Integrating Yoga & Ayahuasca
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As I see it, there are two aspects of integrating the psychedelic experience.
The first is staying connected to the sense of unity and wholeness that we experience in ceremony, even after we return home.
The second is taking action on the insights and guidance we received to create positive change in our life.
“You gotta have some practice. Otherwise, it’s just going to become a memory. And practice means daily, doing something that evokes something of that experience, connecting to what you saw there.”
— Dr. Gabor Maté
The first aspect, connection, gives us the inspiration and energy for the second aspect, action. Both are essential to fully integrating and making the most of the psychedelic experience. When I do integration work with people, I strongly recommend developing a daily home yoga practice because it’s the most effective tool I know for maintaining the energetic opening, mental clarity and heart-connection that we often experience following a good psychedelic ceremony.
Yoga also helps keep your body strong and healthy so you can do the work you’re inspired to do and serve the greater good, manifesting change on the personal, community and planetary levels.
The Heart of Yoga
The teacher of my teachers, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), recognized the evolving needs of modern people and developed an efficient and effective method called Vinyasa Yoga that integrates movement, conscious breathing, mindfulness and meditation in a seamless practice. His teachings are based on the fundamental principle that yoga must respect and be adapted to the needs of the individual, making it an inherently trauma-sensitive, accessible and inclusive approach. This feels especially relevant in today’s world.
“Just as the psychedelic experience is different for everyone, the daily yoga practice you take up should be unique to you, based on factors like your age, physical condition, cultural background, goals and interests.”
Just as the psychedelic experience is different for everyone, the daily yoga practice you take up should be unique to you, based on factors like your age, physical condition, cultural background, goals and interests. Although everyone’s practice may look different on the outside, when some essential principles of Hatha Yoga are integrated, it ensures that the practice will be safe, effective and enjoyable. I share some of those principles in the practice section of this book.
Through the breath and postural exercises which are designed to balance our energy and reduce tension and stress, our mind becomes calm and clear. When the mind is quiet, that which lies beyond the mind — the spiritual heart, our true self — is revealed. Being connected to our heart allows us to relate and act from a place of equanimity, compassion and care. This individual journey to one’s true nature is the real heart of yoga.
Ayahuasca is Yoga
When I explained this approach to yoga to a Shipibo healer, he nodded, pointed to his chest, head and the sky, and said “Yaaaaaah, yoga es concentración…kushi shinan!” In Shipibo kushi shinan means “strong mind.”
The healer’s gesture signified that the Shipibo, like the yogis and mystics of all traditions, recognize that our mind, heart and source are all one. You could say that ayahuasca and yoga share a common goal — to heal and strengthen our body/mind so that we can recover this connection, and in doing so, recover the sense of wholeness and basic goodness that is our birthright.
Yoga is Integration
The discipline of maintaining a daily practice, and the quality of attention we cultivate within the practice, empower us with the clarity and energy to take appropriate action on the positive changes we want make in our life. This can include changes to our diet and other lifestyle choices, the way we relate to our self and others, a career change, or finding ways to incorporate more creative expression in our life.
“I participated in a yoga course for the first time, and that’s made an enormous difference (in my own transformation), more than, for me, drinking the plant has ever done. Plants are exciting and kind of sexy these days, but it’s not the only way.”
— Dr. Gabor Maté
Practicing in the morning is a great way to perform a daily comprehensive check-in with yourself on the physical, energetic, and mental/emotional levels. It’s an opportunity to ask, “How am I doing today?” and draw on that insight to guide your decisions for the rest of the day.
I often recommend journaling as part of your yoga practice. Writing your thoughts and feelings down can help clarify them and perhaps give you some helpful perspective on whatever you’re dealing with at the time. Reading spiritual books, listening to teachers you relate to, or studying the classic yoga texts can provide additional inspiration and useful insights.
“A daily practice allows you to stay engaged in the healing process and maintain a direct connection to the mystery, wonder and magic of life as it is already and always arising in your body, breath and relationships.”
Other aspects that you might incorporate into your practice are prayer, chanting, building an altar, drawing or painting, listening to music, singing or playing an instrument. Whatever helps you create a devotional, sacred mood will enrich your practice and ensure that it’s fulfilling on every level. Your yoga practice is a way to bring ritual and ceremony into your everyday life, which can restore the sense of meaning and purpose that many people find lacking in our materialist culture.
My goal when coaching folks who are working with ayahuasca or other psychedelics is to teach them how to practice yoga in a way that’s right for them, not only as a support while in ceremony, but as a way to integrate the experience into their regular life. A daily practice allows you to stay engaged in the healing process and maintain a direct connection to the mystery, wonder and magic of life as it is already and always arising in your body, breath and relationships.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the benefits of engaging in a consistent practice extend beyond your own personal wellbeing. By caring for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs, you are better able to care for others and be a force for healing in your family and community, which integrates your awakening to the sacredness of life into the fabric of the wider world.
Excerpted from my book Yoga & Plant Medicine
Interested in learning how I can help you make the most of your psychedelic experiences? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
