A Way From Darkness: Yoga As a Key To Lasting Recovery, With Taylor Hunt
Host: Brenda Zane, brenda@brendazane.com
Guest: Taylor Hunt, Taylor Hunt Yoga
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about this episode:
As Taylor Hunt headed into his sixth month of sobriety, he wasn’t only uninterested in yoga, he thought it was for old ladies and people who like Jazzercise. He’d been through four treatment centers, IV heroin use, and homelessness, and was working the 11th step of AA: “Sought through prayer and meditation to increase our conscious contact with God, as we understand God.” On the advice of his sponsor, Taylor prayed for an understanding of how he should meditate. That’s when a woman he’d never met before approached him and said that she was supposed to teach him yoga. Not seeing the connection between the practice and the meditation he sought, he rejected the offer – five times.
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My guest today is the author of the passage you just heard. I'm excited to share this incredible story of how his life was turned around. But before we get into that, I want to remind you that the fact you're here today is not an accident. I talk with so many parents every week who tell me I listened to X, Y, Z episode today and it was exactly what I needed to hear.
It was like you were living in my life and then created the episode. And that is true in a sense. I am in your home and your life because I'm in this all day, every day, and I see what you are going through. I'm really honored to get to facilitate the Tuesday night partnership to End Addiction Parent Support call.
And if you don't know about the magic that those calls are, I will put a link in the show notes. Or you can go to drugfree.org and get click on the support button. There. And on those calls, I listen to the challenges and I see the success stories that are often mind blowing. And of course, I work with all the parents in the stream in the woods in an even more intimate way, which allows me to show up here every week with guests who you can relate to and learn from and with personal messages to encourage you and keep your attitude and your approach headed in the right direction.
So you're here today to hear something that will serve a purpose in your life. And I'm incredibly grateful to have gotten an hour of time with Taylor Hunt for this episode. One thing I love about Taylor's story of many is that it proves out something that I preach every day, which is there is no one size fits all way for people to find recovery.
That statement can start to sound a little cliche after a while. And so what you'll hear today is living proof that that statement is actually true and not just a saying. Let me tell you a little bit about this guy. Taylor Hunt is a devoted practitioner and teacher of Ashtanga Yoga, and he is a person in long term recovery.
In 2013, Taylor was granted level two authorization to teach, which is, by the way, not easy to get. And he is dedicated to sharing the healing practice of yoga with others and providing a community where practitioners can find support in their practice and daily lives. He's the director of the Training Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that's dedicated to sharing the life changing practice of Ashtanga yoga with those who are suffering from addiction.
And with that, let's jump in to a conversation. I'm so grateful to be able to bring you. Here's me and Taylor. Enjoy.
BRENDA
Welcome, Taylor. I am thrilled to have you with me today to talk about all things addiction and recovery yoga, which is a very unique spin. I think our mutual friend Trip was the only other person I've had on the podcast talking about yoga, So I'm really happy to have you. So welcome.
00;05;09;22 - 00;05;10;29
Taylor
Yeah, thanks for having me on.
00;05;11;12
Brenda
I love recovery stories and so do my listeners, because when you're in it as a parent, you kind of can't see the other side. You know, you're like, So in the crisis in the moment and what's going on and it's really hard to envision your young person ever kind of coming out the other end. And so these conversations are really important because and they're also unique.
I just absolutely love talking to people in recovery because it's magical what people have done with their lives. And so that we could share a little bit about that. Your story and then what you're doing today is just phenomenal with all of your your book and your resources. But if we could maybe rewind and just give us the background story that you're comfortable with about how you came to be doing what you are today, because it is quite a journey.
00;06;09;08
Taylor
You know, so I wrote a book about this in 2016, which is called Away from Darkness. And I mean, to make it shorter, instead of the 315 pages that that the book is, I was like six months sober and I was working the 11 step and 11 step sort through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God and I remember my sponsor saying something very specific to me.
