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(The Ganges River) to accompany my dear friend and photographing ninja, DJ Pierce, who had expressed his desire to dip into the sacred waters. DJ got into his bathing suit, walked to the edge of the river and grabbed the thick chain that had been embedded in concrete right at the bank of the river to prevent folks from being swept away. Chain in hand, DJ walked slowly backwards step by step into the river and rapidly dunked himself a number of times. As I reflect on these teachings now, I recognize that everyday offers opportunities for surrender – the surrender to wake up before the sun, the surrender to dip in the Ganga, the surrender to sit and hear teachings, the surrender to chant to God and the surrender of any preconceived notion about what is supposed to happen any given morning in my life here on Planet Earth.

The entire experience is like adult spiritual summer camp, with the highlight of the week being three days of a special form of meditation called White Tantric Yoga. This is our first day of White Tantric Yoga. Kia and I came through our first day of Tantric feeling like two embattled pugilists. Many people have asked me what effect White Tantric Yoga has had on my life.

I recognize that my being here is due to the love, support and guidance of my family, friends, 12-Step sponsors, therapists, yoga teachers, meditation teachers, an army of healers and the force that underlies all things in the Universe, which I choose to refer to as God. I have had to learn that it is possible to recover from drug addiction and then be involved in other addictions such as codependency, sex, gambling, etc. I can with a particular focus on addiction, how to recover from it, and perhaps most importantly, how to thrive in one’s life without drugs, alcohol and other addictions. I have come to understand that this, too, is part of the human condition and that forgiveness of self and others makes a big difference in one’s quality of life.

Director Botticelli and I spoke about the state of addiction in America today. As Director of National Drug Control Policy, Mr. Botticelli leads the Obama Administration’s drug policy efforts, which are based on a balanced public health and public safety approach. The Administration has advanced historic drug policy reforms and innovations in prevention, criminal justice, treatment, and recovery. He has encouraged the millions of Americans in recovery today to make their voices heard and confront the stigma associated with substance use disorders, which often keeps individuals from seeking and receiving treatment.