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Our digital devices keep us connected, entertained and informed. But they can also overwhelm us with a constant barrage of sounds, images, texts, emails, games and videos of real and imagined events from around the globe. In our wired world, technology addiction is emerging as a major stressor, as we stare at screens instead of people, text instead of talk, and focus on personal devices while sitting in a room full of our friends.
Yoga offers an important tool for establishing a balanced relationship with technology. The yogic practice of pratyahara, or sensory inhibition, invites us to detach ourselves from the pull of worldly distractions to produce a state of inner-focus. Sometimes likened to a turtle drawing into its shell, pratyahara represents a conscious choice to withdraw our senses from their constant outward focus. For example, in yoga class we might close our eyes to better "see" our inner landscape and to free ourselves from being controlled by whatever is going on around us.
Since our senses are now amplified by devices, truly freeing ourselves from sensory overload involves the difficult, but rewarding, practice of unplugging. Choosing to temporarily turn off our devices disconnects us from our habits of overstimulation, which for some has become a powerful addiction that consumes waking hours and distracts us from being involved in whatever is happening in the present moment.
One of my favorite ways to practice unplugging is to not check email on the Sabbath, and it's interesting to feel myself reflexively reach for the mail icon on my smart phone, then consciously not touch it. Having a dedicated "email free" day has helped me recognize my often compulsive impulse to check email and come into a more balanced relationship with this service.
Here are some other ways to practice unplugging:
- Consider establishing "no texting" and/or "cellphone free" zones in your home.
- Don't look at screens (phone, computer, TV) within one hour of bedtime. Emerging research suggests that the stimulation from watching a screen can contribute to sleep disturbance.
- Never text while driving--in some places it's the law.
- Go "off-line" for a specific period of time--from one hour a day to one day a week or more. During this time, do not respond to electronic stimulus and set yourself free from the habitual pull of computers, phones and other distracting devices. Notice your reactions, and welcome whatever arises, without judgment, with the intention of seeking to understand yourself better.
As Google executive Eric Schmidt urged graduates at Boston University's commencement in May 2012: "Take one hour a day and turn that thing off. . .Take your eyes off that screen and look into the eyes of the person you love. Have a conversation, a real conversation."
P.S. "Unplugging" is one of practices offered in my upcoming book, "Yoga Sparks: 108 Easy Practices for Stress Relief in a Minute or Less," to be released in August 2013 by New Harbinger Publications.
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