He said, like, if you want to learn about meditation, you should. But since I already had a like a prayer life, he said, I think that you probably need to pray to get some guidance on meditation. And that was like, okay, I can I can totally do that. And, you know, the back story is, is this is my fourth time through, you know, treatment center.
He would have been he's my second sponsor. I was living on the street or in trap houses and really having a rough time. And honestly, I was like trying not to be here. And this fourth time through, there was like some sort of miracle that happened where, like, I just had this compulsion to, like, want to live again.
And it made me really willing to try different things. And it was I mean, it was super scary. I mean, like even going to therapy and going to IOP and doing these things, you know, it was very difficult to walk into that because it's a lot of healing and and, you know, like addiction wants to keep you as sick or, you know, or my addiction, like wanted to keep me sick and not do those things that create that great growth.
00;07;53;17
Taylor
And so I was working, working this step and and six months sober, you know, like it's not very sober. I mean, it was great for me. It was the longest that I had ever had. But I mean, at that point in time, it's like sort of a flicker of a flame, you know, you're like one bad decision away from using, again, like when you're doing that stuff.
And I was doing a lot of the right things, too, you know? So like my sponsor was like an evening to pray, to find meditation. And so I said this prayer, set it on my knees and like it was like maybe two days before I went to an AA meeting and I was sitting around in a circle and this lady was sitting across from me.
And directly after the meeting she came right up to me and she said, like, I think I'm supposed to teach you yoga. Okay? Which is I mean, pretty forward. Yes. Yeah, Yeah. I mean, she she looked me dead in the eyes and like, my first response, I mean, because, you know, I was living on the street doing all of this kind of stuff and and like, I was not okay with the idea of yoga because it seemed like it was just like aerobics or some sort of jazzercise or like, you know, just some sort of fitness thing that yeah, even the mention of it like threaten my masculinity to be completely transparent and honest.
And so, like, I immediately rejected it and I was like, you know, that stuff's for girls. I'm not into it. Like, you know, I don't know who told you to come up and talk to me like, you know, I got defensive about it and I kind of like, shoot her away. And, you know, any time in my life that I'm supposed to do something like that, message just keeps on getting repeated, you know?
00;09;31;15
Taylor
And I a great relationship with God of my choosing or higher power. And today and and I know that there's a big sense of humor there. And so I saw that lady another six times and it was over a period of like two or three days. And she came every single time she would ask the same exact question, like she would say like, I think I'm supposed to do yoga, are you into doing yoga?
And I was like, No, no, no, no, I'm not into it. I saw in my neighborhood, I saw at the grocery store, I turned left on the Italian aisle. The lady was standing there, like, so weird that we keep on seeing each other. And I got, like, kind of nervous about that.
00;10;13;14
Brenda
I guess she's a stalker.
00;10;15;03
Taylor
You know, because I was like, six months over. I'm like, sitting here going, like, is this lady following me? Yeah, yeah. She follow me or something. And I went to a meeting and there was one seat that was right next to me that was empty. And she, like, whispered in my ear and she said, You know, like, I think you're supposed to do my yoga class.
And I was like, I, like, ran out of the meeting. You know, I'm like, talk to my sponsor about it all this kind of stuff. And and so then I went to like later on in the day. And just to make a long story short, I went to the gas station filling up my car and there was someone whistling on the other side.
And I looked over and I remember saying, before I looked, I was like, This person's like, really happy. Like whoever this is, which was intriguing. And so like, I like, looked on the other side and she was standing there on the other side of the pump. And I remember just like throwing my hands up because like, not only did I acknowledge that she was like sort of, I don't know, joyful or some there was some sort of like infectious, like joy or gratitude or something that was coming off of her.
And this is like before I even saw that it was her and I threw my hands up and I was like, I'll do I'll do your damn yoga class. I didn't say it like that, and.
00;11;29;20
Brenda
I wouldn't blame you if you.
00;11;30;19
Taylor
Did. Yeah, I know. And so I called my sponsor and I said, You know, I guess I'm signing up for yoga. And he really, you know, over this period, he, like, he was just like, so spot on because I was like, This lady wants to teach me yoga. And like, he said something that would change my life for you.
