YOGA
INTERNATIONAL,
Yoga > Lifestyle
On Yoga, Off Drugs
15 Linda Johnsen ON December 9, 2014
In olden times kids died of diseases like leukemia or tuberculosis. By the time I
started high school, young people were finding much more creative ways to check
out. Michael took a couple of cubes of LSD and stood out on the train tracks
enjoying the spectacular sights and sounds of the Amtrak Express—right up till it
hit him. Thorbjorn stunned us all by dying suddenly of hepatitis-he'd been
injecting heroin with a dirty needle. Carolyn got so drunk she climbed into her
dad’s Buick and apparently decided to run down a tree. The tree survived. Being
the prissy fussbudget I've always been, I couldn’t help wondering: Isn’t there a
safer way to get high?Considering how pervasive drugs and drinking are in our
culture, it’s amazing how few people stop and consider the
cost/benefit ratio of different ways of getting high.
Obviously not everyone who uses drugs or alcohol ODs or forgets to step out of
the way of an oncoming train. Most people drink responsibly, and some
recreational drugs, like marijuana, even have proven benefits for particular
medical conditions. But considering how pervasive drugs and drinking are in our
culture, it’s amazing how few people stop and consider the cost/benefit ratio of
different ways of getting high.
People generally take mind-altering and mood-altering drugs for four reasons:
1, Ine:
ase their energy level.
2, Relax and lower their anxiety level.
3. Experience a blissful, euphoric state.
4. Explore other dimensions of consciousness.
Yoga and meditation produce all these results—without the harmful effects of
alcohol and drugs. Let's take a closer look at how yoga stacks up against drug use.
Alcohol
Getting drunk is perhaps the most time-honored way of getting a buzz in Western
culture, yet alcohol is one of the most toxic substances you can buy without a
prescription. Long-term use has proven its debilitating effects on the liver, brain,
heart, pancreas, stomach lining, and immune system. Even short-term use can
rave catastrophic results. Binge drinking can actually depress biological systems
h tastroph ts. Bi drinki tually di biol 1
to the point of shutting down the breathing reflex. In a number of highlypublicized cases, students at high school and college campuses have gone into a
coma and died,
nks to tanking up on more alcohol than their body could
Alcoholism is one of the most common, and most serious, social problems in
Western countries. Because the function of the front lobe of the brain is partially
disabled when the alcohol content of the blood rises, a person loses not only the
ability to drive but also the ability to sense that they are in no condition to get
behind the wheel of a car. Driving under the influence is a leading cause of death
and disability
Why do people drink? To relax, loosen —
Alcoholism is one of the
up, and wash their problems out of
their mind, at least temporarily. In most common, and
yogic terms, alcohol isa tamas
most serious, social
get high. It leads to a lowering of °
inhibition that some people find problems in Western
countries.
pleasant. It also leads to a general
lowering of
onsciousness as one
enters an increasing state of stupor, depending on how much one drinks
Hatha yoga exercises and meditation are also about relaxing and loosening up.
But with yoga we aim at relaxing into a state of clarity and lucidity. Hatha yoga
tones and invigorates the very physical organs that alcohol attacks. And
meditation provides the focus and objectivity that help us face our problems in
life, rather than running away from them.
Stimulants
Almost everyone in the West is addicted to stimulants of one kind or another. It’s
understandable: our lives are busy and demanding, and anything that enhances
our energy level can seem like a gift from God, Many of us can’t imagine gettingthrough the day without caffeine. Likewise, nicotine provides a light buzz, and
also stimulates the pleasure center in the brain; unfortunately the form in which
it's delivered—tobacco products~can be lethal over the long run.
More powerful stimulants, both physician-prescribed and illegal, are also widely
used today. Cocaine was once often recommended by doctors and psychiatrists;
early in his career Sigmund Freud was an enthusiastic proponent. During the
Vietnam War, amphetamines were routinely provided to American servicemen
(thus producing a generation of drug-addicted veterans). Till recently, stimulants
like Dexedrine and Benzedrine were widely prescribed for problems ranging from
asthma to weight control to depression.
