Return to What Matters
Supporting greater awareness and ease in the activities that matter to each person.
Recovery involves the body, too.
Helping people reduce unnecessary tension, feel steadier, and find more comfort in their bodies through gentle, exploratory yoga therapy.
Manageable
Start where you are, with what feels possible today.
Stable
Recognize available support and restore a sense of stability.
Capable
Soften unnecessary effort and discover new possibilities for movement
What Is Ablework?
Ablework is a structured, body-based yoga therapy program designed to complement existing addiction treatment. Sessions build progressively through gentle movement, breathing, guided rest, and supported exploration. Participants are invited to notice effort, recognize internal and external sources of support, and explore more comfortable ways of moving.
Why Body-Based Support in Recovery?
Recovery involves more than changing thoughts and behaviours. It can also involve rebuilding a relationship with the body.
Participants may arrive with:
- persistent bracing, gripping or unnecessary muscular effort;
- physical discomfort associated with withdrawal, prolonged stress or habitual postures;
- restlessness, disrupted sleep or difficulty settling;
- difficulty recognizing physical signals;
- energy, mobility and readiness that can vary from day to day; and
- a need for programming that does not require personal disclosure or physical performance.
Ablework meets participants where they are, offering accessible ways to explore movement without pressure to achieve a particular result.
How Ablework Works
Ablework extends the spirit of curiosity already present in many recovery approaches into the experience of movement. Each exploration follows a simple process:
01Notice
Participants notice sensation, effort, movement patterns and the support available to them.
02Explore
Various stimuli are introduced through gentle movement, breathing, and guided rest.
03Learn
Observe how their bodies respond and discover options that may offer greater ease, stability or comfort.
Informed by yoga therapy, kinesiology, motor learning, sensory awareness, and contemplative science, the approach is not about prescribing a "right" way to move or forcing change. Sometimes the first step is simply noticing what is happening—and becoming curious about what else might be possible.
While some explorations may draw from yoga-informed movement, Ablework is not taught as a conventional yoga class or psychotherapy. Participants are not expected to perform poses or discuss personal experiences.
See the Approach in Practice
Organization Partnerships
3-Week Ablework Introductory Series
Try it out before considering a longer-term offering.
The 3-Week Ablework Introductory Series is delivered as a structured live virtual program, making it accessible for organizations and manageable for participants.
Six live virtual sessions over three weeks give participants an opportunity to experience the approach while your organization gets a practical sense of how Ablework fits within your programming.
6 live virtual sessions · 3 weeks · 2 sessions per week · 45–60 minutes per session
Request a 3-Week TrialAt the conclusion of the trial, Ablework invites feedback from participants and treatment-centre staff. This helps assess the program's fit, identify what was most useful and inform whether an ongoing partnership would benefit the organization and the people it serves.
The Complete Ablework Recovery Series
Beyond the introductory series, the Complete Ablework Recovery Series develops the approach through ten progressive themes, with each exploration building on what participants have already noticed and learned.
- 01Support
- 02Stability
- 03Breathing
- 04Effort
- 05Rest
- 06Capacity
- 07Balance
- 08Mobility
- 09Comfort
- 10Integration
Individual one-to-one sessions and dedicated series for staff and care teams are available as additional services upon request.
Reconnect with Life
Exploring movement in ways that can support participation in everyday life.
Move with Greater Ease
Noticing where effort is useful—and where there may be opportunities to use less.