And he was like, Well, isn't yoga meditation? And and I remember like, sitting back and like being like, Oh, yeah, I think I've heard that before. I went to my first yoga class. I did. I hated it, but I showed back up because, like, that's what I needed to do in order to get some discipline and to order to in order to, like, do what my sponsor was telling me and that kind of stuff.
And, and I went back to the second class and I remember like getting done with it and feeling like really grateful and comfortable in my own skin. And I just was like, I need to do this every day because it was the first time I, like, felt self-esteem, you know, the first time I felt confidence or, you know, or felt comfortable in my own skin.
I felt better. I shed I felt like I shed layers, you know, like I was attentive to my breath that was attentive to my body. And I saw the consequences of my actions. And, you know, I saw a lot a lot of it. And so when I was writing my book, just to come full circle at the end of the editing process, I remember like reading it as objectively as I can.
00;12;49;13
Taylor
And I looked at it and I was like, Well, how do I make this more of a reality for other people? And, you know, I was already traveling to India. I was doing workshops around the country. I was talking about addiction, I shared my story, that kind of stuff. And then I was like, How do I make this a bigger thing?
And so I started of five or 1c3, you know, to provide recovery housing, to provide yoga access and scholarships, and to pay teachers to go into treatment centers. And that was over a period of, you know, from when I got sober. I mean, I'm sober 17 years, so I shortened it a little bit.
00;13;26;19
Brenda
How old were you when you were in this period where this yoga teacher was stalking you?
00;13;31;19
Taylor
I was 25. I was like, really? I mean, at that point in time, I was like one of the youngest, you know, people coming in.
00;13;40;11
Brenda
It's interesting. What I love to is that she was so persistent and she knew that this was something that could really change your life and that she didn't give up because and of course, I put everything kind of through the lens of a parent that you really struggle to know, how do I offer resources or ideas and be consistent and be persistent without shutting someone down or pushing them away.
So I just find that very interesting that she showed up. I got goosebumps because I was like, okay, she was your angel. That's basically all.
00;14;13;24
Taylor
I could totally.
00;14;15;00
Brenda
Figure out from all of that, right?
00;14;17;21
Taylor
Yeah, I call her my yoga mom nowadays.
00;14;19;26
Brenda
Do you are you still in touch?
00;14;22;01
Taylor
Of course, yeah. Yeah.
00;14;23;27
Brenda
One thing that you said that really stood out to me is that you when you started doing yoga, that you felt comfortable in your skin. Because what I hear consistently from people who struggle with substance use is I don't feel comfortable in my skin. I need the substance to make me relaxed or less anxious or more social or to sleep or whatever it is, and that there's this discomfort in my own skin so that is really interesting that you could have that experience just by practicing yoga.
00;15;01;12
Taylor
I remember on that first couple of yoga classes just feeling like I was shedding layers and and I felt like the grass was green on my side of the street and I felt like I had done something so healthy. I mean, I really describe it as like a coming home moment. Brenda I was out of my body and out of my mind, so to speak, and the yoga was a coming home.
It was like resting back in my body. I think I drank and used a lot because I mean, depression and, and dieting, I think more so and dieting than depression, to be honest with you. Because, like, it made me feel not okay. I could deal with the sadness and the depression and stuff, but the anxiety, like, you know, felt pent up, pent up and it felt like scary sometimes.
And so, like as I work through and like, got into this movement and got it into my breath and I was able to to come back into my body and man, it was like it was the first time that I felt like I cared about myself, that I had some sort of loving and compassion. It was like exactly what I was supposed to be doing, you know?
It felt like complete alignment.
00;16;12;18
Brenda
That had been just such a unique feeling. And to think that you're getting that feeling from something so healthy did that then sort of trigger other healthy changes in your life? Like was it sort of like, Oh, okay, there's this and then does that change your diet or does it change? Like, what was that process like as you started doing yoga more consistently?
