Mindful Fitness Programme

Optimal Care and Devotion

Banbury Lodge offers residents the opportunity to benefit from our Mindful Fitness programme. Mindfulness is a holistic therapy that has been proven to be a very effective treatment for addiction and its common co-occurring illnesses.

Removing the alcohol, drugs or compulsive behaviours is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of achieving permanent and fulfilling recovery. The individual must address their thinking if they are to stay sober and clean and change their ways.

Mindful Fitness can be adapted to benefit anyone and is especially beneficial to those that suffer from anxiety, negative thinking, depression, obsessive thinking, addiction and trauma. By combining mindfulness with fitness, this therapy serves a dual purpose.

What Is Mindful Fitness?

Mindful Fitness combines exercise with a form of meditation. Popular examples of Mindful Fitness are Yoga and Tai Chi. Both of these techniques work on the mind whilst improving physical strength, control and flexibility.

Whilst the individual exercises, the mindfulness assists them in focusing on the sensations they are experiencing in their body in order to bring the mind into the here and now.  This distracts the mind from unhelpful thought processes, slows the breathing and relaxes the muscles.

The root of illnesses such as addiction, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress is in the individual’s brain and their thinking. The brain needs to be retrained to think a different way, a way that is beneficial to the individual and improves their quality of life.

Those with a busy mind may find it difficult to sit still and meditate; exercising provides a physical and psychological focus. Whilst they are training their mind, they are also strengthening their body and improving overall flexibility and physical strength.

Treating Addiction with Mindful Fitness

When an individual is addicted to a substance or an activity, it becomes the focus of their every waking moment, leaving little room for anything else. Addiction is an illness of obsession; the addict’s day will revolve around planning, plotting, getting and taking alcohol, drugs or engaging in a particular activity.

The addicts thought processes compel them to repeat the same behaviours despite ever-worsening consequences to themselves and also to their family and loved ones. Take away the alcohol and drugs and the mind needs to be refocused away from negative and obsessive thinking.

Exercise releases the body’s feel-good chemical dopamine. This endorphin in combination with mindfulness help to positively train the brain, giving the individual more control over their thinking. Mindfulness provides the individual with relief from internal conflict and pain.

Focusing the mind and body, positively enriches the individual’s spirit, providing a better quality of life and drastically reducing the risk of relapse.

The Benefits of a Mindful Fitness Programme

Here are just some of the proven benefits our patients will gain from practising Mindful Fitness:

• Increased awareness of thought processes
• Able to self-calm
• Able to turn negative thinking into positive thinking
• Reduction in obsessive thought patterns
• Increase in productivity
• Less likely to act on impulsive thoughts
• Improved concentration and cognitive function
• Improved sleep pattern
• Increased self-esteem and self-worth
• Increased awareness of the body
• Connection with true authentic self
• Reduced anxiety and panic
• Induced feelings of peacefulness and acceptance

• Reduction in aches and pains
• Improved coordination and balance
• Increased strength and flexibility
• Increase in endorphins and serotonin, resulting in elevated mood
• Relaxed muscles
• Better posture
• Stabilizes breathing and cardiac function
• Increased lung capacity
• Improved quality of sleep

Mindful Fitness shifts the individual’s focus from the external material world to the internal spiritual world. In doing this, regardless of external circumstances, the individual is able to find peace within; thus reducing anxieties and fears associated with the material world. It also offers the added benefits of strengthening and toning the body and improving overall physical fitness.

Our Mindful Fitness Programme

For more information on Mindful Fitness, please contact us directly and ask to speak to a member of our clinical team, who will be happy to answer any questions you may have. We positively promote Mindful Fitness for its benefits in treating addiction and mood disorders and have implemented it into our rehabilitation programme so our patients can reap its benefits.