As a yogi, all I have to do is open my eyes and look around...
-- Pedestrians bustling around the city, eyes glued to the rectangles in their hands.
-- Students sitting in the hallway before class, no conversation, everybody immersed in their rectangles.
-- My own family at dinner, at home or restaurant, sometimes there's a conversation going on at the same time, but all the noses are in their phones.
"Yoga" is often translated as "union" -- and a common interpretation of this is the union of body, breath/energy, and mind. I can't think of anything that so pervasively separates a person's body, breath, and mind -- and people from each other -- than this sea of phones that has been dumped on us.
So the cell phone as phenomenon-in-the-large is about as anti-yoga as you could get. But I will point out now a way in which your cell phone (I'm assuming you have one) can be used as an effective tool!
Lucid Dreaming Practice and Prospective Memory
The Foundational Practices of Tibetan Dream Yoga build awareness of the dream-like nature of things in the world and emotional responses. A practitioner constantly reiterates, "This is a dream." About everything.
Dream scientist Stephen LaBerge advises lucid-dream practitioners to practice with prospective memory, so that they can remember to ask, "Is this a dream?" within the dream itself (which is becoming lucid).
You start by looking for patterns in your dream journal. Then you set prospective-memory intentions accordingly. For example, if you notice lots of people wearing hats in your dreams, or the prominence of the color red -- your intention could be, "The next time I see someone wearing a hat (or something red), I'll ask, 'Is this a dream?'"
The ability to do something you intend to do in the future relies on prospective memory. When you practice with this type of memory you increase the chance you'll remember to notice your dream signs and have a lucid dream!
Relation to Psychedelic Work
There are two ways in which prospective memory relates to psychedelic journeying.
(1) -- If the trip is intense (particularly the come-up), a person can get "stuck in their head." As the ordinary ego loses its moorings, it can veer off into many anxiety-producing ruts. At this point, an "anchor" -- such as a deep breath, or a self-hug, or the word "love" (these are anchors I've used) -- can be incredibly helpful.
But how is the tripper going to remember their anchor! Anyone who has had intense psychedelic experiences knows this isn't trivial. A good guide may be there to suggest something if the going gets tough, but that might not happen.
If a psychedelic journeyer prepares for a big experience by performing the prospective-memory practices of lucid dreaming -- "When I notice anxiety in my body, I will do some tapping and take a deep breath," etc. -- they'll be quicker to remember and utilize their anchors in the midst of an anxious episode.
(2) -- A challenge of psychedelic integration is that the optimal period (increased neuroplasticity, etc.) may last for quite some time. Folks are liable to get swept up in their weekly routines. It can feel like a hassle to add something to your already packed schedule.
A prospective-memory practice is perfect for the integration period.
The best way to seal in the benefits of somatic healing is to actively learn how your more-emotionally-balanced body feels. In any body-mind practice consistency is paramount. (Any pro musician knows this.)
Therefore, an effective way to integrate the somatic-healing benefits of a psychedelic experience is to revisit the state with focused attention as often as possible. "When I see someone wearing a hat or the color red, I'll take a deep breath and remember that feeling, I'll connect with it, from my journey."
If you set a bunch of prospective-memory targets -- each time you remember one, deep breath, touch in with your feelings -- you can extend the integration period as long as you want. And don't be surprised if you have some lucid dreams too!
How the Cell Phone Can Help!
In lucid-dreaming practice, the prospective-memory targets are the common elements of your dream journal -- the things, people, emotions, activities that you most often dream about.
It's not so obvious what this would be for psychedelic journeying. The things you think about most when you trip? In my experience that terrain is very unpredictable.
What could remind you, multiple times a day, maybe every minute, to check in with your internal state, pause the mental chatter for a deep breath and sense of gratitude?
Have you noticed the omnipresence of your phone, in the ordinary workings of your mind?
Make it your prospective-memory coach!
"Every time I check my phone, I will pause, take a deep breath, notice my body in space..."
You will gain two benefits from this practice!
(1) -- You will build your prospective memory. This will make it more likely you'll have lucid dreams and also that you'll remember to draw on your allies and tools within psychedelic states.
(2) -- You will gain key insights into the workings of your dopamine system.
Buddha's First Truth speaks to a fundamental feature of our neurology as evolved animals. The cell phone is masterfully (and diabolically) designed to hijack this system. We get a little dopamine "squirt" with every like on one of our posts, every text message received.
When you don't gratify the urge, like Pavlov's Dog denied the steak, there is a dopamine-system response that translates to a feeling of frustration -- it can be very uncomfortable! The way out of addiction, proposed in many wisdom traditions, is bringing awareness to this discomfort, really feeling it -- and feeling it eventually pass.
The phone is an incredible teacher in this way. It has been designed to snag your dopamine system and maintain your fixation -- in collaboration with the apps it runs of course. Use that capacity to your advantage!
"Every time I interact with my phone, one deep breath from the belly, one check-in at the heart center."
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