As a psychedelic integration and life coach, my journey of self-discovery and healing has led me to unexpected realms, both inward and outward. Among the most profound intersections I've explored is the fusion of yoga and psychedelic microdosing. This combination has been a potent catalyst, facilitating healing, growth, and presence in my life.
My journey with yoga spans 25 years. Initially, it was a very physical practice—a means of exercise – and this is what it was for me for almost 20 years. My perspective shifted when I obtained my 200-hour yoga teacher training certification a few years ago. While I remained enamored with the physical aspect, I began to delve deeper into the spiritual dimensions of yoga. While I still gravitated towards vigorous, dynamic classes I started to benefit from a more spiritual understanding of yoga as well.
And then everything changed during a transformative experience at an Ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica. The morning following our first ceremony, I reluctantly attended a gentle morning yoga session, hoping for a familiar, vigorous workout. Instead, it was a Yin practice. Yin yoga is a gentle, but profound, practice that targets deep connective tissues, fostering relaxation and flexibility through long-held poses. Yin emphasizes surrender and stillness, it invites you to explore inner sensations and cultivate mindfulness. My brain was screaming “NO”. But I was in the class and I couldn’t leave. And then it happened. In the midst of this unfamiliar and uncomfortable terrain, heightened by the residual effects of Ayahuasca, I experienced a profound emotional release. Tears flowed freely as long-held emotions were liberated. This revelation marked a turning point, igniting my passion for this newfound approach to yoga. My breakthrough in the yoga was class was truly as profound as my breakthroughs on my ayahuasca journeys.
Since that time, I've integrated microdosing with yoga, contributing to profound self-discovery.
Here are some of the significant ways my experiences on the yoga mat mirror my journey through life.
Present Moment Awareness:
In the rush of daily life, it's so normal for us to lose touch with the present moment, swept away by a whirlwind of thoughts and distractions. Yet, on the yoga mat, amidst the gentle ebb and flow of breath to movement, I've learned the art of presence – of fully embodying the here and now, just by focusing on my breath. Each day, as I step onto my mat, I am reminded that my body is a living, breathing vessel, constantly evolving and changing.
Through the practice of microdosing with yoga, I've become attuned to the subtle nuances of my body's needs, learning to honor them with compassion and grace. Whether I'm feeling strong and vibrant or tired and tender, I meet myself exactly where I am, embracing the full spectrum of my experience with open arms.
As I’ve learned to do these things on the yoga mat, I now do them naturally in my daily life. I’m more in tune to how I feel each day, and I honor those feelings. The practice of focusing on breath with each moment in my yoga practice, developed a presence and a discipline that can now provide me with peace and calm in almost any situation off the mat.
Embracing Imperfection:
The shift from seeking physical perfection to embracing support and vulnerability on the mat paralleled my growth in interpersonal relationships. By accepting my own imperfections and allowing emotions to flow freely, I've fostered deeper connections and authenticity in my interactions. Through microdosing, I could very clearly see how I would react to hard poses, new poses, unexpected changes in class, etc. – basically anything that I could not do easily and perfectly. My mind would start in with all the reasons I shouldn’t be doing this – trying to keep me safe and the same. Exactly the same way it was trying to keep me safe and the same in my life off the mat.
I've learned to appreciate the raw, unfiltered essence of my practice, recognizing that true growth lies in embracing all of the journey, rather than fixating on the destination. And accepting that today’s journey is just that – not yesterday’s or tomorrow’s – just accepting what shows up today.
Emotional Release and Healing:
Certain yoga poses have facilitated profound emotional release and healing for me. The hip and pelvic poses have been so effective in helping me release stuck emotions. The heart opening poses, the hardest for me to do at first, are now my favorite. As I was working on heart opening poses on the mat, I was imagining breaking through the armor that had built up around my heart over so many years. By leaning into discomfort and panicked feelings, and releasing tension with grace, I've liberated myself from much of the burden of unresolved emotions, experiencing a new way of being.
The Art of Surrender:
Shavasana is the final resting pose in a yoga practice. It embodies the art of surrender—a moment of stillness and release where transformation unfolds. For 20 years, I would run out of the room right before Shavasana. I told myself I was in a rush, I didn’t need to rest. I realize now that I did not want to lay in stillness with my thoughts, feelings and emotions. I wanted to keep moving so I didn’t have to feel my feelings. I was off to the next thing and definitely not present.
Then I joined a studio that doesn’t let you leave until after Shavasana. So I had no choice but to lay there. For months, my Shavasana was fraught with tears and emotional turbulence. However, over time, I've found peace and tranquility in this space, shedding layers of unresolved emotions and experiencing a newfound sense of liberation.
While the combination of yoga and microdosing has been transformative for me, many of the lessons I've learned on the mat are accessible to all, regardless of microdosing. However, microdosing served as a catalyst, amplifying my self-awareness and facilitating deeper introspection. Enhanced neuroplasticity, facilitated by psychedelics, expedited my journey of self-exploration and empowered me to dismantle ingrained patterns of thought and behavior. And most importantly, helped me develop new patterns of thought and behavior that support me in the life I want to create.
I am so grateful for the wisdom gained and the lessons learned on the mat. May we all approach our practice with open hearts and minds, embracing each moment with presence, grace, and reverence. Namaste.
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