What is psychedelic yoga? Is it a good idea to combine yoga with drugs? What are the pros and cons of doing this? We were curious to find out, and we hope so are you. We looked into relevant studies (there weren’t many) and asked around among other yoga teachers and practitioners to hear their experiences. Here’s what we found.
There are pros and cons when it comes to practicing psychedelic yoga, i.e. combining yoga with drugs.
The pros:
- It can alleviate anxiety or depression that might prevent you from taking up the practice in the first place.
- Deeper connection to all aspects of the yoga practice, not just the asanas.
- A better connection to your intuition, which is great when teaching or doing anything for that matter.
- Helps to address trauma
- Helps with pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses
- According to Yoga Sutra 4.1., even Patanjali himself approved of the usage of herbs
The cons:
- You can numb out the experience or lose control altogether with over consumption.
- You shouldn’t do exercises that are too vigorous.
- Doing it by yourself might have dire consequences.
- Can induce paranoia.
- The argument that if you mix yoga with any mind altering substances, that’s not yoga any more because the mind needs to be pure.
The Sutras and the Vedas on Combining Herbs With Yoga
A point worth mentioning is the Sutra 4.1 from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:
“The subtler attainments come with birth or are attained through herbs, mantra, austerities or concentration.” (janma osadhi mantra tapah samadhi jah siddhyayah)
Does this mean that Patanjali himself acknowledged the use of herbs?
Also, apparently, in ancient Vedas (Yajurveda, chapter 20, sections 59, 63-69) the Vedic poet Vidarbhi Rishi praises the use of soma, a mystical elixir made of herbs. From Hinduism Today:
59 The scholars of science and medicine and women of knowledge and motherly love, with all their research and yajnic dedication, should create and bear for Indra pure nectars of vitality distilled from the juices extracted from all herbs for the cure of chronic and deadly diseases.
63 Three motherly spirits, Vedic vision, knowledge and wisdom, the motherland and two powers of health and medicine, may distill and create the intense and joyous nectar of soma extracted from all nature for Indra, the human soul, in three ways—for physical, mental and spiritual nourishment.
However, since there is no mention of what herbs they used, one can only guess.
The Research on Psychedelic Yoga
A research study called “Supple bodies, healthy minds: yoga, psychedelics and American mental health” by Richert and DeCloedt (CC BY 4.0, paraphrazed) looked into the relationship between yoga and psychedelics concerning American mental health. Back in the sixties, researchers found that both yoga and psychedelics are different routes to similar mystical experiences and altered state of consciousness. This is not to say that one can replace the other. But what happens when these two are combined, we wanted to know.
Scarce are the studies on this. However, one study that we found called “A quantitative exploration of the relationships between regular yoga practice, microdosing psychedelics, wellbeing and personality variables” by Bright, Gringart, Blatchford and Bettinson concluded that:
“The yoga and microdosing groups scored significantly higher on psychological well being and absorption than the control. The microdosing and yoga group had lower depression scores than the microdose only group, and lower anxiety scores than the yoga only group. Furthermore, the microdosing and yoga group had the highest absorption score. Openness was significantly lower in the control group than in all other groups.
Conclusion: while we cannot infer that yoga and micro dosing lead to increased well-being, openness and absorption, or to decreased depression and anxiety, the findings suggest that the subjective effects of micro dosing psychedelics are comparable to those of yoga and that the combination of both might be beneficial.”
Our Respondents’ Experiences With Psychedelic Yoga
Now let’s look into our respondents’ answers in more detail. We wanted to know about their experiences with psychedelic yoga and the pros and cons of it. And since cannabis can also induce psychedelic effects, the research accounted for this herb as well.
We covered The Effect Of Combining Cannabis With Yoga Asanas in more detail in another article.
What Were Your Experiences With Yoga on Psychedelics? What Are the Pros and Cons?
