MUAY THAI & RECOVERY
Outpatients and tenants of Crow’s Nest Ranch - Truckee, California will be offered the ability to train in the art of Muay Thai by local experts who are highly skilled and experienced in the “the art of 8 limbs”. As we have stated many times, bodywork has become as important as talk therapy for those in recovery and exercise is one of the main pillars of ‘The Ranch’. Muay Thai is a therapeutic martial art with many parallels to the recovery process from addiction because of its combination of physical and mental stress.
Unlike the martial art of Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai is high impact and requires the practitioner to deal with both the mental stress of learning and the physical stress of conditioning your body to keep your hands up and your legs active. As a newcomer, the instructors will make you feel welcome and ease you into each training session. We will start by teaching basic techniques on the heavy bags and, as your confidence grows, encourage you into other aspects of this disciplined sport such as Thai pad drills and light sparring, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and various other body resistance exercises to retain physical conditioning.
Muay Thai has many physical and mental benefits for those in active recovery including but not limited to:
Improved Balance
Balance is key in order to strike, move, and defend when and how you want. Muay Thai helps your legs get stronger and more flexible, while also boosting your mental clarity and focus so you are constantly aware of your stance.
Learning to balance your body allows you to calm your mind quicker. When struggling with alcohol and drug addictions, being able to easily find your balance improves your threshold for reacting to different situations and avoiding negative behavior patterns.
2. Better Self Discipline
Muay Thai is very physically demanding and practicing an activity like this improves not only your mental and physical health but your self-discipline as well. It teaches you how to set goals, concentrate your mental and emotional energies, stay in shape, and get along with people.
3. Greater Mindfulness
Sitting meditation is not the only form of meditation and Muay Thai comes from Thailand which also happens to be one of the epicenters of Buddhism. So it should be no surprise that an objective of Muay Thai is to sustain conscious attention to your present situation.
Your ability to maintain control over potential triggers requires a level of self-awareness and practicing mindfulness using Muay Thai improves your ability to react with a calm and well-planned reaction to high-stress situations.
4. Perseverance
Muay Thai is hard. It is hard on your entire body both externally and internally. Just like our addiction to drugs and alcohol was not easy to overcome, Muay Thai requires you to overcome difficult feelings and situations. By using this martial art as part of your recovery, you invest in your mind, body, and spirit, you enhance your ability to persevere through difficult situations.
5. Increased Self Confidence
Healthy self-esteem starts with self-confidence. Practicing Muay Thai during your recovery journey increases self-confidence by providing an outlet where you can set and exceed goals. When training, you are able to see your progress in real-time as you continue your practice. Your kicks are more powerful, your hands become fast, and your mind gets sharper.
6. More Respect for Self and Others
It’s not just a brutal practice, because it takes technique, focus, balance, self-control, and most importantly, integrity, to be successful in Muay Thai. Respect is one of the first lessons it teaches you. Respect for elders, respect for peers, and respect for authoritative people like your instructor. Once you begin to respect your body and others, it becomes very difficult to turn to alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms.
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Crow’s Nest Ranch is a project made possible by all of our combined efforts. Big victories are made through the contributions of many people. Together we can do this. Thank you for your support. This project is established with 501c3 Charity Smith Nonprofit Foundation (EIN 87-0636433) as our fiscal sponsor.