Yoga is not an addiction. An addiction is a weakness; it is something forced on us by an intense emotional need. It is holding onto something that creates a mental dependency. Addiction is a sort of a chain: "I want something ... I must have it ... I need to have it right now ... If I don’t get it soon I don’t know what I’ll do... ". These characteristics do not exist in yoga. On the contrary, yoga is a practice that requires effort and self-discipline. It is not easy to practice yoga; the practice has no thrills and attractions and requires a lot of work, patience, and concentration. Weak people, who tend to indulge, might be unable to maintain the practice of yoga (though yoga can be used as an empowering instrument and serve as a way to help people quit addictions). Yoga practice is designed to increase attention and awareness; Yoga is the process of self-study; when we look deep within ourselves we will be able to uncover the reasons for our habits and addictions; We will be able to develop awareness regarding our difficulties, tendencies, needs, and deficiencies and deal with them consciously. Addiction stems from a desire to fill the emptiness or a significant deprivation. Yoga creates a feeling of abundance and balance so it works against the need to indulge. Yoga identifies the sources of our suffering, two of which are: attachments and aversions. Addiction is nothing but an extreme form of attachment. Yoga gives us deep inner satisfaction and therefore frees us from the need to hold on to external things as well as our dependency on them. Sure, you can get addicted to exercise, but yoga is not just a form of exercise, yoga works on the mind through the body; it is a journey for discovering our true Self. Yoga releases from mind-conditioning and bad habits, so really yoga is the opposite of addiction. ^ Back to top