00;16;36;29
Taylor
I'm just going to be 100% honest. Like, you know, I remember after the first yoga class that I had, there was this moment where I was like, I don't ever want to do this again because it made me feel vulnerable. And I, I went outside and I immediately drank a Red Bull and I smoked a cigaret in the yoga parking lot because that's where I was at that point.
And then I literally went home. And as I was going home, I like went to McDonald's and like, stuffed my face with with, you know, McDonald's and reason. I'm telling you that is because it wasn't immediate change and it couldn't have been immediate change. It had to be the change that was okay at that time. And at that time, I still needed the sports on on like 100% lube so that I could watch TV and zone out.
I needed the stuff, my face with food. I needed all the caffeine. I needed all of that, the nicotine as well, where life is a lot different these days. But it took what it took. And I think I really a year into my journey, I stopped drinking and eating so many sweets, which is definitely like an alcoholic kind of thing.
00;17;45;06
Taylor
After I get sober, I put down the cigarets and then I discarded like meat out of my diet and became a vegetarian for a really long time. And and and that was over a period of, like I would say, 1 to 4 years where like that kind of stuff started dropping away. Because as you start feeling better about yourself, you need less of those things when you're able to like, have tools in your tool belt, yoga, one of them or meetings and other people that are sober as well.
Like in my life, you don't need to go to those things anymore.
00;18;17;29
Brenda
I just love hearing this because we talk a lot about how there is no one size fits all right? When when you are trained to leave substances, leave that addictive cycle, you would think by now that there would be like, here's the button that you push or here's the protocol that you follow, and then that's how you do it.
And it's just not the case. Right? There's so many different ways that somebody can do this. And and I think we often overlook things like yoga or, you know, lifestyle tools that will really make that change. And we turn to a little bit more of the like tried and true resources. Did you also were you like doing a had you tried like a 30 day outpatient type thing or inpatient?
Like had you already done all of the sort of traditional things? And then this was now a shift in your kind of in the path of where you were trying to head?
00;19;20;00
Taylor
Yeah. So, I mean, I did all of the things that were suggested from treatment centers. I mean, I went to the, you know, IOP, I went to PHP, I went to detox, you know, I went to aftercare, I see therapy. I was doing really so I made it to a point where I was just like, I'm going to have to do everything in order to get sober.
So they, they were not like, suggestive anymore. Where in the beginning, like when I was first coming in to like these treatment centers, like, you know, they were said and I maybe it was important at the time, but it was like all suggestive. You know, it's like you have to pick up the one that you want to do, which felt nice.
But I realized through the for the fourth time, it was like I had to do all of them, you know, like, and maybe I was a little bit different of an alcoholic and drug addict and or, you know, or did some sort of damage to myself that I needed to do all of them. But I yoga was in addition to all of the traditional things.
Yeah. So it was like, do all these things plus yoga. That's what I needed.
00;20;30;10
Brenda
Hey, I'm taking a quick break because I want to let you know about the private online community I created and host for moms who have kids misusing drugs or alcohol. It's where I hang out between the episodes, so I wanted to share a little bit about it. This place is called The Stream, and it isn't a Facebook group.
It's completely private away from all social media sites where you start to take care of yourself. Because through all of this, who is taking care of you? The stream is a place where we teach the craft, approach and skills to help you have better conversations and relationships, and we help you get as physically, mentally and spiritually healthy as possible so that you can be even stronger for your son or daughter.
You can join us free for two weeks to see if it's the right kind of support for you and learn more about all the benefits that you get as a member at the Stream Community Icon. And I'll see you there. Now let's get back to the conversation.
If you don't mind just sharing a little bit about what your family relationships were like while you were going through this, while you were struggling. And then as you're working your way out because most of the people listening here are parents. They're watching their young person, whether that's a 16 year old or 26 year old or 36 year old, they're watching them struggle. And I always try to just shed a little bit of light about what those relationships were like. And then I want to talk about kind of the idea of how a parent could use yoga as well in there, because we're all trying to recover as well.
