said.

The donations from the Sunday Recovery Class at Maine Hatha Yoga support the studio’s “One Posture at a Time” program, which brings yoga to local sober houses and prisons.