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Meet Jacob Daffner of Spiritually Fit

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Daffner.

Jacob, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Years ago, I took the first steps into my own personal recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. I found yoga and meditation to be an unbelievably helpful tool. They allowed me to take care of my body and create calm and serentiy in my life, so I took a yoga teacher training to learn more about the practice. As a way of giving back and attempting to help make what can sometimes be a costly practice (yoga) accessible to others in recovery, I created a donation based yoga for addiction recovery class. What was once a class of 4 or 5 people, has now grown into two (and soon three) locations with classes that regularly have more than 30 people. Addicition Recovery treatment centers started reaching out to me to bring my yoga to their patients. I created a company, Spiritually Fit and it works with 7 treatment centers, 5 yoga studios and hosts two donation-based recovery classes. Now, I’m creating a training program for yoga teachers to help certify them in the specifics of yoga in treatment centers, so that we can reach and teach this life changing practice in an effective way to even more people in early recovery.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For the most part, it has been. I am so passionate about the work that I do and love the community of people I work with and teach, that the struggles are few and far between. One of the biggest challenges has been financial, doing what you love and starting from nothing has not always been the easiest path financially. Time and time again, I am shown that if I follow my heart and keep healing and helping others in mind, that it all works out, usually in uncanny ways.

Occasionally, I am met with peoples own prejudices about drug addiction, what that looks like and what that says about the people associated with it. But more often, I am met with the open arms of studios like Sweatshop on Central and Esenem that want to do whatever they can to help people, help themselves.

Not so much a struggle, but more of a learning process, has been the business side. This is the first company have started. So, it’s been quite the process, with lots of supportive people, figuring out the business creation and development side of the work.

Spiritually Fit – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Though I have been teaching yoga and recovery yoga, for years then, I just created the company in 2018. Working with 7 treatment centers right now, we offer yoga and meditation to clients in early recovery at these facilities. What sets me and the company apart is the approach to the yoga and the meditation that we use. Right now I am in the process of a creating a curriculum that I can teach to other instructors that will allow them to take these methods and techniques into their own work- either for my company or on their own- into treatment centers. You are dealing with a unique population, and a lot of times a general yoga certification does not prepare someone to deal effectively with the bodies and personalities that you can run into a recovery center. So, as we add more instructors to our staff, they will all have been certified in this approach. Which includes simple things like how to be encouraging to those that do not want to participate, or to those that are struggling. Knowledge of postures/sequences that help aid in the acute and post-acute detox process. How to create classes on the spot and in the moment that allow the wide range of people and bodies to participate, modify and advance as needed. As well as how to handle disruptive and aggressive personalities that are an inevitable part of the early recovery process. I am sad, of course, that there is an addiction epidemic that has created the NEED for this type of work but I am proud that I and others are able to provide help with such passion and compassion. The work feeds my soul and it makes my skin tingle thinking of all the people I have reached- and seeing the growth in these individuals from day one of recovery, to years down the road living happy and healthy lives- I feel so honored to have been a piece of that change.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
There are two main categories, as I see it. The first is on my end and the second is the result. Me – am I doing all that I can, with all of my heart and the right intentions. Them (results) – is what I am doing improving the quality of life of the patients, creating a positive change, helping people help themselves.

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