Both the yogic mind and the truly scientific mind must be a living mind, learning, never ending. Gently holding onto observed truths and patterns, but willingly letting them go if proven to be false. In this way, the flow of knowledge is constant and is never dead or stagnant. It is this curiosity that sheds light on ignorance and destroys the great illusion of Maya. So, when the opportunity arose to apply for a PhD researching the effects of yoga asana on the brain using the quantitative measurements of fNIRS brain imaging technology, I jumped at the chance. Now, as a PhD student at the University of San Luis Potosí Autónomo, Mexico, I will use fNIRS brain imaging technology to look at the effects of yoga on the brain. Light on Yoga – fNIRS brain imaging technology Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an experimental non-invasive, non-ionizing neuroimaging technique that employs multiple sources and near-infrared light detectors to map brain activity through the observation of oxygen saturation levels in hemoglobin. Unlike functional magnetic resonance imaging, fNIRS allows patients to capture images during movement while observing brain activity, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which has been identified as a key brain area to understand important aspects of well-being and its practices. It has also been observed that measurements of heart rate variability (HRV) approach the accuracy of an electroencephalogram (EEG), making it advantageous in research where characterization of the autonomic nervous system (i.e., vagal tone) and its relationship to brain activity is desired. The Third Eye – The Prefrontal Cortex Many people think that the third eye is attributed to the pineal gland. However, according to Dr. Huberman of Huberman Labs, it makes much more sense to associate the third eye with the prefrontal cortex. This is due to the fact that when we enter meditation, the space between the eyebrows where people are often told to focus is the prefrontal cortex. In addition, the prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain associated with executive functioning, or rather, the higher mind that perceives life beyond the animal instincts associated with the reptilian part of the brain located further back. The prefrontal cortex is the most advanced part of the frontal cortex and constitutes 30% of the total cortical area. Its exact definition and role remains an area of debate in neuroscience. However, it is widely accepted that this is the area responsible for executive functioning and complex behavior. It is here that automatic and instinctive reactions are controlled, past memory and learned experience are analyzed, and future action is reviewed, planned and executed. Several researchers have highlighted the importance of the prefrontal cortex as an important region of interest in both the treatment and diagnosis of psychological disorders, stress levels, emotional response and well-being. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has emerged in one of the most consistently diminished regions in mood disorders with reduced functional connectivity that is reduced in the Default Mode Network (DMN) and the Cognitive Control Network (CCN). It has been observed that reduced functional connectivity within the default mode network correlated with major depressive disorder. Santosha – La Importancia del Bienestar In the philosophy of Yoga there is the concept Santosha is related to being content. In Western research language, its equivalent would be well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the decrease in levels of well-being and the increase in cases of major depression is the factor that contributes most to the global burden of diseases when measuring the years of health and capacity lost due to this pathology. Both psychology and behavioral medicine indicate that physiological stress reactions confer risk of psychological and physical illness. Integrative, multidisciplinary research that applies neuroimaging technology that is capable of recording both brain and cardiac activity can help bridge historically separate disciplines of physiology and psychology and clarify the brain-body pathways that link psychological and physical well-being. The above has the potential to provide more accurate diagnoses and treatment assessments. Exploring neurobiological markers of well-being and neurological changes that result from yoga practices could provide more accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and preventive care.
