Tune into The Original Loretta Brown Show, Thursday, Dec. 22 at 8 a.m. (repeats Monday at 6 a.m.) as welcomes Steven Washington!

Substance abuse issues have worsened dramatically since COVID-19 arrived on the scene and those with alcohol and drug addictions have been especially impacted. Our collective anxiety from the pandemic has affected people in many other insidious ways—from overeating and mindless scrolling to excessive online spending and more.

That’s why author and renowned QiGong teacher Steven Washington wrote the enclosed advance reading copy ofRecovering You: Soul Care and Mindful Movement for Overcoming Addiction (New World Library, November 15, 2022) for anyone, addicted or not, who has become disconnected from their best self.

“My goal is to provide a holistic pathway to an easier, kinder way of life that helps you move past the constraints that addictions and negative habits can create,” writes Steven. “This pathway is designed to meet you wherever you are on your trek toward autonomy and to help you cultivate the freedom to become the person you want to be.”

Whether one is long on the path of recovery, taking their first step in that direction, or simply feeling adrift and unmoored, Recovering You offers a lifeline not just to recovery but to the discovery of a new and better way of being. Steven openly and honestly shares his own recovery journey throughout the book while offering powerful self-care practices like journaling, breath work, meditation, self-massage, and, uniquely, a focus on Qigong, the ancient movement practice at the heart of Chinese medicine and Taoist philosophy.

“My hope is that this book will be a wayshower of sorts for you — casting a warm and clarifying light on what you most need for the care of your body and soul at this time in your life,” writes Steven. “In my experience, the recovery of others often supports our own recovery, even when individual journeys are very different. May you find a similarly open and supportive community within the pages of this book.”

The wide variety of tools Steven offers in Recovering You are designed to help readers more intimately connect to themselves and their lives. Chapter 1, “Practicing Self-Care During Recovery,” describes what a healthy self-care routine looks like and helps readers build a lasting practice at their own pace. The remaining chapters explore, examine, and work with topics that are essential for those in recovery to address — such as fear, shame, isolation, faith, gratitude, and more. Each chapter also includes a list of reflective questions and a short mindful movement practice based on Qigong to help readers integrate the concepts into their daily lives.

“This book is just one step in your recovery journey,” writes Steven. “There have been many steps before it, and there will be many after it. Thank you for arriving here with me, inside the sacred container of Recovering You. I hope this book inspires you to take good care of yourself and to honor the divine being that you are.”

Steven Washington is the author of Recovering You: Soul Care and Mindful Movement for Overcoming Addiction. As a Qigong and meditation teacher, and a speaker who lives a life of recovery, he is passionate about helping others as they navigate their own recovery journeys. Washington performed on Broadway in Disney’s The Lion King. His love of dance and movement led him to become a Pilates instructor, fitness trainer, certified Neuromuscular Massage Therapist, and certified Lee Holden Qigong instructor. He teaches Core Qigong, a fusion of Pilates and Qigong, online weekly through his website. Visit him online at http://www.StevenWashingtonExperience.com.