Person of the Week: Brian Hyman

Brian Hyman is the author of Recovery with Yoga: Supportive Practices for Transcending Addiction (Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner). He is a yoga and meditation teacher, recovery activist, speaker, and father. He’s taught yoga at Cliffside Malibu since 2012, and he’s been sober since 2009. Brian is a member of Yoga Alliance and International Association of Yoga Therapists, and he’s a Legacy Ambassador for Lululemon. Brian has contributed popular guided meditations and courses to Insight Timer, where his offerings have received more than one million plays.

www.brianhymanyoga.com

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?

A. Drug of choice: Alcohol. Sobriety Date: November 28, 2009. 

Q. What do you like most about 12-step meetings?

A. The camaraderie and open-heartedness, and when I get to see, hear, and feel what I like to call the Three H’s: Honesty, Humility, and Humanity. 

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?

A. From the personal experience of someone who drank for nearly two decades and now has more than 15 years of continuous sobriety, I believe it’s a disease that becomes awakened when certain circumstances – such as family history, environment, neglect, abandonment, trauma, and similar causes and conditions – come together and the person who is suffering from these types of things seeks release so they reach for drugs or alcohol, sex or shopping, gambling or eating, among additional addictive behaviors. I believe we engage in these types of dependencies to escape the present moment or reality as it is; we want to check out and forget about life; we want to quiet our mind. We may feel that we do not have any other options or solutions other than to obliterate our consciousness so that is what happens for those with substance use disorders, mental health issues, codependency challenges, etc. And I also believe that once an alcoholic drinks or an addict uses or acts out, the phenomenon of craving is indeed induced and we become powerless and life becomes unmanageable – until we find a spiritual solution that incorporates the unity of mental, emotional, and physical sobriety.   

Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that helps keep you sober?

A. My daily routines which include prayer, meditation, reading, journaling, yoga, walking in nature, and fellowship with others in recovery. 

Q. How do you measure success?

A. When my thoughts, speech, and actions are healthy and in alignment, and I can look the world in the eye and hold my head high. It’s when I say what I mean and mean what I say but don’t say it mean. It’s when I look at my 10-year-old daughter and see that she gets to grow up with a sober parent who lives an active program of recovery, and she gets to benefit from living in a safe home where God, spirituality, prayer, gratitude, and joyfulness are at the core of our lives. 

Q. Who has been the biggest influence throughout your life?

A. I have had many amazing teachers within the last 15 years, and I’m so grateful for how my life has unfolded throughout this period of time in my recovery. And the life and work of Thich Nhat Hanh – a Zen Master and Buddhist monk, author, poet, and peacemaker – is probably one of my biggest influences for how to teach, write, create, communicate, and live my life. I discovered him when I got sober and I have been listening to his talks and reading his books ever since.  

Q. From what school of thought or teacher did you learn the most from?

A. The Twelve Steps gave my life structure, meaning, and a framework for how to live life one day at a time. Once I got sober and worked the Steps with my first sponsor, from that moment onward, I have adopted and made good use of this design for living and it’s worked beautifully throughout my entire recovery. Through all of life’s ups and downs, the Steps have been there to guide me toward finding greater stability and serenity, helping me to be of service, and learning to better love and understand all living things. 

Q. Where are you from and where do you reside now?

A. I grew up in South Florida, then I lived in New York City through my mid to late 20s. I have been living in Southern California now for the last 20 years or so. 

Q. What major event or realization shaped who you are?

A. When my mother passed away in 2009, this forced me to contemplate mortality. I was not yet sober at that time (I was 34), but I quickly realized that death can come at any time for any person. My mother wanted to live, but she couldn’t because of cancer. I had the miracle of life within my grasp but I was wasting it. Shortly after she passed away at the age of 56, I got sober and decided to live my life with purpose and meaning, and to try to continue to love and learn and grow and to always strive to be the best person I can be. I feel its a debt of honor to live courageously for those who are not able to live. My life was given to me by my mother, and I now treasure this precious gift she gave to me.       

Q. What is your Astrological sign?

A. Capricorn.

Q. What is a phrase that has kept you afloat during hard times?

A. “Inhale, present moment; exhale, wonderful moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.

Q. What’s your concept of a Higher Power?

A. A beautiful, benevolent force that is Glory, Goodness, Grace, Guidance, Kindness; Infinite Intelligence, Eternal Presence, Unlimited Power, Unbound Love. 

Q. What book(s) have you read more than once?

A. No Greater Love by Mother Teresa, and Around the Year with Emmet Fox.  

Q. What do you love most about living sober?

A. I love that I get to be a sober dad. And I get to work at a prominent treatment center where I can utilize my personal and professional experiences to try to help people find healing, transformation, and recovery. And I also get to share recovery-themed content (my book, courses and meditations, articles, podcasts, etc.) with others around the world to try to help them with their recovery.  

Q. If you could give advice to your younger self what would it be?

A. Hang in there and don’t give up. You will make it through and life will get good. Have faith and remember you are not alone. Never give up on your dreams. You are loved and you are lovable. You have a purpose here and you will live a bold life. 

Q. Is there anything you do that seems mundane on the surface but has turned out to be sacred for you?

A. I go for a walk outside every afternoon. I’ve been doing this throughout my entire recovery. It may seem simple, but it’s part of my daily practice to connect with God, nature, and to let go of the past and future; it helps me slow down so I can inhabit life deeply in the present moment.

Q. What books are you reading now?

A. I just finished reading Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn. And I also recently finished reading A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson.

Q. What is your favorite App?

A. Insight Timer. 

Q. What are some of the most memorable songs in your life?

A. Howie Day’s “Collide.” It played when I danced with my mother at my sister’s wedding. This was shortly before my mother passed away. It was a happy and miraculous moment where my mom got a chance to dance one last time.  

Q. What is your favorite cuisine?

A. I switched to a plant-based diet about 12 years ago. I love the simplicity of it and how it nourishes my mind, heart, body, and soul. 

Q. What is one thing that always makes you smile?

A. The miracle of life. Whenever I remember that life is precious and impermanent, I can smile because I am alive and healthy in the here and now. And when I remember that this moment has never happened before and will never happen again, I smile even wider out of gratitude that I was here to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.   

Q. What was the proudest moment in your life?

A. A few things come to mind: When I completed working all Twelve Steps with my first sponsor. The first time I was able to sponsor another alcoholic and get him through all Twelve Steps. Completing my first yoga teacher training program. Becoming a father. Signing a contract (with Shambhala Publications) to write my first book Recovery with Yoga: Supportive Practices for Transcending Addiction — and then recently winning a Nautilus Book Award for it.   

Q. What is your favorite compliment to receive, and why?

A. “Thank you.” It is such a simple phrase but it is so nourishing, reciprocal, and unifying.    

Q. What are five things you always carry with you?

A. Five things I try to always carry with me are open-mindedness, honesty, curiosity, patience, and gratitude.  

Q. Where do you go when you’re seeking solitude?

A. My meditation cushion, which is set up in a corner of my bedroom. 

Q. What is something you are currently curious about?

A. Emotional and somatic sobriety, which relates to where the body stores trauma, feelings and emotions, resentments, memories, attachments, and expectations. This is a huge part of my work today, and why I recently created courses about these topics for Insight Timer. I find it fascinating to learn how the mind, heart, and body are interrelated, and to experientially do the subtle yet deep work to let go of things that need to be released; to heal what needs to be healed; to transform what needs to be transformed.