Respondent No. 1:
Lauren Pound is a yoga teacher and coach who teaches yoga on Zoom. She has her RYT200 and is currently working towards her 800 hour yoga therapy. As a coach, she helps clients find alignment within emotional, physical and spiritual bodies. She does so using yoga and non yoga techniques, although everything she does falls within the yoga principles. You can join her Facebook group Yoga•Plants•Thoughts to learn more:
“I have journeyed with sacred plant medicines and continue to do so. Psilocybin is my regular “medicine” but I am connected to many sacred medicines, both psychedelic and not. For me psilocybin enhances every aspect of my life. Including my Asana practice. As yoga is not limited to the Asana, psychedelics actually connect me deeper to all sides of the yoga practice.
I microdose on mushrooms as a regular part of my life. So on the days that I microdose, my Asana practice includes the enhancement of a psychedelic fungus. Psilocybin is an introspective thing to begin. It helps me to recognize faulty patterns in my thoughts and my actions. The yoga Asana practice also does this. For me I feel like I just get twice the introspection. Or at least a double dose of it on those days. I also find that using a small amount of psilocybin helps me to connect to my intuition more deeply. Which is really great when teaching yoga. At no point has microdosing taken away from my yoga practice. But it has given me and my practice so much.
The only con that I could find to using psilocybin or other psychedelics when practicing the Asana would be if you take too much. In which case, you may not want to practice.”
Respondent No. 2:
Chakra Khan is 500hr RYT Manager of Wellness and Spiritual Culture at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. If people interested in taking a plant medicine yoga class with legal entheogenic plants or creating a plant medicine personal retreat, you can visit his Instagram @joshuatreeyogastudio or if they would like to explore more off market plant medicines you can visit @Namastoned:
“I’ve been pairing psychedelics and asana for the better part of a decade. When I say pairing I’m not talking about a full blown trip. I’m talking about microdosing. Whether it’s shrooms, or acid or cannabis, we want to elevate our experience versus eliminating it with over consumption.
Pairing asana and plant medicine is an old practice. Hindu peoples have been consuming cannabis with yoga as a spiritual practice for centuries. Ingesting these plants not only activates our chakras, particularly our Ajna chakra, they can increase our focus. This is wonderful if we feel intimidated by more challenging postures like handstands. They help remove ego and are an essential aid in addressing trauma. Yoga can be a powerful ally in physically removing emotional trauma. Adding plant medicine to it helps us delve deeper into our emotional psyche without fear.
Some negative aspects are over consumption so you are no longer in control of experience.
Some people have adverse reactions to the plants. I taught a class once where we explored wild lettuce. I had 3 students have nightmares that evening. That’s always a concern. I have now kept the plants I use for group sessions on the gentle side and save the stronger plants for my work with individuals as a guide. If you want to go DEEPER… I highly recommend having a trained guide to help you journey. You can still have a powerful yoga experience but having a safety net there is essential to reduce the opportunity for self harm.”
Respondent No. 3:
Neilson Spencer is a yoga teacher and entrepreneur:
“My experience with yoga and psychedelics is with 5-MeO-DMT. Known as the world’s most powerful psychedelic. During the middle of the journey, the whole body is vibrating, and the overall experience is quite intense. I remembered a trauma yoga workshop I’d taken. I started using ujjayi breathing, and performing some of the asanas I’d learned (all prone). It really helped to soften the whole experience, and make it a little less overwhelming. I also had a deeper experience than others in the group. I believe meditation had a role in this.
Pros: I believe a regular yoga practice helps to handle the psychedelic experience in a very positive way: you have a stronger nervous system, your mind can focus and penetrate into the experience deeper and calm breathing helps to ride out intense segments.
Cons: Would be doing vigorous asana, or intense breathing exercises – while under a medicine.”
Experiences With Stoned Yoga
Respondent No. 4:
Sarah Kamahele-Kamenitzer, 200 RYT yoga teacher:
“My experience has been that I was able to more quickly reconnect with my body. I started smoking around 2016 or so, 2 years after being introduced to yoga. I was able to start working through trauma, and it’s still taken me over 5 years to work on it. It slowed my nervous system down enough so I could reconnect with my breath. I started waking up to the actual energy of life as it is rather than how I saw it through yoga and calming my nervous system with marijuana.
There are some ancient yoga references to shiva and marijuana as well. They’ve been linked since before we can imagine. It can be a helpful tool like other psychedelics. I personally have not tried any other psychedelics, with past trauma people should be very cautious about when and where, and with whom they do these things. Safety first!
