Namast’ay hOMe Spotlight: Jeff Emerson of True Freedom Recovery Yoga
Jeff Emerson is the co-founder of A Policy for Caring Inc., the parent organization of True Freedom Recovery Yoga - dedicated to yoga, meditation, and the recovery process. Jeff has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 30 years and has been imparting his wisdom and sharing his gift with people from all walks of life for the last decade.
He is also the executive director of Cincinnati based True Freedom Recovery, “a not for profit yoga studio dedicated to yoga, meditation, and the recovery process. Each yoga class ends with a recovery meeting. We are not interested in what fellowship you attend or in what or how much you used, or if you have abused substances at all, only in how we can grow together in body, mind, and spirit using yoga as a way of getting in touch with our true selves.”
We asked Jeff to share his thoughts on yoga and his work at True Freedom Recovery.
“True Freedom Yoga had opened my mind, body and spirit to a new level of recovery that I had never imagined. I have been in many ‘rooms’ and yoga studios. We all come to the mat or a meeting for generally the same thing. The true freedom community blends these worlds creating a community that stretches deeper. As I started to attend a Monday night yin class with Jeff I realized quickly that this was a new experience so much more than that of going to a yoga class with a great teacher. The True Freedom environment creates a container where all become the teachers and students and everyone leaves a little closer if they can let go a bit.”
Classes are held every week night at 6PM. Classes vary from Kundalini, to yoga flow, restorative yin to chakra, and beginner.
Classes are at 9:30AM most days and noon on Fridays.
Saturday and Sunday classes at 10:30.
All recovery yoga classes include a 30 minute meeting that is open to anyone after the classes except for Monday night Kundalini.
Interested in taking a class with True Freedom Recovery? View the schedule and sign up for a class here.
What is your personal yoga style?
My personal style of yoga is what-ever works. I was trained with Will Bradshaer at Cincinnati Yoga Studio, in a more ashtanga yoga/yin style. Then I did a 5 elements of 300 hour training with Will. I also took a 500 hour training with Ashley at yogahome, she leaned to Iynagar in her teachings. I took on-line Ayurveda classes with David Frawley and did some private training with him. I recently did an Irest training with Richard Miller. I have been trained in Thai Yoga massage by several teachers. So at any rate I have taught yin, power yoga, hatha yoga, hot yoga, some kundalini, I took a 200 hour course recently but do not care for kundalini much. I do private sessions of vedic counseling or yogic life coaching for those in recovery. I use asana, pranayama, meditation, mantra, ayurveda, and yogic stories to help people through difficult times in their life especially in recovery.
I do it to see that light of awareness that I occasionally see in people's eyes when they realize that there is a whole new world for them to explore clean and sober. I teach so I can deepen my own understanding and grow toward the freedom that is promised in recovery and in yogic philosophy.
Why do you teach recovery yoga?
I teach recovery yoga because it is my dharma and passion. I am in recovery myself 28 years, and it is a way for me to give back for the gift that I was given. I charge a little for counseling, but I run the studio and teacher programs on a voluntary basis right now.
I do it to see that light of awareness that I occasionally see in people's eyes when they realize that there is a whole new world for them to explore clean and sober. I teach so I can deepen my own understanding and grow toward the freedom that is promised in recovery and in yogic philosophy.
What practitioners, books, or resources do you recommend?
There are many great books on yoga and recovery now including mine, Unfolding the Lotus: Working the Fourth Step through the Chakra System, but I would also recommend:
RECOVERY 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life by Tommy Rosen
Yogic Tools for Recovery: A Guide for Working the Twelve Steps by Kyczy Hawk
Of course, I have many regular yoga books that I love and read and re-read. David Frawley has many books that cover all aspects of the deeper understandings of yoga philosophy.
Richard Freeman’s The Mirror of Yoga has always been an inspiration for me.
Please share a quote that resonates with you.
True Freedom is not simply the freedom to get what you want but freedom from the pain and burden of desire, the freedom from outer worldly compulsions. True Freedom can only be found by Self-awareness. It is not the freedom to do but the freedom to be. Freedom from desire brings the highest happiness. The ability to get what we want only breeds further wants.
-David Frawley
“The yoga poses (asanas) have helped me to become aware of my muscles in my body and in turn helps me to be more aware of my emotions and how I act when I am going through them. Also, they have helped me to push myself but not to a point of hurting myself. Once again I apply this in life situations. I strive to push myself towards the things I want in life with confidence and determination.”
Learn more about the good work going on at True Freedom Recovery Yoga here!
Thank you so much to Jeff Emerson for taking the time to share and for being part of Namast’ay hOMe!