Someone that I have known for many years uses pot quite regularly. It seems to me that her use of the drug is more than recreational, and although I have a hard time accepting that pot is addictive, watching her and her husband smoke it as often as they do almost makes me reconsider that notion. Since this person is a yoga instructor, I started wondering about the implications of someone with the responsibility of teaching others about yoga and meditation and her respect of the values of yoga as I understand them.My personal take on whether it should be a crime to smoke weed is that we have more important things to worry about than if someone wants to get high, and ranks waaaay below my concern about the morals of a person who would legally end the life of an unborn baby because it was an inconvenience- which is a whole different discussion...
I didn't find much about yoga instructors who smoke pot, but did find some interesting discussions on the subject that I thought were worth sharing.
First, a comment from Michael on Yoga.com/forums
Hi Slyder,
Welcome. You may want to read the part of Michael Pollan's book, "The Botany of Desire," that deals with cannabis. His notion is that plants (botany) have seduced humanity in order to propagate their species.
He describes some of what's known about "the people's pharmaceutical." Simply stated, all humans have cell receptor sites that are only activated by THC. In other words, the molecular receptor will only house a molecule of a particular shape, and that's cannabis. What happens when the cannabis receptor sites are filled, when a THC molecule is lodged into the receptor site? He describes that it blocks the nerve pathway to the memory stores in the brain. What happens when we can't access our memories of things so well? Everything looks fresher, "That's the reddest apple I've ever seen." We forget how many red apples we've seen and this one becomes special. Same is true for all the senses and our capacity for organizing sensory information. Hence, the moment seems to come forward in our perceptions, and the history of our understanding of things seems to recede into the background. Pollan calls it humanity's "relaxation" fix: we're disconnected from the burdens of reality for a while, then we return to the rat race (his words). He also writes about apples (for intoxication from apple jack), tulips (for beauty) and potatoes (for sustenance).
Cannabis is a legitimate pain reliever. When Jimmy Carter started the Compassionate Cannabis Project when he was president, 20 or so very ill patients were allowed the opportunity to access government pot.
A conference was held on the west coast several years ago to consult on what's happened to those folks over the past decades. Only a half dozen or so of them are still alive, all still very ill and disabled. They have their choice of any pain killer on the planet, including all of the morphine's and opiates, but every one of those patients choose cannabis as their primary source of pain relief. Most do not use any other means. Chronic pain seems to be helped by smoking cannabis. But, it's the counter-cultural icon of the culture wars, so it's not likely that legality will change any time soon. Further, it's illegality and widespread use does a tremendous disservice to our youth. If they can ignore laws about cannabis, what makes any other law worthy of obeying? I personally think that if it were legalized, many current young user would probably stop, as going against authority is part of growing up.
Using cannabis to meditate is equivalent to looking to a child for wisdom. A child may appear wise, but lacks the experience to understand who s/he is, and bears no responsibility for the whole community. The world is such an attractive place, no wonder it pulls so many away from our hearts and true understanding.
IMHO, Michael
http://www.yoga.com/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=24004&start=1
The use of marijuana or tobacco, meat or sugar, wine or water would depend on the purpose of ones practice and thus the purpose of ones life and their perceived actions toward those purposes.
Some do not see a purpose to Yoga beyond "it feels good" or "I burn calories" while others use it to raise the flag of their spirituality up the pole to see who will salute. And there are many positions in between, some more free from Ego than others. This is the continuum from which the question is answered.
For me my practice is about feeling more, becoming more sensitive, more aware. That feeling, sensitivity, and awareness germinates in the central nervous system. My work, in my practice, for my life, my dharma, is to work organically to be more connected to the central channel - the sushumna nadi, the soul, the heart center.
Those things which prevent the nervous system from it's job, things which alter, block or things which do the work for me instead of me training the organic body to learn, these things I do not put in my system. Marijuana (neurotransmitter release inhibitor) is included. I don't drink alcohol (though I used to) by choice, not because I have a problem with it. I do not eat red meat as a choice, not because I'm an animal rights activist. For these same reasons I do not drink coffee and am now trying to eliminate refined sugars.
So for me, at this stage of my life, my practice, my path, marijuana is not necessary. For others it may be.
"Hapiness is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose"
Just to turn the other side of the "it helps me.." coin; some people also say they can drive perfectly fine when intoxicated and others "feel" it is a coffee, and not sleep that is in their best interest relative to fatigue.
Another larger question, when using mind altering substances is the pendulum effect. "Am I hiding", as it can be very easy to receede from life using THC (or alcohol or pharmaceutical grade cocaine). At that point one is again out of balance, just in another direction.
Some may be able to "unhook their mind" but they're not actually doing the work now are they? Therefore when they come down the only way they can "evolve", if that it the experience leading one to evolution, is to roll another. The unhooking you mention IS the work and it's difficult. Change is difficult, growth is difficult.
A psychadelic experience (carlos castaneda teachings of don juan) can certainly open pathways and I've "been there and done that" though a good 25 years ago. But as a daily practice I don't think "it enhances yoga" can really be put forth as a solid concept. It enhances something (other than the munchies offered above) but I don't think it's yoga that is being enhanced.
You are quite right though, to each their own. If a weekly joint helps you, the toker, to evolve, if it brings something to your life, if you can look back and see that you've changed, grown, matured, that is something. If you have let go of attachment and aversion, if your sensations are heightened around the clock, if you are more mindful of words before they leave you lips, your language has refined and thus so has your mind, you've connected more deeply with your purpose for being here and you more authentically express outwardly that light this is YOU within, then you are being served by your life choices.
http://www.yogaforums.com/forums/f16/marijuana-and-yoga-1618.html