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Hypermobility & Hypotension – Yoga Asana, Anxiety and Pain
Hypermobility, hyperextension, hyperflexability – these are different words all describing the same thing – a weakness or laxness in the connective tissue (fascia) of the joints. There is a tight link between anxiety and generalized hyper joint mobility as well as preliminary connections with depression, fibromaglia, chronic fatigue, and attention deficit (and hyperactivity) disorder. There is also evidence that this laxness in the the fascia is also related to issues of low blood pressure and a resulting problems such as POTS. It basically works like this: A lack of strenth in the connective tissue (fascia) surrouding the joint makes the joint and the tissue more susceptible to injury, injury signals the release of cytokines and creates inflammation and increased levels of cortisol in the blood. High levels of cortisol and generalizad inflammation is highly associated with all of the previously mentioned disorders as well as just more physical pain. Besides increasing the chance the injury and inflammation, the lack of blood flow through the system (due to a lack of engaging muscle fiber and connective tissue) results in low blood pressure – or hypotension. Hypotension can result in dizzyness, blurred vision, tiredness and difficulty getting blood from the digestive tract up to the heart. This in turn will also affect the digestion, the immune system and increase the liklihood of other chronic ailments, such as long covid. Things then only get worse for my fellow flexis since we are often drawn to activities where we can enjoy and showcase our great limberness and without proper joint stability, those hanumanasana splits without engaging the feet and leg muscles only makes things worse and increase our chances of inflammation and injury. Some people think that super flexis got it easy on the Yoga mat. WRONG. Those of us who are naturally flexible, or teachers who are guiding the practice of naturally flexible individuals, absolutely must pay even more attention to hand spine connection and foot pelvic alignment. Without engaging these connections which start in the karmendriyas (organs of action) of the hands and feet, the muscles around the bones and joints will not engage. Any lack of awareness to these foundational connections and active engagement, will increase the probability of hyperextension of the joint, injury and inflammation and all the benefits of Yoga Asana can easily transform from a discipline of holistic healing into one of chronic injury and poor system functioning. So if you are a naturally flexible human being, be careful with your practice and make sure that you are working with a teacher who can help you to protect your joints and engage those deep muscle fibers around the bones as well as guide you into a progressive practice of inversions and back bends to get the blood moving from the feet up into the heart and brain. SOURCES: Arthralgias, fatigue, paresthesias and visceral pain: Can joint hypermobility solve the puzzle? A case report (2016) Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Immunologic contrasts and connective tissue comparisons (2021) Is pain the only symptom in patients with benign joint hypermobility syndrome? (2015) Psychopathological manifestations of joint hypermobility and joint hypermobility syndrome/ Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypermobility type: The link between connective tissue and psychological distress revised (2015) #karmukayoga #yogatherapy #yogazoom #yogaonline #hypermobility
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The Mystery of Light & Atma – Yoga & Physics in Conversation
So I have a neighbor who lives downstairs from me. He is a physicist. And Sunday afternoon as we sat enjoying enchiladas potosinas and guacamole, he began to explain to me the concept and problem with the speed of light. Here it is summarized below. Imagine you see a train traveling at 50km per hour. Inside that train there is a small cat (because cats make any topic more interesting) running at 20km per hour in the same direction that the train is moving. Looking from the outside of the train, w hat is the actual speed of the cat? If you answered 70km per hour, you are correct…and probably did much better than me in high school math. The speed of the cat is merely her running speed + the speed of the train. Now, lets say there is a conductor on the train trying to find this cat and she is standing there on the train with a flashlight pointed in the direction of the running cat. What is the speed of light coming out of that flashlight? If you answered 50 or 70km per hour, welcome to my world of being a mere mortal and humanities major. If you answered 300,000 km per second, no matter if the train is moving at 50km per hour or 0 km per hour, well done smarty pants, you are well on your way to becoming a physicist yourself. The speed of light on that moving train (or any moving object…like the earth or expanding universe) does not follow the rule of the running cat or the moving train. It is it’s own constant. Why? Well that is the great mystery that puzzles my friend and Einstein alike. And so with a few synaptic connections running around in my head clicking into place with various Yoga Sutras and the philosophical concept of Atma, I asked… ‘Could that mystery be explained if the light isn’t moving at all? What if the train and all of it’s surroundings are just moving around and obstructing the view of a constant light shining?’ And my dear neighbor and friend, the physicist, gave me a big grin and stated, that yes indeed, that could quite possibly explain the speed of light mystery. So now it is three days later and here I am still contemplating that conversation with wonder and awe. Lets say that indeed, light is the constant which never moves. It would align perfectly with the philosophy of mystics around the world and the Yoga sutras that describe Atma as the ultimate reality where all knowledge and truth is known. Where all darkness and ignorance is dispelled by the constant light of pure consciousness. In the Yoga sutras, Patanjali goes further to say that all of our sufferings are merely obstructions to this light, and we have to work out these obstructions to fully experience this light. You might compare it to how one needs to clean a window to fully perceive and enjoy the sunlight outside. The sun, Atma, this light of pure consciousness, is always there, a shining constant. It is our own ignorance and karma (actions) that keep us from enjoying its light and warmth. And so the question is, how do we work out these obstructions, and clean this dirty window of ignorance? Patanjali makes it clear that the discipline of Yoga offers a fast track, a kind of all powerful Windex, to remove this dirt and darkness that keeps us from enjoying this light, from experiencing Atma. It might take many lifetimes, but the hope is that with each life, a little more light shines through the window, granting us greater warmth and joy. With each lifetime, we keep working out how to melt away the heaviness and cold of the darkness that obstructs our perception to our true and timeless nature of being ONE – ONE with consciousness and ONE with light. ONE with Atma. OM
