The Yogi Cave at Habitat
“Where” not “What”: The Crucial Role of Our Environment in a Yoga Practice
“The purpose of technology is to mimic nature” - Viktor Shauberger
When you look to yoga today, it becomes very apparent how much we’ve adapted to suit the modern day yogi. Cities are saturated with studios and classes are suited to fit the 9-5 schedule.
Commuters rush in an effort to fit in their practice and rush out just as quick. In fact, many would argue that the space housing your practice in is irrelevant—saying things like: “as long as there’s space to roll out my mat, I’m good.”
In my opinion, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
While the ancient method of yoga has spread around the world and keeps on growing, one crucial piece has been left out: The “Where”.
We learned the “what” but missed the “where”, and the truth is we need both to experience the full potency of a yoga practice.
A yoga studio in a city looks nothing like a yogi cave in the Himalayas. And it’s not to say that you need to mirror exactly that—but I believe the quality of the space is arguably the most important factor to receiving full spectrum results in your practice.
If you’re reading this and you own or practice in a city yoga studio, don’t stress! There’s a lot that you can do to mimic the same qualities of a yogi cave, and this article is going to cover all the bases.
Yoga and Longevity
One could argue that the yogis of the Himalayas were one of the first to pursue the idea of longevity. And as I approach the age of 50 with a 3 year old daughter, longevity has become my highest priority.
When I say longevity, what I’m really referring to is quality and quantity. It’s not enough to simply extend the amount of years I reside on the earth—I want to feel vital in those years, able to contribute to my family, my passions, and my community.
What’s incredible is that there’s never been a better time in history to have both.
There are many examples of people in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s with the physical capabilities of people in their 30’s. Our biological ages are no longer matching with our chronological age, and we’re proving to be more physically able than ever before.
Knowing all this raises a valuable question: Why now? Well, I believe it’s the convergence of modern day technology and the intrinsic power of nature that makes this possible. The two work synergistically to create a catalytic agent that allows for ultimate health and vitality.
n my experience, these two components combined has created a container for optimal results that I find to be unmatched. So how do we keep the best of a yogi cave and combine it with best of modern technology? It all starts with the basics and an approach I learned from permaculture design.
The goal is to create a container—a garden, in which we shield from inputs & dangers we don’t want (like pollution and bears) and we then we add in the inputs we do want like the schumann resonance and red light (more on that below!)
The Yogi Cave
Most Ashtanga students are probably aware that the practices we do came from the Himalayas in India. And as a longtime practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, I’ve developed not only a deep reverence and respect for the principles of the practice, but for the space it originates from.
When I designed the yoga shala in the Habitat building at Northaven I had two outcomes in mind:
1. For my Mysore Program I wanted the room to run exactly the way I observed when studying with Sharath Guruji in Mysore.
2. Make it as close to a yogi cave in the mountains as possible and use the benefits of modern technology (and it’s a fine line, let me tell you!)
Knowing the above made the pathway to completion of the Yogi Cave incredibly clear and able to be achieved in these two important steps:
1. Remove as many harmful pollutants as possible
2. Bring Nature IN
First up, let's take a look at some of the pollution I don't want present in my yogi cave.
Pollution 1 - Non Native EMF
Non native EMF’s are man made electric fields, and practicing yoga will literally not work if you have radiation from cell phones, wifi routers and electrical fields in the room.
It might seem a little extreme, but it’s This is because of the effect these man made fields have on the water inside our bodies. The water in your cells has been named the “exclusion zone” by Gerald Pollack in his groundbreaking book, the 4th phase of water.
You can think of the water in your cells as having a “Jello like” consistency and with the ability to act like a battery—storing valuable energy if it gets fed the right inputs (AKA red light!)
The downside? When the Non Native EMF’s get near this water, it collapses instantly.
We can look to modern day technology to easily show us the damage of these EMF’s. For instance, consider the effects of your microwave on a piece of meat—it completely dries it up. Is that really what you want happening to you, or worse, to your children who are mostly made up of water?
These pictures from Analemma.com shows what happens to plants when exposed to 5G and
https://analemma-water.com/plant-research/
To ensure I don't have these fields in my yogi cave and the rooms I have:
• Not used WiFi and instead used wired ethernet connections
• I used shielded metal cabling for the electrical wires
• I have banned cell phones, tablets and bluetooth devices, 4G
Creating internal water in our bodies that is more like a diamond and less like coal is an essential outcome for yoga to bear its fruits—and how to do that is something I teach here. The quality, source and structure of the water both outside us and in our bodies is an essential piece, and often excluded from modern yoga.
Now that you’re aware of the detrimental effects of EMF’s, let’s take a look at the impact of artificial blue light.
Pollution 2 - Artificial Blue Light with Flicker
It might feel like a far stretch, but if your libido’s in the toilet, it could very well be from the lights you are using. It’s called celibacy syndrome, and it’s just one of the negative outcomes of over exposure to blue light.
When you look to nature, the time before sunrise and after sunset there is just one type of light—the element of fire. Fire is full spectrum in its’ expression—it bears heat, and usually is on the ground or at eye level.
Our bodies expect fire light and its heat when the sun isn’t up. Our bodies do not however, expect alien blue light without red, without heat and with flicker.
