TSP 068: "The Scorpion Pose" with Yancy Scot Schwartz, the Yoga and Pranayama of Recovery!TSP 068: "The Scorpion Pose" with Yancy Scot Schwartz, the Yoga and Pranayama of Recovery!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Skater and yoga teacher Yancy Scot Schwartz shares how a terrifying brush with heroin, years of partying and the loss of friends led him toward drug-free living. He explains how yoga, pranayama, veganism and firm boundaries now anchor his recovery outside of traditional 12-step programmes.
54:48•31 May 2016
From Heroin to Headstands: Yancy Scot Schwartz on Yoga, Skating and Recovery
Episode Overview
- A near-death experience, fear of poverty and a vivid sense of "losing his soul" pushed Yancy to walk away from hard drugs.
- Skateboarding, yoga and a 30–45 minute daily pranayama and meditation practice form the core of his recovery instead of formal 12-step work.
- Over time, a consistent yoga practice reduced cravings and made alcohol and other substances feel incompatible with how he wanted to live.
- Adopting a vegan diet and paying close attention to what he eats supports both his physical health and his spiritual practice.
- He stresses patience, perseverance and "a little bit of angry determination," along with clear boundaries about who he spends time with.
“"I seriously heard music at a tune of poverty... I was about to die. I'm going to lose my soul or lose my mind. That was my aha moment."”
How do individuals turn their lives around after addiction? This SHAIR Recovery Podcast episode follows Yancy Scot Schwartz, a New York City skater-turned-yogi, whose path out of hardcore drug use looks very different from a traditional 12-step route. Yancy talks about starting drugs at 13, skating through Queens high on weed, acid and alcohol, and later living in California in a blur of cocaine, speed and, eventually, heroin.
His turning point is chilling: after trying heroin he says, "I seriously heard music at a tune of poverty... I was about to die. I'm going to lose my soul or lose my mind." That fear of death and poverty pushed him to leave California, get a job, and slowly pull himself out of the chaos. Rather than meetings and formal programmes, Yancy leans on skateboarding, daily yoga and a 30–45 minute pranayama and meditation practice as his recovery backbone.
He describes yoga as his programme, saying that as his practice deepened, cravings faded and even casual drinking stopped making sense. These days he teaches yoga by the beach, skates between classes and lives on a vegan diet, calling this the cleanest and healthiest he’s ever been. The conversation also touches on his time around the film *Kids*, the friends he’s lost to overdose and mental illness, and how that history keeps his gratitude sharp.
For anyone in recovery who doesn’t quite click with conventional pathways, Yancy’s story shows another way through: patience, perseverance and, as he puts it, "a little bit of angry determination." If you’re curious whether movement, breathwork and a different kind of spiritual life could support your sobriety, this episode might spark some new questions for you.
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