00;22;14;04
Taylor
So my family relationships were yeah, I mean, by the time I made it into the fourth treatment center, like I didn't have any family relationships, to be honest with you, they all walked away from me because they didn't want to be a part of that. It was hard for them to watch it. I know it's very difficult for parents to do it, but my parents started going to therapy and they started going to, you know, Al-Anon and, you know, like my sisters were going to Al-Anon and they really, you know, like I had a good job and I definitely had a good upbringing as well.
And and we just had access to like our my parents had access to, like find a good therapist for themselves, like during this period of time, which was really like 15, you know, ten or 15 years, pretty intense. And they started establishing boundaries. Once they established boundaries, like I realized that I couldn't like go and borrow money from them or I couldn't like go wreck the Christmas party.
I couldn't do that stuff. It was like unavailable. They they didn't want me around. They made it, like really clear in the first year of sobriety, I made amends to my my dad and I made amends to my mom. And and like all my mom, all my dad wanted me to do is make amends to my mom and all my mom wanted me to do is make amends to my sisters in a service like.
Right. I like open the door again with those difficult conversations which were really healthy and we really rebuild our relationship because I was really destroying. I was lying, cheating, stealing and all these things. And it makes it really tough to have a relationship because I was like a tornado and people's lives.
00;23;53;22
Brenda
That is exactly how I would describe it. You have to have a child who's doing that. I found yoga just after my son after a second overdose and he was starting to rebuild his life. I had ignored my body for five years, and so the only thing I could do was just to start. I'll never forget I was a little bit like you because I was you know, I like to go to the gym and I thought yoga was like, whatever.
Those people bending and looking like a pretzel and whatever, I don't know. That's not for me. But I just remember turning on a video and I saw a downward dog and I thought, I think I could do that. But I think that's about all I could do, right? It was like slowly, slowly, slowly for me, starting to actually move my body and connect with that.
Do you see? So I'd love to just hear what you see and what a parent could potentially do and why yoga might be helpful because we spent so much time in fear and anxiety in just, you know, reliving the past. And what did I do something wrong or, you know, what? If I had made a different decision, maybe if I hadn't, you know, let my kid do this or that.
And so we're just in this constant, like way up here in our heads or we're in the future. Right. Right. Going to be homeless or she's going to, you know, end up living in a car. So for somebody who's listening, who was like, you know, you and I pre okay. Thinking this is the most ridiculous thing, what would you say about trying it out as a as a way to manage our own kind of lives?
00;25;38;20
Taylor
Well, I mean, there's actually a great book on it and a great book. It's called The Body Keeps the Score. It's a very fantastic take on how like the body has this wisdom and and when trauma gets entered into the equation of your life, what happens is, is that it gets stored places. And the only thing that helps people during that period of time to deal with those things is movement therapy.
And I remember like ten years ago, like shouting from the mountaintops, like yoga literally can transform your life, get rid of anxiety, get rid of all of these things that you're struggling with, can give you a new perspective, can give you a new purpose and all this stuff. And I just remember like saying that over and over and over again.
And, you know, you fast forward to 2023 and what you realize is the the government is throwing billions of dollars at yoga and mindfulness and meditation and all these things because it's actually like proven science. Instead of just me saying it now, it's actually backed up by science and research. And yoga is really about not only can it be a spiritual help and mental and emotional and all this help, but I mean, I think that the number one thing it does, it puts us in right perspective and it also like gets us back into our body.
And as we do that, then what happens is it's like you end up actually finding what you're actually supposed to be doing, you know, and how to deal with problems and in how to process situations instead of out of like fear. And all these these different things. You're processing them out of like a really deep intuitive knowledge that you've tapped into.
00;27;25;02
Taylor
And it and it doesn't have to be spiritual. I think that, you know, like the case for the parents is that it just makes you feel better and it's different than just exercise. Exercise is great, but it's like if you combine that like sort of with this spiritual aspect and sort of like dealing with your emotions, a lot of times I say yoga is like psychotherapy because like you're dealing with the breath, you're dealing with the mind, You're, you know, similar to what meditation does, too.