Let me explain: Flicker is how most LED lights work, and the word “flicker” could explain the rapid speed they turn on and off—so fast your eyes can’t see it but your nervous system feels it. The biological costs of exposing your skin and eyes to this alien blue light is immense, and not to be ignored.
For example, one expense is the liberation of Vitamin A from melanopsin. Melanopsin is a non visual photoreceptor in our eyes and skin. And when this happens, it sets off a cascade that destroys your ability to produce sex steroid hormones. (You can read more from Jack Kruse here who also suggests it's the cause for the rise in gender issues.)
Flickering blue light, can also drastically interfere with the body's natural circadian rhythms. It suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles, potentially leading to trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
Needless to say, in my yogi cave you won’t find flicker and you won't find blue light before and after dark
Nature inside
Now that we’ve covered what I don’t want in my Yogi Cave, let’s take a look what’s essential.
Nature is one of the primary components required to create the most optimal space for practice. Being someone who’s obsessed with fire (and has been for many years), I’ve done everything possible to use it in the yurt here at Northaven. That said, it’s not always possible to bring the elements of the outdoors inside, which is why I stand by The Sauna Space Photon light.
Red Light - Charge Your Water Battery
Resembling sunlight and fire, red light charges the exclusion zone water in our bodies. Whether through natural fire or tools like the Sauna Space Photon light, incorporating red light into your modern day routine is crucial.
Red light gives you energy. It charges your battery and brings a sense of vitality and grounded energy to your entire being. Whether you use fire to get red light or the Sauna space light, what matters is that you’re getting that red light each day.
I love this light because it has been shielded from EMF. You can easily move it around to different rooms, and you can trust fully that the owner is committed to your health, (not just out to make a buck.)
Starting to see what's happening here? Non native EMF & blue light decrease your energy, while Sun and fire increase it. Now let’s take a look at the final necessary component of creating an optimal Yogi Cave.
Grounding: Connect with the Earth's Heartbeat
“Some 20 studies to date have reported intriguing evidence of wide and significant physiological improvements when the body is grounded vs. non-grounded. The research, along with numerous anecdotal reports, demonstrates that Earthing clearly deserves inclusion in the clinical practice of preventive, alternative, and lifestyle medicine and has great potential to render these approaches more effective.”
All the things that I did just from living in nature as a kid growing up now have a name—simply because it's not the norm anymore.
Cold plunging in the mountains was just called going swimming because the water in rivers and lakes never warms up. Grounding just means touching the earth with your skin. It is what happens when you remove technology like shoes. While I’ve been writing about this and living this way for over a decade, it’s like the world is now typecasting this natural way of life into a modern day trend.
Either way, it turns out some important effects happen when we ground. Let’s take a look.
Better Brain Waves
This just blows my mind. The Earth resonates with frequencies known as Schumann resonances, specifically at the fundamental 7.83 Hz—Extremely Low Frequencies (ELFs). These same frequencies align with theta and alpha brain wave states which are crucial for growth, repair, optimal brain function, and creativity.
Now, consider the frequencies emitted by your cell phone—ranging from 0.7 to 80 GHz. Ever wonder why being on your phone induces anxiety? This can easily be explained by this electromagnetic spectrum mismatch.
Credit: https://www.earthrunners.com/pages/science-backed-benefits-of-earthing-plus-3-easy-ways-to-get-grounded
(This footwear and grounding kits are the ones I most recommend to people and have used for the last 5 years)
Thinner Blood: A Vital Concern for Ashtanga Yogis
Credit: https://www.earthrunners.com/pages/science-backed-benefits-of-earthing-plus-3-easy-ways-to-get-grounded
(This footwear and grounding kits are the ones I most recommend to people and have used for the last 5 years)
For Ashtanga yogis, blood thickness is paramount as it influences breath, muscle fueling, and practice stamina. Thicker blood slows flow, potentially reducing oxygen delivery crucial for cellular respiration.
Grounding increases the surface charge on red blood cells, which therefore reduces viscosity and clumping. It could be argued that grounding is one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.
Revitalize Sleep Through Grounding
Personal testimony speaks volumes—and I can tell you firsthand, my sleep has drastically improved since incorporating grounding sheets into The Habitat. Guests unfamiliar with grounding have left with newfound appreciation, and have even invested in grounding sheets. Studies have shown that sleeping grounded for extended periods of time can help to normalize cortisol, reduce pain, and mitigate stress. Check out a recent study here.
Accelerated Recovery
Studies show that grounding can significantly reduce soreness, inflammation, and improve muscle recovery after intense activity.
During my time in New York, I would often walk barefoot in the park after Mysore in an attempt to get grounded. This ritual (which I adopted from my teacher Sharath) is the reason why all beds in The Habitat are grounded today.
To dive deeper into the benefits of grounding, check out this recent study with exercise physiologist Richard Brown.
Summing it all up:
As you can see, the conscious cultivation of space is crucial to the overall benefits of a yoga practice. By embracing a balanced approach that combines ancient wisdom with modern technology, you can optimize your yoga practice for longevity, vitality, and mental peace. Remember, it's not just about what you practice but where you practice that makes all the difference.
To achieve your own modern day “Yogi Cave”, consider the reduction of pollution and incorporate nature into your practice space, or book your stay with us at Northaven today!