SMART YOGA: KNOWING WHEN TO DETACH FROM SMART TECHNOLOGIES

The 6th limb of yoga dharana (concentration) shares many aspects with the 4th limb, pranayama, breathwork. Steadiness of breath works in conjunction with focus and concentration to quiet the mind, create a singular focal point, and filter out distractions. Often in practice, especially in education-based sessions, I demonstrate the alignment, yoking, and/or union of yoga by stacking three yoga blocks representing the breath, mind, and body. If one is able to regulate the breath, the muscles of the body will relax, and lastly, the chatter in the mind will decrease. If any one of the three is out of alignment, there is mind chatter, stress in the body, and rapid breathing. Most often, distractions come from external sources, the environment and world around us, rather than internally. In our fast-paced 24/7 Western society, one of the biggest distractions is a double-edged sword: one that helps to keep us all connected, which is our smart devices, phones, and smartwatches.

Many recent news reports have stated that people who rely heavily on their smartwatches for health biofeedback are actually less healthy than people not focused on using such devices. Overly fixated on the numbers and data creates stress about being ‘normal’ and the distraction of checking and comparing regularly. Instead of developing a relationship with our body through proprioception and interoception, we are relying on a device to tell us about our health. Phones are only one thread of ‘smart technology’. With the onset of wearable technologies, this digital data can potentially be with us 24/7, measuring everything, including sleep, while still informing us of social media updates, text messages, even when we are miles away from our phone. We may lock up our phones before yoga practice, yet if we are wearing them on our wrists, are we not still tethered to the device? Yes! So how is smart technology impacting our practice? Is it enhancing our practice or creating distractions?

The question I pose here is: Do we need to track everything we do in any given yoga practice session? Can we be without technology for at least one hour?

Besides technology, there are other distractions found in most typical yoga environments, namely mirrors and music. Oftentimes, mirrors and music are distractions yet we have been conditioned to view them as assistance. We are told mirrors help us with identifying if our alignment is correct. We are told music calms us down and complements the flow of practice.

Yet, mirrors many times cause us to compare ourselves to others and again become focused on a visual reflection of ourselves rather than sensing from the inside out. Music can distract us from truly sensing our breath because we are listening and hearing the artificial sounds rather than the rhythm of our breath. We cannot fully tune into our breath when we are splitting our time listening to music. The distraction of music can also be found during final rest. Again, focusing on the music rather than the feeling of complete sweet surrender. Yoga in other parts of the world is often practiced in silence, the breath is the music. Yet, Western society is not comfortable with silence and the reason why it is uncomfortable to practice in silence is that it is not practiced that way often enough. How many times do we find ourselves at home with the television on or background music just simply for the ‘noise’ it provides?

The distractions of mirrors and music pale in comparison when we begin to examine the amount of technology, especially smart technology, that is found in the yoga room. Several years ago, many studios began restricting cell phones from being in the yoga studio, yet smartwatches have taken this to the next level. Even though we may put these technologies on silent, we are still distracted by checking them during the practice. Studios may highly encourage students to leave these items in secure lockers for the hour, yet participants are over the age of 18 and make their own decisions as they pay money to join gyms and studios.

Restricting devices in an hour-long yoga class can be seen differently than if one were taking a high-stakes exam such as medical board or bar exams to become doctors and lawyers. It’s just an hour-long workout or class. Misconception alert! It’s not just a workout or class – it is a practice that is intended to help us develop a more focused way of living off the mat, to be able to filter out distractions and calm the mind. It is not simply a workout; yoga is a mindset, a frame of mind, a philosophy, a lifestyle, and not just a workout.