But it's it's hard to get into it. I mean, I get it. And there's a lot of people I've seen in my life that really could have benefited from it, You know, people that are no longer in my life. I mean, my mom started getting into yoga and sounds like very similar to your experience and and my dad's come to my yoga classes, too, so it's pretty, pretty cool.
00;28;13;23
Brenda
That's awesome. Well, I think also, you know, social media has maybe done yoga a huge favor and disfavor that there's a lot of show off like, oh, let me show you my cute outfit while I am, you know, standing on my head or whatever. And I think that can be really intimidating for somebody who's just, you know, maybe 20, £30 overweight, just really wanting to start moving, doesn't have the Lululemon tights, doesn't, you know, like there's just a lot I think that's been commercialized is around yoga that could be putting people off where if you really just get on a mat, do the thing and don't worry about what you're supposed to look like, what
you're wearing, all of that can be really huge. So so you started Training Foundation, which is you actually have a location, but then you also have other yoga studios that are part of this. I'm trying to imagine somebody coming in like you six months and and saying, okay, I'm going to give it a shot. And I would just love to be a fly on the wall to see what that looks like for somebody who's never stepped in a yoga studio before. It has to be magical.
00;29;35;28
Taylor
It is magical. I mean, you know, like, the fact of the matter is, is like the first thing that we do is we preach consistency. Like I'm always talking about consistency of effort. I mean, we're all habit people, you know, like the addicts, but also normal people. Like we like routines. What what I really try and instill with with the students is people are training foundation scholarship recipients or even regular regular students, normal students.
We're instilling discipline, you know, like we just don't brush our teeth one day a week. You know, we brush brush our teeth every every day and or multiple times a day. And the reason why we do that is because it creates the routine. It also keeps us healthy and all that kind of stuff. And so, like, we're trying to take care of our body in the same way.
And in the beginning, like, you know, there's the yoga teacher who operates a lot like a sponsor, you know, as a yoga teacher, Like, I'm not necessarily like the people's friends. There was one time, Brenda, in the beginning of the training foundation, like the barrier, and all we did was offer scholarships to yoga places that we had, like people who were in long term sobriety.
It was like 69% of the people that applied for scholarships got into long term sobriety and and long term sobriety. We said it was a year. So we had like all of these people that were like, you know, and the statistic is went down. And since, you know, 2017. But I mean, it's still very good. You know, like if people apply for a scholarship and then they they actually start doing it and they're consistent in like the teacher, you know, helps like figure out what the sequence looks like for that person to like, you know, excuse the pun, but like Taylor fit that the practice to them to make it accessible.
00;31;25;08
Taylor
And then you're preaching consistency and, you know, like through the consistency of effort, you see growth, you know, like you couldn't do something one day and then like, you know, a month later or six months later or however long it takes, doesn't matter. You start seeing this progress and man, that's really powerful for everyone, because if we look at our nowadays, like I know a lot of people that are just like working their jobs just for a paycheck and you know, they're not trying to get better at their craft, you know, that's like and I think that's definitely relevant for some people.
And other people are like, Yeah, I'm going to be the best lawyer I can be or I'm going to be the best. But it's like the yoga provides this opportunity to look at something and say, like, if I put this hard work in, I can. It equals success or it equals growth or it equals change. And you start showing those micro goals.
Maybe it's a holding forward properly or doing a backbend or doing a headstand or shoulder stand or something like that. You see, like these little victories in those little victories, like on your rectangle, your yoga mat translate directly into our lives. And it's extremely powerful. You know, since the inception of the Training Foundation, we've had maybe 500 scholarships, people going through our doors.
And these are studios all over the country. There's about 50 ish of them. And then we have 50 to 100 teachers around the country as well that are teaching classes for us. And it started off as just like, I just don't want people to suffer the same way as I did and get them to yoga faster and provide access.
00;33;03;20
Taylor
So yeah, but like being a fly on the wall would be it's amazing. Like I've gotten to witness firsthand, like the power of yoga, you know, and it's like, I can't shout it loud enough. I can't raise enough money. I can't, you know, make enough ads or content about it on social media or any of this kind of stuff.