Pros: can help with slowing everything down. The drug actually does slow the messages being sent from brain to body. It can allow some people to start to remove themselves from past fear or future anxiety.
Cons: super important – it can increase paranoia in some people. It’s important to know where you’re getting things from. And I don’t recommend inhaling a lot of things ever. Breath is how we control our nervous system, so I’d be cautious about that.”
Respondent No. 5:
J.B. yoga practitioner:
“Honestly, cannabis (sometimes with saffron and incredibly strong black tea) are part of what I ingest. This is used for when I do an hour to an hour and a half during practice during full and new moon.
It helps with pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses. Inversions are especially unique to experience. But as far as being in touch with movement in the body, the experience is deepened, which allows for expanded awareness during other non dosed sessions. Flows are much more graceful and satisfying.
The cons are of course that hallucinogens are used, and it is a practice that someone might get judgy about. Some people get really judgmental about yogis and use of mind altering substances. As a student of tantra, though, I find that to be personally irrelevant. It doesn’t get in the way of Yama and Niyama. Because some people are really straight edge about their choices, they might also not understand how from a spiritual (Bhakti) perspective, altered states of consciousness are stimulating and expanding with respect to awareness. Some folks just exercise.”
Respondent No. 6:
S.L: “Practicing on my own on weed was fine, sometimes liberating. But definitely not an option when teaching! I had an evening class and made the mistake of smoking beforehand. Not sure if it was the weed or the guilt that made me feel so uncomfortable. I don’t take marijuana anymore, but I’d say for those who have never experienced yoga as euphoric, it might help to try yoga on weed. Reason I don’t take it now is because I prefer my mind and body sober, now that I have become a mom.”
Respondent No. 7:
J. H: “I’ve done plenty of yoga on weed. I think weed can lift you up if you’re low enough, and bring you down if you’re high enough. Anxiety and depression would have stopped me from even starting my practice without ganja calming me first.”
Respondent No. 8:
J. S: “I’ve practiced on my own after smoking weed and I felt very distracted, off-balance, and just “off” in general.”
Respondent No. 9:
K.W: “Weed sometimes makes me want to do yoga, but then I lose my balance and get distracted, so it’s not really conducive to a good practice.”
More About the Cons:
Yoga purists consider psychedelic yoga a blatant western appropriation. They mind that nowadays “everything is called yoga”. According to them, beer yoga, face yoga and acro yoga are not styles of yoga. One should not sell everything and anything as yoga. Their position is that traditionally, you are not even allowed to drink caffeine before a yoga practice, let alone take psychedelics.
Sudha Malhotra (yoga teacher): “Anyone (in the world west or east) that misconstrues yoga to enhance their attachment to sense pleasures whatever they may be – is opposite & belittles the practice of yoga.
A mind needs to come to a blissful state (sattvik) to be able to contemplate on the Higher Living. A (dharmic) righteous life, following your inner calling (svadharma), Yamas, Niyamas, mantras (upasana), austerities are means to not only make the mind blissful but also empowered to concentrate. They are all ‘internal’ methods to trap the mind’s wanderings.
Using psychedelics may make the mind blissful/calm (as it suppresses the emotions/thoughts) but it leaves it weak and dependent. No yogi has ever attained higher states of concentration through a weakened mind.”
Similar opinions were voiced by many when I asked about the practice of psychedelic yoga. But then again, those who haven’t tried this form of practice can’t really know what it’s about. And it also remains a question if the use of psychedelics weakens or strengthens the mind.
Conclusion: Be Careful About This One
We’ve seen above that even Patanjali approves of the use of herbs to attain subtler realizations. And that even the Vedas exude taking powerful herbal elixirs, aka Soma. As for our participants, many of them claim it’s beneficial to their practice as long as you don’t take too much of it. And of course, there’s only one way to find out. If you do decide to take that road, be mindful of how you do it and with whom. In case of trauma, it’s best to do it with a professional, someone who knows how to guide you through the experience, because you never know what might happen out there…
Tatjana Glogovac, Senior Contributor At L’Aquila Active
Learn more about Tatjana by reading her bio below.
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