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Psychedelics, Yoga and the Shamanic Journey Part III : Mexico
An exploration into the Columbian and Peruvian Ayuahuasca Traditions and an unexpected meeting with the ‘The Toad’ (Bufo Alvarius). Psychedelics and Yoga. Healing Trauma in Mexico. According to research by led by Dr. Peter Levine and Dr. Van der Kolk, trauma is experienced when we feel that our capacity to respond is taken away from us. This is why soldiers who experience a surprise attack are more likely to suffer from PTSD than soldiers who are responsible for the surprise attack. There is violence on both ends, but the surprise of the attack can leave the surprised soldiers feeling like they could not respond to the situation. Off the battle field and into daily life, this perception of an inability to respond is also highly correlated with anxiety and depression. I discuss this in greater detail here. There is also evidence that as a first response to stress and fear human beings look to the facial expressions and the physical touch of other human beings to help instantly regulate cortisol levels and the fight-flight stress response. It is postulated that if this fight-flight response is left alone to accelerate, it can result in ´freezing´ – a paralysis of the nervous system. This can then manifest as symptoms of trauma associated with PTSD and depression. The video below offers a more in depth explanation of this psych-biological process of trauma. Therefore, when the Covid-19 restrictions in Spain forced me to unexpectedly close the doors of my center, take all my classes online, isolate myself from others and move back to America, leaving behind everything I had built up for almost a decade, and move into a world of fear where even my own mother refused to hug me for fear of Covid contagion, I knew I had all the right ingredients just waiting to cook themselves up into a masterpiece of trauma and depression. In an effort to move out of this difficult period, I enrolled in a Yoga Therapy course with the Paramanand Institute. This Yoga Therapy certification course was educative and helped me to release some of this stored up stress. However, it was the relationship I developed with other Yoga therapists which acted as the greatest trauma healing balm during this time of transition. After finishing this Yoga Therapy certification course I experienced an irresistible urge to get out of my safe and comfortable isolation that I had been enjoying with my tia (aunt) on her farm in Alabama. I felt my wounds had sufficiently healed enough so that I could strap on my backpack and start exploring the world once again. I decided that since my experience of Ayahuasca in Barcelona had been so constructive and positive and appeared to correspond with the aforementioned research outlined in Part I, I would start my journey of integrating psychedelics & yoga for healing & trauma in a place where access to these ceremonies was easily accessible and where I had a friend of over 15 years to help support me in the journey. I decided to head south to Mexico. My aim was to explore further the healing practices of psychedelic indigenous medicine, like Ayahuasca, its healing trauma effects upon others, as well as my own sense of anguish and disempowerment that was sitting ominously somewhere in the back of my mind. It was there, just looming over me, and threatening to suffocate my usual sense of curiosity and adventure. Still in contact after 15 years, I reached out to my friend Alberto who was still living in the Yucatán Peninsula working as a tour guide. The Columbian Ayahuasca (Yagé) Tradition Less than a week after arriving to the Yucatán, my friend Alberto and I drove out to a small and beautiful little eco-dome located in the middle of the jungle near Playa del Carmen. We had prepared ourselves for the Ayahuasca ceremony with light vegetarian meals, no coffee and no alcohol for three days. I intensified my Yoga practice and participated in an ice bath (see right) at Alberto´s insistence. I also fasted for 18 hours before participating in the ceremony. The Experience After my experience in BarcelonaI had learned to head into these ceremonies without any kind of expectation – BUT I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t a little nervous about what might happen. When Alberto and I got to the eco-dome, there was a group of about 20 others (a pretty even mix of international and Mexican participants). Some were new to the world of psychedelics for trauma healing while others were experienced veterans. Everyone quietly mulling about, setting up their mats chatting away while awaiting the arrival of the Columbian Shaman. When he arrived I felt instantly reassured by the genuine and friendly smile that seemed permanently etched onto his face. Meeting him I understood why the the Ayahuasca shamans were often called abuelos (grandfather) or Taita (Healers). He moved with ease and joked quietly with those nearby. When he told us he was was 70 years old, I thought he could easily have been 15 years younger. He spoke briefly and informed us that in Columbia Ayahuasca is often referred as Yagé (pronounced Yah-Hey) and that he was both a shaman and medical doctor but that the true healing came from the plant herself, not from him. With that stated, the ceremony started with the fire pit being lit and the four directions being honored with a blow of a conch shell and a shouted ¡Ah HO! Participants patiently sat on their mats awaiting the signal to get in line to take their first toma (dose) of the evening. The Shaman informed us that there was honey within the the psychedelic brew and as we approached to take the first toma he clarified if it was our first experience or not – and then poured the ayahuasca from the corresponding bottle. The Silence After everyone had taken the first toma, the silence began. This great silence was the most obvious difference I experienced between that of the tradition of Santo
