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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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 IV: Integration
Integration with Yoga Therapy & Fasting Psychedelics, Yoga Therapy & Trauma – Integration of the Shamanic Journey: After the trauma of loss I had been through when leaving Spain, as I described in part III of this blog, and the resulting deep subconscious work that I had done in the Yucatán with psychedelics, I could tell that I was reaching saturation point and needed space and time to integrate these experiences of trauma and psychedelics with yoga therapy. After finishing the last Ayahuasca ceremony, I had originally planned on exploring the effects and benefits of Peyote in an overnight ceremony in the desert near Real de Catorce in San Luis Potosí. I was intrigued by this cactus for three reasons: It´s use dates back 6000 years It´s main hallucinogenic agent is mescaline rather than DMT Its cultivation and consumption is deeply associated with the pre-Hispanic culture of the Huichol. The Huichol is a culture that still exists outside of the main stream Mexican culture. Though dwindling in number, they continue to maintain their original language, art, beliefs and ceremonies that have been in existence long before the Spanish arrived and the Catholic faith took over. One of the rituals central to their belief system is a pilgrimage taken into the desert where, under the guidance of a mara’a kame – the huichol term for shaman which can also be translated to mean singer – they gather and ´hunt´ peyote. The fruits of this hunt are consumed in the desert as part of a healing ceremony and the surplus is then packed up and taken back to their village. You can learn more in the video below: It is through the ritualistic consumption of peyote that the Huichol believe that they can both heal and commune with the Gods – a divine pantheon that consists of 120 gods with Tatemari, grandfather fire, at the head. This moment of divine contact via the vehicle of peyote allows them to perceive for themselves a parallel world of colors and pulsating connection which is represented and illustrated in their beautiful fantastically intricate, spiritually significant and brilliantly colourful bead and string art known as Nierikas. In the process of this pilgrimage, offerings are left for the Huichol Gods and spirits. These offerings can be seen along the path to the desert and if you do decide to take this journey, please leave them in their place. They are sacred gifts left for another world, not for the density of three dimensional humanoids. After completing my own self-imposed fasting retreat of Yoga therapy to integrate the previously described traumas and psychedelic experiences, I had the chance to walk through the cerro (mountain) and visit one of these sacred Huichol spaces as well as speak with a Huichol family that lived there guarding the area. However, the plans for the peyote ceremony fell apart at the last minute – and probably for the best. First of all, I learned in this trip to the cerro that the Peyote Cactus is an endangered species and and Mescaline can be found in other non-endangered species such as the fast growing San Pedro Cactus. Secondly, I do think it was the universe, or if you like, my own organizing source energy, that decided that after the integrating my psychedelic experience with my self-invented, private Yoga therapy retreat, it was time to rest and just enjoy my new grounded sense of peace and clarity. Fasting Fasting is an integral and long standing practice within the discipline of Yoga as well as its medicinal counterpart of Ayurveda. I have fasted many times throughout my Yoga trainings and use it often when I have felt low on energy, my digestion is not cooperating with me or I perceive that a cold or flu are coming on. Modern science confirms the great benefits of fasting as a way to increase resistance to stress, improve longevity and decrease the incidence of disease. It´s practice, often termed intermittent fasting, has recently become greatly popularized in the western world. Nonetheless, in all my experiences of fasting I have never exceeded more than three days. This is because the focus of these fasts was mainly to improve the functioning of the Annamaya Kosha (Physical Body), Pranamaya (Energetic Body) and Manomaya Kosha (Mind Body). In fact, Ayurveda discourages pro-longed fasting as its primary focus is living day to day life with greater ease and energy, rather than delving deep into the wisdom and bliss bodies of the Vijananmaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha. This is where the more austere practices of Yoga (such as long-term fasting) start to play a part. Consequently, since I wanted to explore these more subtle Koshas, especially after my previous experiences, I decided to undertake the task of a 7 day water fast. The practice of fasting to integrate and delve deeper into other worlds of perception is not exclusive to Yoga and is practiced by Muslims during Ramadan, the Jews during Passover, by various Christian sects and is a intricate part of the cleansing practices of the Peruvian Shipibo. Preparation Before undertaking this water fast I consulted with my friend Ian who had years of experience in the healing art of fasting. Ian discussed how on average, every third day I would probably experience some unpleasant detoxifying effects. To reduce these symptoms and make the fasting process more enjoyable I prepared myself for the 7 day water fast with three days of eating just fruit. More citric, watery fruits such as grapefruit and red grapes were recommended. Red grapes were a bit hard to come by where I was so I opted to substitute them for prickly pears. The Experience – Integrating the experience of Psychedelics, Trauma and Yoga Therapy The first two days of the water fast were fantastic. I felt a great surge of energy and clarity in both mind and body for the first couple days of the fast. I was amazed by the sense of great strength and space I observed in all three aspects of my Yoga practice
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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 II – Ayahuasca
