292. Soul Care, Mindful Movement, and Joyful Recovery with Steven Washington
Steven Washington is an author and former professional dancer. After performing on Broadway in The Lion King, he found a new passion in the form of Chigong and Pilates and has since become a highly acclaimed teacher in both disciplines. His book, Recovering You: Soul Care and Mindful Movement for Overcoming Addiction, is the result of his love of movement and his dedication to helping others. Steven enjoys a life of joyful recovery and is passionate about helping others heal and grow. He hosts a monthly Heart/Mind Moments YouTube series, which has been viewed by over a million people. His videos focus on physical, emotional, and spiritual health and are designed to inspire, motivate, and bring joy to viewers.
Washington's journey began at age 15 when he had his first drink, which made him feel suddenly okay in the world. He chased this feeling for 20 years until it no longer worked and he had reached rock bottom. It was then that a friend in recovery showed him the way to sobriety. After many years of drinking and doing drugs, Washington eventually made his way to Broadway to perform in the Lion King, which he had seen as a kid and envisioned himself in. In 2014, Washington was introduced to Chigong and found it was a great tool to help manage his recovery and life in general. This led him to create an online course and eventually write a book, Recovering You. Washington's book details the use of Chigong and other practices such as journaling, compassionate inquiry, and building a social support network to help with recovery. All of these tools combined tend to the health and well-being of the body, mind, and spirit.
Steven’s advice is to practice self-care as an important foundation for addiction recovery. He suggests taking time to connect with the breath, practicing self-massage, meditating, and doing breath prayers. Breath prayers involve combining physical breathing with intention, such as breathing in peace and breathing out fear, worry, and anxiety. Doing this for five minutes can help shift the mind and create faith, optimism, and peace.
The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway
“I would love for people to know that they’re not alone. That no matter what their challenges are, there are people that understand them and care for them and love them just as they are in this moment that feels very imperfect and very challenging. They’re not alone.”
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