Because, I mean, if you're not doing it, you know, if you're not practicing yoga, you're like you're really missing out on this transformational. And besides the 12 step for me brand, it's like maybe the single greatest gift that I've ever gotten in my life. And it's as simple as just like finding a yoga mat and like getting on it and allowing someone to teach you and just like showing up when you don't want to.
And showing up and while you're working on things. And, and so like to see that process would be amazing. Yeah. And I'd get to see it firsthand.
00;33;56;25
Brenda
That's that's so beautiful. I could just see. And to be surrounded by other people who are also working on the same thing, also pushing themselves out of their comfort zone for sure, would be really incredible, what do you know now? Now where you are today that you wish you knew back when you were struggling?
00;34;18;21
Taylor
Maybe the main thing that I've learned is that you have to be completely honest and you have to be able to look in the mirror and you have to be able to see your true reflection and not live in denial anymore. That's the path of truth. And that's also like, you know, the path of my of my recovery.
And so I had to really deal with my traumas. And I was I have to work on myself first and and the most in order for me to, like, continue to be here, you know, to to be present. And I also I think it's important one of the lessons that I learned there's only today and we say that a lot in 12 steps, but I mean, that's also like what yoga teaches as well.
Yoga is now or is the study of now, you know, and so and there's a lot of correlations between the two. But those are like some major themes that that has really helped me through my journey.
00;35;17;13
Brenda
MM Could you have imagined the 20 year old you looking forward, could you have ever imagined what you'd be doing today?
00;35;26;17
Taylor
No, I could never imagine. I mean, because I'm also like, even though I'm a yoga person, like I don't feel much like a yoga person, you know, like I have the same ideals, but I feel differently just because of my life experience. And so I couldn't ever pictured it, especially like with my first rejection of it from the very beginning.
Like it was a, you know, strange thing. And now I go around, I talk about addiction, I raise money to help people, and I go around and I teach people about like doing back bending and how yoga changes their life and it's like, I don't even know how I got here. But, you know, it's part of the journey.
I mean, the journey has been like me just being like, I'm willing to do whatever work I need to do to to make sure that I'm in line with my purpose and what I'm what I'm trying to do. And that's, you know, this is a this is not the beginning part of sobriety. Beginning a part of sobriety for me was like, you know, my butt was on fire and it was like put out to put out the fire, like find resources, find help.
00;36;34;06
Taylor
Now it's more about like, how do I help more people or have a bigger impact and how do I get more aligned with my purpose? And, you know, how do I find these passions and how do I live like what I would call my Dharma? You know, the thing that I'm actually supposed to be here and not be in fear and not be in addiction and not be in all of these different things.
And it's it's been really powerful. And now I'm just like really trying to help people. It's like, how do you help more people so that they don't suffer? Because this is a huge problem. I mean, it's gigantic.
00;37;09;04
Brenda
It is gigantic and it's getting more gigantic, which is the, you know, the scary thing. And I think we're we're really seeing the tip of the iceberg from COVID and the impacts of that. And so you're going to be a very, very busy man. I you know, for the rest of your life. What do you love most about what you do if you had if you had to boil it down to a nugget?
00;37;32;01
Taylor
I mean, I just feel like it's what I'm supposed to be doing with my life and it doesn't feel like work and I don't really work a day in my life. I am literally trying to be of service to people who are, you know, don't have access to yoga, you know, through our our programs that we're talking about.
I mean, yeah, it doesn't even follow in the category of like that. This is, you know, slaving over work. It's like, no, it's not that. It's like this is the great work of my life and being a role model and, you know, being a yoga teacher and showing that lives can change, like this is what it's all about for me.
And I could never dreamed defects like because in addiction, I was pretty I was quite selfish.