The problem with stimulants like these powerful drugs is that they crank up the
brain’s production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine,
which provides a hit of energy and elevates the mood. But the brain can churn out
only so many biochemicals before it crashes. The depleted brain then sends out
signals of distress, which create the symptoms of withdrawal and intense craving
for another dose of the chemical stimulant. Extended use can damage the brain so
severely that full-blown psychosis may result.
From a yogic perspective, cocaine and amphetamines, which excite the nervous
system without replenishing it, are a rajasic way to self-medicate. The deep
relaxation they provide allows the tensions draining your life-force to melt away.
Yoga is a sattvic way to energize your body and mind. It induces a calm and
innervated state that enhances the stamina you need to stay the course of your
busy schedule and keeps you connected with the inner resources you need to
meet the day’s demands.
From a yogic perspective, cocaine and amphetamines,
which excite the nervous system without replenishing it,
are arajasic way to self-medicate.Depressants
In previous decades it was easy to OD on barbiturates, and they were a notorious
cause of premature death. The difference between a legal dose and a lethal dose of
these pharmaceutical depressants was negligible. Today a relatively safer class of
depressants is usually prescribed. These include common medications like Ativan,
Valium, Xanax, and Dalmane. They're often used to help people deal with stress
and reduc
ety, or help them get some sleep, and for severely fearful or high
strung patients, they can be lifesavers. But the problem is, they don’t resolve the
problem; they treat the symptoms of anxiety without addressing the underlying
cause.
According to the yoga masters, we're -
At some point we have
to face the reality of
our condition, the
not on this planet j
and watch TV. E
in life and important lessons to learn,
st to work, sleep,
of us has a purpose
We can't duck out on our spiritual
lessons forever; at some point we have
to face the reality of our condition, the
garbage in our mind, and the bad
garbage in our mind,
and the bad habits
that are sabotaging
habits that are sabotaging our
our happiness.
happiness. Hatha yoga is an excellent
way to bring
body and brain into
balance. Together with a meditation practice it empowers you to face, control, and
release your fears. It puts you in control of your life; ultimately you don’t need a
drug to prop up your psyche
Opiates
Opiates have been used for thousands of years to treat pain and increase
4
endurance. Today refined forms of opiates stich as morphine and heroin, as well
as synthetic versions, are common street drugs. These are seductive chemicals, for
they produce a sense of euphoria. Unfortunately, even small doses quickly lead toaddiction. Without another dose, nasty withdrawal symptoms set in. And as the
addict increases the dosage, even more serious medical problems may ensue,
including respiratory arrest.
Ananda, ot bliss, is one of the symptoms often associated with deep meditation
Interestingly, as people enter deeper states of meditation, their breathing often
slows spontaneously. Yogis experience “respiratory arrest” in a natural and
carefully modulated manner that enhances concentration and clarity. The yogi is
in control, not the drug. There is no addiction, no withdrawal, and no danger.
Yogis emerge from their meditations healthy and refreshed, not shaky and ill as
many drug users do.
Hallucinogens
In the late 1960s there was a tremendous spurt of experimentation with
hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, as well as with substances like peyote and magic
mushrooms that some Native Americans incorporated in their spiritual work. Just
about all of us who remember those times also recall friends or acquaintances who
seriously injured themselves, or frightened themselves out of their wits, on a bad
trip. One of my friends jumped out of a fifth-floor window, believing he could fly.
He's spent the last thirty years in a wheelchair
Ironically, true stories about bad trips turned many drug users away from LSD to
potentially even more dangerous drugs like Ecstasy or crack cocaine. In the last
few years, though, hallucinogens have been making a comeback on the streets.
The original reason for experimenting with hallucinogens was to undertake a
spiritual journey and to understand the mind better. Yet there is no safer and
more spiritually authenticated path to inner knowledge than yoga. The yoga
masters have thoroughly explored the inner world and mapped out practices to
unfold our spiritual potentials in a methodical and progressive manner that keeps
our body healthy, our emotions stable, and our mind clear, While drugs like LSD