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Psychedelics, Yoga and the Shamanic Journey Part I
My passion and perhaps obsession in life has always been trying to figure out the most effective therapies, life choices and social structures that lead to the greatest joy and life satisfaction. This passion has led me to leave behind the religious faith of my fathers, dive into the world of research and academia, globe trot around the four corners of the earth, develop a consistent and therapeutic Yoga practice while filling up my free time up with books, journals, blog posts and lectures that center upon human psychology, the healing of trauma and the transformation of pain into joy. With this passion guiding me, it was only a matter of time before I was led out beyond the materialistic and Cartesianism confines of western psychology, the austere disciplines of Yoga and Yoga Therapy and into the world of plant medicine, psychedelics and shamanism. This journey only happened because others before me had done the rigorous and controversial research that was proving how healing psychedelics and indigenous plant medicines could be. Coming from a family that had been deeply scarred by drug addiction, I viewed most drugs, and those who advocated for them, with severe skepticism. Nonetheless, starting about ten years ago I was guided towards scientific research, peer-reviewed journals and clinical stories of addiction, depression and PTSD recovery that urged me to re-evaluate my previous anti-psychedelic judgements and shamanic suspicions. The Research: LSD, Psilocybin, Ayahuasca and Bufo Alvarius LSD I was first introduced to the benefits of psychedelics during my time as a researcher in Trinity College. A a fellow researcher, a quiet and somewhat shy woman, whom I never would have expected had the least bit of interest in the experience and effects of LSD, recommended to me the work of Czech- born psychiatrist Dr. Stan Grof. I started to delve into his work and was both surprised and fascinated by his case studies and observations. I was astounded by his claim that with just with two to three sessions of an integrated therapy technique that used LSD as a gateway to enter the subconscious, he was able to release the debilitating grip of PTSD on veteran soldiers. This is amazing because, to date, PTSD is still a very difficult psychological disorders to treat and overcome – especially if the only therapy offered is talk therapy. Sadly, the efficacy of this treatment studied and executed by Grof was deterred by politics as the 1970´s rolled in with Richard Nixon categorizing LSD and other psychedelics as illegal and illicit substances. Grof attempted to mimic the effects with a technique he called Holotropic breath work. I myself have explored both the effects of LSD and holotropic breath work, and though the breath work does appear to open doors to some aspects of the psyche, for me, it was nothing in comparison to insights and experience LSD offered. Nonetheless, despite the legal complications, there were still a small group of determined researchers out there who were able to figure out a way to keep investigating the effects of these substances like LSD on trauma, depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders. Thanks to their work, therapies that integrate the healing power of hallucinogenic agents in clinical therapy sessions are now receiving greater interest and acceptance. Psilocybin I have not yet had the opportunity to explore the effects of psilocybin but I wanted to include it here in the review of research because it contains the same active ingredient of DMT as both LSD and Ayahuasca and it has probably been the most widely researched plant medicine in the last three decades. Dr. Roland Griffith has been studying the effects of psilocybin and its effects on mood and depression for over 30 years. Psilocybin is the main hallucinogenic agent in what is popularly known as magic mushrooms. He moved into this research thanks to a transcendental experience he himself had with psilocybin. This experience acted like a doorway that then led him into the practice and discipline of transcendental meditation. In his research of psilocybin and behavioral sciences, he as demonstrated in multiple clinical trials how the consumption of psilocybin taken within a controlled, therapeutic environment results in an over all improvement in mood and outlook towards life in 75% of participants. He has also demonstrated, in a double blind, randomized study, how this integrated approach of psilocybin and therapy produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer. His research continues to show that the effects of psilocybin result in enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors, months and even years after the completion of treatment. You can read more about his research here. Ayahuasca My first introduction to the existence of Ayuahuasca was in Spain via a friend who had recently attended a ceremony. He claimed to have experienced a great sense of expansion and connection from the experience and swore that it had helped him to release a lot of the anger and resentment he had held onto towards his parents others. I was suspicious about such quick and miraculous outcomes and held off from exploring this plant medicine for myself for almost 6 years – despite the fact that more and more people kept coming into my life and confirming that indeed, this plant medicine and ceremony was both transformative and healing. I finally decided to explore this experience for myself after listening to various lectures by great doctors and addiction specialists like Gabor Mate as well as anthropological researchers such as Jaime Wheeler, Brian Muraesku and Profesor Carl Ruck, great thinkers like Sam Harris and the rogue historian Graham Hancock. Later on, after experiencing these ceremonies for myself, I was introduced to the work of the Nierka A.C.This is an organization that promotes scientific research on the therapeutic potential of the ritual use of sacred plants in therapeutic contexts and its interdisciplinary and intercultural integration. They have carried out studies that indicate the integration of ayahuasca rituals and ceremonies with different
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