Project Status : Ongoing

Last Updated: 23 October 2024

About this Project:

The Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers (SARDA) is established in 1961, the largest voluntary drug rehabilitation organization in Hong Kong. It adopts a medical and psycho-social counseling model and provides diversified voluntary treatment and rehabilitation services, free of charge to drug abusers. The Adult Female Rehabilitation Centre (AFRC) is one of the residential drug treatment and rehabilitation centers of SARDA. It is established in 1997, providing 3 to 12 months of voluntary residential drug treatment and rehabilitation service to adult female drug abusers above the age of 30. For more information about The Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers (SARDA), please visit: https://www.sarda.org.hk/  

Substance-use disorders are among the major public health problems worldwide and are among major contributors to increased morbidity and mortality. Collectively, smoking, alcohol, and illicit drug use kill 11.8 million people each year (Source: Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser). This is more than the number of deaths from all cancers. Over 350,000 die from overdoses (alcohol and illicit drug use disorders) each year.

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine reported on a study that showed an increase in the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) with the practice of yoga techniques. GABA is a kind of natural tranquilizer produced by the brain to help manage anxiety and stress responses. Higher levels of GABA usually mean less anxiety and less stress. Stress, anxiety, and depression are common side effects of drug withdrawal, and the use of yoga in recovery may actually work to improve these symptoms.

A study published by Harvard Health on a group of women who reported themselves to be “emotionally distressed” practised yoga for 1.5 hours twice a week. At the end of three months, half reported less depression, a third cited fewer anxiety symptoms, and 65 percent claimed an increase in overall wellbeing. Over 80 percent of the people practicing yoga in the United States, according to a National Health Interview Study (NHIS) in 2012 published by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), reported a reduction in their stress levels as a result.

Various Yoga poses and associated breathing exercises have an influential role in alleviating the symptoms of mental disorders.  Yoga has long been used to help relieve stress, and scientific evidence has provided a link between practicing yoga and the reduction of stress by modulation of the stress response, Harvard Health reports. When a person feels stress, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and body temperature increase. Yoga may actually act on this system by regulating and balancing some of the stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

Andiappan Yoga Community is now partnering with SARDA to bring the benefits of yoga to the people who are drug abusers. 

“Therapeutic Yoga Course for Female Residents of Adult Female Rehabilitation Centre, SARDA”- The free course organized by Andiappan Yoga Community. Andiappan Yoga Community partners with the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers- to share yoga therapy with female drug rehabilitators. 

Yoga helps drug rehabilitators to connect mind, body, and breath to enhance self-awareness and focus attention inward. Meditation and Relaxation reduce negative emotions and provide the capability to cope with potential triggers and daily life stressors. Women’s overall health and wellness will also be improved. 

Who are the students in this project?

This is a medical rehabilitation class open to beneficiaries of SARDA at the Shatin treatment and rehabilitation centre.

For students: Ready to sign up for yoga classes?

This is a medical rehabilitation class open to beneficiaries of SARDA at the Shatin treatment and rehabilitation centre.

For volunteers: Interested in volunteering for this project?

Learn more about how to Get Involved as an AYC Volunteer and apply for this project.
To teach in this class, teaching volunteers must observe 3 classes by visiting the Anahata Yoga Studio and then classes must be taught from Anahata Yoga Studio to protect the privacy of the participants. No photos or recordings are permitted for this project.

Student Feedback:

• 上咗3堂瑜伽，我覺得係有一啲難度，或者自己筋骨唔夠軟，有時候拉到痛嘅位就好自然退縮！我感受也訓練我哋專注，放鬆及堅持！我也希望自己拉得多都會越來越好，所以過程係開心，舒服嘅！ – 課程參與者
• Yoga is a non-rigid healthy practice. I appreciate the class. – Program participant
• 原來印度瑜伽真係印度人有份教的，因為我有腰骨痛所以每一次拉完筋我都十分舒服，腰骨立即唔痛，我非常喜歡上𦖭伽班，加上這位導師所教既我哋都做到，好欣賞自己原來啲筋都Ok軟，平衡力都Ok, 自己有機會上瑜伽班勁開心，原來又發現多一樣野你自己鐘意的。 – 課程參與者
• 我一向都好喜歡做瑜伽，所以我每次上呢個組，我都好享受個過程，因為做瑜伽除咗可以伸展，仲可以放鬆心情同減壓我好鍾意。- 課程參與者
• 我覺得瑜伽班是可以用深呼吸及方法番來自己個人到，可以一吸一呼令自己個人身心放鬆。我覺得做下狗式，幫助到拉腰骨是很好，令到腰骨沒這麼痛。 雖然有些動作有點難，但拉完好舒服，我覺得瑜伽是幫助到難同懶的人拉筋，我希望繼續學多啲瑜伽拉身動作，學多啲有益身心動作。- 課程參與者
• 香港戒毒會於1961年成立，為全港最大型的志願戒毒機構。會方以醫療及社會心理輔導模式，免費為自願人士提供多元化的戒毒治療及康復服務。
• 香港戒毒會成年婦女康復中心是香港戒毒會轄下其中一間戒毒治療及康復中心，成立於1997年，專為30歲以上 的成年婦女濫藥人士，提供三至十二個月的自願性住 院式戒毒康復治療。

Yoga Therapy with SARDA Women Residents(SARDA) – Online Class 香港戒毒會成年婦女康復中心 – 瑜伽治療課

吸毒及濫用藥物是全球關注的健康問題之一，也是導致發病率和死亡率增加的主要原因。根據
Our World In Data，由 Hannah Ritchie 和 Max Roser 共同撰寫的文章中指出，吸煙，酗酒，吸
毒及非法使用藥物已導致每年1,180萬人死亡，遠高於所有癌症病患的死亡率。而每年死於酗酒，
吸毒及濫用藥物的人數則多達350,000人。

參考Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (輔助及另類療法醫學雜誌) 的一項研究
指出，練習瑜伽能使人的大腦產生更多 γ-氨基丁酸(GABA)。 GABA是大腦所產生的一種天然鎮
靜劑，可幫助減低焦慮，調節情緒，控制大腦及身體對抵抗壓力的反應。 如果大腦能製造更多
GABA，意味著我們能減少焦慮感和壓力。

在藥物戒斷的過程中，最常見的副作用是患者會感到有壓力，焦慮及沮喪。而持續地練習瑜伽的
確有效減輕及改善這些症狀。Harvard Health 曾發表一項研究，針對一群自覺患有情緒困擾的女
性，需要她們每週練習瑜伽兩次，每次1.5小時。在三個月後，有一半人感覺到抑鬱症状減輕，而
三分之一的人焦慮症狀減輕，另外65%的人稱總體健康狀況有所改善。根據國家補充與整合衛生
中心(NCCIH) 於2012年發布的國家健康訪談研究 (NHIS)，美國有超過80％的人透過練習瑜伽，
從而減輕壓力。

透過練習各種瑜伽動作和呼吸法能有效緩解精神緊張。Harvard Health 的健康報告指出，科學已
證明練習瑜伽能調節及增強身心的抗壓能力。當人感到壓力時，心率，血壓，呼吸和體溫都會上
升。練習瑜伽可調節和平衡一些壓力激素 (如皮質醇和腎上腺素)。

SARDA成立於1961年，為幫助吸毒者和康復者提供援助和治療，並幫助康復者提高對濫用藥物
的認識。Andiappan Yoga Community 正與SARDA合作，將瑜伽的好處帶給正接受治癒的人及康
復者。

「婦女戒毒康復瑜伽治療課程」 – 由Andiappan瑜伽社區舉辦的免費課程。Andiappan Yoga Community 夥伴香港戒毒會成年婦女康復中心為女性戒毒者分享瑜伽治療。

瑜伽幫助女性戒毒康復者可以連結思想、身體和呼吸，並提升自我覺察能力和內在專注力。瑜伽放鬆和冥想能幫助女性戒毒康復者減輕負面情緒，並提升她們的能力去應對潛在危機和日常的生活壓力。婦女們的整體的健康狀況也會得到改善。
有關香港戒毒會的更多資訊請瀏覽: https://www.sarda.org.hk/