00;38;14;16
Brenda
Yeah, it does that to a person for sure, but just so amazing to see because I think we can we can envision where you were and to see where you are today. I think it is just so encouraging. And it's it's something that parents and anybody who loves somebody who's struggling with addiction, you have to look at the Taylors, You have to look at the people who are sitting here saying, oh, you can have an amazing life.
You can have a life that doesn't even feel like work and be hugely successful and help sort of so many people. You can do that. Like this is the addiction is where life ends.
00;38;58;23
Taylor
I mean, I thought my life was over because like, you know, I had to go to treatment. What I realized is that my life was just starting and but that that period of time where you're kind of having those thoughts and in your sobriety, it's like, man, it feels it feels quite dark. I've had to change friends and find new friends and careers and all this stuff.
And it but I've done it with the support of other people, too.
00;39;22;23
Brenda
Well, it's serving you well, for sure. I'm going to make sure in the show notes we're gonna have links to the Attorney Foundation so that people can find a yoga class if they want. Also, you have a recovery house. I know, which is amazing. And that's for women, right?
00;39;40;22
Taylor
Yeah. So we're in the process of opening up three houses. We've just opened up the first one, which is just for women. And we've over the last couple of months, we've raised, you know, several thousand dollars to renovate the house and to buy furniture. But we are I mean, I mean, to be completely honest, like, we're in really need of help.
You know, the women that are coming in to the houses, they don't clothes, they don't have food. We started, like thinking about like the training foundation, you know, like because it was so awesome because, like, we started with yoga and like, you know, we were teaching really to people that had access to cars and had houses over their heads.
And so we flipped the script a little bit to, like, provide Robert recovery housing. And we've realized that there's such a need for it. About half of the house is filled up. We have five occupants that are allowed in the house and it's a great house. It's furnished IKEA furniture. It's like, you know, we've done a bunch of amazing things for him to like make sure that it's stable and, you know, beautiful and you know that they can walk right in and like, feel like they're part of, you know, we need money to buy hygiene products for them, toothbrushes, things like that.
And not all of them are like what I would say, like, you know, homeless. They a lot of them are just like they can't live at mom's house anymore. They can't live at Dad's house anymore. Like, they've lost that that lifeline. And and they need resources, you know? So like, I've done a lot of podcasts lately just being like, Hey, if you find it in your heart to make a donation, like you're helping Samantha, who just got into our recovery house and it goes directly to helping her, you know, get the services that she needs.
00;41;24;24
Taylor
They also have access to yoga and all that kind of stuff too. We have a yoga teacher and a peer specialist that comes in, a therapist that is like part of our board that that works with them also. So like, we're really trying to Columbus is pretty hard hit. It's maybe one of the worst zip codes where my yoga studio is, which is not far away from the house.
I mean, it's maybe the worst zip code in all of Ohio.
00;41;50;01
Brenda
Yeah, well, Ohio, yeah. You guys are ground zero for the opioid crisis. And so, yeah, we'll put a link so that if you do feel like you'd like to donate resources for the recovery house, that would be amazing. So we will put a link to that and just incredible work that you're doing. And I know you probably have a yoga class you need to get to, so I will I will let you go.
But I'm just so thankful for the conversation that you could be here with us today.
00;42;20;16
Taylor
Yeah. You know, thank you so much for put me in front of your people and having me on like it was a pleasure. And so, like, we should do it again. Maybe on my podcast when I started up again.
00;42;31;00
Brenda
Absolutely. I would love that. All right. Thanks, Taylor. Okay. That is it for today. If you would like to get the show notes for this episode, you can go to Brenda Zane dot com forward slash podcast. All of the episodes are listed there and you can also find curated playlists there, so that's very helpful. You might also want to download a free e-book I wrote.
It's called Hindsight Three Things I Wish I Knew when My son Was Misusing Drugs. It'll give you some insight as to why your son or daughter might be doing what they are. And importantly, it gives you tips on how to cope and how to be more healthy through this rough time. You can grab that free from Brenda's income.
Forget hindsight. Thank you so much for listening. I appreciate it. And I hope that these episodes are helping you stay strong and be very, very good to yourself. And I will meet you right back here next week.