Unlike the previous blogpost, the following account is written more like a Ayahuasca case study – with the subject being me. As I had discussed in Part I, about two years ago I had reached a point in my life where I was feeling quite stuck and apathetic towards life. This worried me greatly as twice before I had already experienced this kind of empty heaviness and I knew from experience, it could act as a precursor to a darker hole of depression and suicidal ideation if I did not get out of it soon. The discipline of Yoga is what pulled me out of that darkness years ago. I believe due to its direct work with the vagus nerve as theorized by Dr. Stephen Porges and its relationship to the psycho-biological aspects of trauma, it continued to offer me the energy necessary to continue with daily life, but I knew I needed to go deeper. I could tell that there was something hidden inside of me that was stubbornly there, causing me to doubt my own worth and the beauty life was always offering me. Therefore, due to the years of research and personal stories that I had listened to and read previously on DMT and plant based psychedelic therapy, I decided to take the jump and explore this experience for myself. This is when I was presented with the opportunity to participate in five different ceremonies of Ayahuasca with a Brazilian Shamana from the Santo Daime Tradition and a therapist associated with the research group ICEERS, in Barcelona, Spain. Ayahuasca and the Santo Daime Tradition Only in the tropical, eclectically spiritual and diverse environment of Brazil could such an interesting mix of ancient tribal traditions, plant medicine and catholic ritual be fused together to create the Santo Daime tradition. Dai-me means “give me” in Portuguese. The Portuguese phrase, Dai-me força, dai-me amor (“give me strength, give me love”), recurs in the doctrine’s hymns. It was founded around the 1930s in Brazil by Raimundo Irineu Serra and incorporates elements of several religious or spiritual traditions including Folk Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritism, African animism and indigenous South American shamanism. Ayahuasca, referred to as Daime, is drunk as part of the ceremony. The combination of both music and silence are integral in the experience of these ceremonies. Ayahuasca itself is a kind of thick tea that is composed of two different plants. The ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and a shrub called chacruna (Psychotria viridis), which contains the hallucinogenic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT). These two plants are mixed together because without the ayahuasca vine the hallucinagentic effects of the chacruna will not be experienced. In other words, without the ayahuasca vine the DMT found in chacruna will not be absorbed by the body and will essentially move through the system without any effect*. It is the the ayahuasca vine that provides the necessary alkaloids which inhibit monoamine oxidase type A, thus enabling the oral absorption of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) found in the chacruna leaves. The historian Grahm Hancock points out that this is pretty amazing since there are more than 150,000 plant species in the Amazon and of these 150,000 species, the healers and Shamans of the Amazon were able to figure out how to marry these two different plants together and boil them in water so that the effects of DMT could actually be experienced. The people of the Amazon do not take credit for this discovery though and rather acknowledge that the spirits taught them the wonders of this botanical miracle. This mix of chacruna and Ayahuasca ´tea´ is administered by a shaman in quantities dependent upon the experience of the participant and potency of the plant, but in general, each ´toma´, or dose, is around 50 – 70mg. If you are interested in learning more about the chemical make-up and history of Ayahuasca in greater detail, I suggest visiting the ICEERS website here. *Diplopterys cabrerana is another common plant that is used instead of P. viridis, depending on availability in the region. The Experience: Objectively, my experiences of Ayuahuasca in the Santo Daime Tradition were all very similar. The same songs, the same eclectic mix of spiritual icons, with the same Shamana and the same Ayuahuasca formula. However, even though there were somatic expressions and images that were experienced repeatedly, the subjective experience of each one of these ceremonies was completely different from the other. Ceremony I One of the somatic expressions that repeated itself in each Ayahuasca session was a physical trembling from my right leg all the way up deep into cavity of my pelvic floor and iliac crest. A similar tremble was felt along my left shoulder. Curiously, these physical tremblings were very similar to what I had experienced in the trainings and workshops of Somatic Experience and are the areas in my Yoga Asana practice where I am most often stuck. Due to my training as a therapist, these tremblings sent my analytic mind off trying to find an explanation. As my mind mulled and ruminated over what these tremblings could possibly mean, I heard something in the distance start laughing. This is when I was introduced to my little friend Ka, a wiggling, sarcastic and humorous snake character that would come into my minds eye and tell me to stop interpreting my experience. It’s exact words that I will forever remember were ´your mind is very poorly educated and rebellious, shut-up and let me do my job´. With my eyes still closed, laying face up on the floor, I laughed out load at this very sharp and accurately honest commentary. My loud belly laughter then transformed into a quiet and delightful giggle as I watched, in my minds eye, the spinning and joyful dance of this little snake as my body trembled and my right hand spun around and around as if it was dancing sevillanas. At the end of session I experienced an ecstatic joy and sense of clarity that kept me up all night writing down and drawing everything I had experienced as well
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