Giving Back
Recovery and Sun Salutations Brooke Hamblet has brought a vision of recovery wellness to Fort Worth’s Pine Street Article Douglas Matus | Photography Kat Swift
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t’s common to hear words like ‘compassion,’ ‘integrity’ and ‘charity’ thrown around in yoga communities, often in a self-referential manner. One local yoga studio has decided to put its money — and time and energy — where its mouth is, and take the psychological and physical benefits of yoga to some of Fort Worth’s most vulnerable citizens. Indigo Yoga, Fort Worth’s preeminent yoga studio, occupies a modern and elegant space at 4808 Camp Bowie Boulevard. In the opinion of owner and founder Brooke Hamblet, however, the studio’s most important work takes place clear on the other side of town, off East Lancaster at the Pine Street Treatment and Rehabilitative Center. Since 2009, Indigo Yoga has offered free classes to all residents of this publicly-funded treatment center, which provides a 30-day detox program and related recovery services to adult men and women. Indigo Yoga recently took its commitment to service to a new level with 24
West FW Lifestyle | January 2015
the announcement of Blue Butterf ly, a 501c3 non-profit foundation. Blue Butterf ly, which has an independent board of directors, will work in conjunction with the Indigo Yoga staff to spread Brooke’s vision of rehabilitative yoga for addicts in recovery. Brooke’s dedication to addiction recovery has its roots in personal tragedy. The death of her mother from alcoholism forced Brooke to come to terms with the tragic nature of addiction. “I had no anger, I just missed her,” says Brooke. “She never got help and she never admitted she had a problem.” A teacher at Indigo Yoga, Kyra Overmier, spearheaded the first class at Pine Street. Brooke began to teach a class on Friday afternoons, an experience which quickly had a transformative effect. “Seeing other people dealing with the same issues, it gave me a whole new perspective on what my mom had gone through.
That got me fired up, and I realized we could help people who were in the same boat.” It didn’t take long for Indigo Yoga’s classes to have a marked impact on the long-term recovery of clients at Pine Street. While many people associate yoga only with physical fitness, yogic practice also stimulates the central nervous system in ways beneficial to recovering addicts. Yogic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and offsets the sympathetic nervous system, the “fight-or-flight” stressor that becomes overstimulated when addicts begin to detox. Yoga also stimulates the Vagus nerve and pituitary gland, both of which encourage calm and become inhibited in addiction. “Thousands of students have sworn to the effectiveness of yoga as treatment, and credit yoga to their post-rehab success,” says Brooke. “One of our primary goals with Blue Butterfly is to fund research and studies to track the short and long-term impact of yoga on recovery.” One person who appreciates the benefits yoga brings to recovering addicts is Deidre Brown, the current director of adult programs for Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County and a member of the Blue Butterf ly board of directors. Brown became an early and enthusiastic supporter of Indigo Yoga’s efforts, and secured funding for student equipment and an expanded schedule. As for the future of Blue Butterfly, Brooke has some big ideas “Our long-term goal is to have satellite programs at like-minded studios around the world,“ says Brooke. “We currently offer a free year of classes at Indigo Yoga to clients who have successfully completed treatment at Pine Street. Through this and other efforts, we want to encourage a new world of acceptance to help overcome the stigmas that prevent addicts from getting help.” Currently in its development phase, Blue Butterfly seeks to expand the offerings of Indigo Yoga at Pine Street, and has a website, BlueButterfly.org, for those who want to make donations or learn more. If you want to experience the physical and mental benefits of yoga firsthand, Indigo Yoga offers a full schedule of one-hour sessions to accommodate beginners and experienced yogis alike.