by Jerzy Shedlock / Peninsula Clarion Fairbanks Daily News Miner

"I had read about and personally experienced the therapeutic benefits of yoga and decided to explore yoga as an option for our residents," said Bower in an email.

Serenity House is part of Central Peninsula Hospital's behavioral health services. The center offers recovery goals and ongoing support to clients through its 12-step program. It has a wide range of services to help people recover from alcoholism and drug abuse.

A local yoga-studio owner leads a group of the program's clients twice weekly in a restorative yoga class, which focuses on relaxation and stress management rather than the physical aspects regularly associated with the practice.

Long-held postures aided by props, such as blankets, blocks and straps, allow the participants to turn inward, focusing on breathing and calming the mind, said Kelsey Cusack, owner of Yoga Sol.

She said she's heard restorative yoga referred to as an organized nap.

"It's soothing, not nearly as physically demanding as some more traditional styles of yoga," she said. "People spend most of the class either sitting or lying down."

Restorative yoga triggers the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS); responsible for balancing the body and bringing its response system back to equilibrium. Stimulating the PNS helps lower heart rate and blood pressure, and it stimulates the immune system, she said.

Researchers are studying restorative yoga. Dr. Suzanne C. Danhauer of Wake Forest University's School of Medicine conducted a pilot study about the health benefits of restorative yoga on women diagnosed with ova rian or breast cancer. The majority of women were undergoing cancer treatment at the time of enrollment for the study. Danhauer concluded significant improvements were seen for depression, anxiety, mental health and overall quality of life.

Bower said she sent a request to various yoga instructors in the Kenai Peninsula, and Cusack was the sole responder. Cusack offered her studio for less than half her normal rate and volunteered to provide an additional lesson at Serenity House. She has taught about two months of classes.

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Yoga part of 12-step program at Kenai facility