Siri, Am I Healed Yet?
7 Ways Your Phone Can Make You Healthier & How I Got Roasted by a Brahmin Under Hostel Porchlight
Hi, angel! Welcome back to the inside of my brain.
Here’s what I got for you today:
What if our phones could uplift us instead of distract us? What if we could start embracing them as the powerful self-development tools that they are?
I present: 7 surprising smartphone hacks that will accelerate your transformation journey
Wanna know what it’s like to be a 22-year-old solo traveling in Bangkok for the first time? Below, I share tender vignettes from my week alone in Thailand’s capital.
First, a gentle invitation:
This July, I’m teaching breathwork & yoga classes every single day at Dance Camp East—a dreamy, off-grid festival in the UK where we dance barefoot, sleep under the stars, and wake up to the sound of drum circles and birdsong.
It’s a week-long portal into pure presence—where the WiFi fades, but the real connections deepen. Think campfires, wild movement, communal feasts, and a whole village of kindred spirits ready to laugh, cry, and expand alongside you.
If you’ve been craving a reset, an adventure, or just a week of deep breaths and deeper joy, this is your sign. Come move, breathe, and be with me at Dance Camp East, July 19-27.
Now, let’s get into it:
7 Ways Your Phone Can Make You Healthier
In our modern landscape where digital devices often fragment our attention and drain our vitality, a profound shift in perspective awaits. What if we could transform the very tools that sometimes separate us from ourselves into instruments of healing and wholeness? The humble smartphone—so often maligned as an agent of distraction—holds within it remarkable potential to become a sacred ally in our journey toward balanced living.
Consider your device not as a source of endless notifications and demands, but as a modern talisman—a neutral vessel awaiting your conscious intention. When infused with mindfulness, this pocket-sized companion becomes a gateway to practices that nourish both body and spirit in our fast-paced world.
The ancient wisdom traditions have always taught that tools themselves carry no inherent virtue or vice—it is our relationship with them that determines their impact on our lives. Just as the meditation bell calls the wandering mind back to center, your phone can become a gentle reminder of your deepest commitments to well-being.
Here I offer seven pathways to transform your relationship with technology, inviting you to discover how digital tools can actually deepen your connection to yourself, others, and the natural rhythms that sustain us all.
1. Honor the Sacred Cycle of Rest
In a world that glorifies perpetual productivity, consciously tracking your sleep becomes an act of reverence for your body's natural wisdom. Your phone's simple clock feature transforms into a guardian of restorative rest.
Each evening, as you set a gentle alarm to signal the beginning of your wind-down ritual, you honor the ancient truth that all living things require cycles of activity and renewal. The morning review of your sleep patterns becomes a moment of self-knowledge—a chance to listen deeply to what your body is communicating about its needs.
This practice reconnects you with nature's fundamental rhythms, reducing anxiety and creating space for the deep recovery that nourishes not just the body, but the soul. By honoring sleep as sacred, you reclaim one of life's most essential healing practices.
2. Transform Scrolling into Mindful Presence
The endless scroll has become our modern trance—a hypnotic state that disconnects us from our bodies and the present moment. By setting a simple timer for your digital engagement, you bring consciousness to what is otherwise unconscious consumption.
This small act of intention—limiting your browsing to measured intervals—becomes a powerful practice in mindful awareness. When the timer sounds, the conscious choice to set down your device and engage in reflection or creation becomes a moment of awakening.
Through this practice, your phone no longer controls your attention; instead, it serves your deeper commitment to presence. You reclaim precious moments for self-reflection, transforming passive consumption into active creation and engagement with your authentic self.
3. Punctuate Your Day with Sacred Pauses
The practice of "stopping meditation"—pausing throughout the day to reconnect with breath and body—finds new expression through your phone's simple reminder feature. Each notification becomes an invitation to return to yourself.
When your phone gently prompts "Deep Breath" or "Check Your Posture," it serves as the modern equivalent of temple bells calling monks to mindfulness. These consistent cues throughout your day create a rhythm of remembrance—moments when you can step out of automatic pilot and into conscious presence.
This practice weaves mindfulness into the fabric of daily life, reducing tension in both body and mind. Each pause becomes a doorway back to your center, fostering clarity and calm amidst life's demands.
4. Honor Your Body's Internal Clock
The blue light emanating from screens disrupts our body's ancient wisdom about day and night. By adjusting your phone's display settings as evening approaches, you acknowledge and protect the delicate internal rhythms that govern your well-being.
Tint your screen red as night falls serves as a gentle reminder that your body is preparing for rest. This simple adjustment honors your connection to the natural world—to sunrise and sunset, to the eternal dance of light and dark that has guided human life for millennia.
By protecting your circadian rhythm, you support not just better sleep but a deeper alignment with your body's innate intelligence, fostering harmony between your modern life and your ancient biological needs.
5. Create a Sanctuary for Your Inner Voice
In a world that constantly bombards us with external voices and opinions, your phone's voice recording feature offers a sacred space for reconnection with your own inner wisdom. These recordings become vessels for emotional release, self-expression, and insight.
Each time you speak your thoughts, feelings, or affirmations into this digital journal, you honor the power of giving voice to your inner experience. The library of recordings you create becomes a personal sanctuary—a place to return to your own wisdom during challenging moments.
This practice nurtures emotional clarity and self-compassion, strengthening your relationship with the wisest part of yourself. Your phone becomes a keeper of your truth, a container for authentic self-expression in a world that often drowns out our innermost voices.
6. Nurture the Bonds That Sustain You
Though no technology can replace the profound nourishment of in-person connection, your phone's primary purpose—communication—can be reclaimed as a tool for meaningful relationships. Regular calls, heartfelt messages, and video conversations become threads that weave the tapestry of community.
When you schedule time to reach out to loved ones or send a thoughtful message during a break in your day, you transform your phone from a distraction into a bridge between hearts. These intentional connections combat the isolation of modern life and remind us of the web of relationships that sustain our well-being.
This practice acknowledges the fundamental human need for belonging and connection. By approaching digital communication with presence and care, you honor the sacred bond between yourself and others, finding nourishment in the sharing of your human journey.
7. Celebrate the Joy of Walking
Our bodies were designed for movement, yet modern life often confines us to stillness. Your phone's simple footstep counter can become an invitation back to the natural state of physical activity our ancestors knew as a way of life.
Each step recorded becomes not just a number but a celebration of your body's capacity for movement. Setting personal goals transforms daily activities into opportunities for vitality—taking stairs instead of elevators, walking during phone calls, or enjoying an evening stroll as the day comes to a close.
This practice integrates consistent, gentle movement into your routine, enhancing physical health while also connecting you to the joy of embodiment. Your phone becomes not a reason to sit still, but an encouragement to move through the world with greater awareness and appreciation for your physical being.
The Possibility of Conscious Technology
When approached with mindful intention, the very devices often blamed for our fragmentation can become powerful allies in our quest for wholeness. The practices outlined here invite you to transform your relationship with technology—to infuse your digital interactions with the same consciousness you bring to other aspects of your well-being journey.
Remember that the true power lies not in the device itself, but in the awareness you bring to its use. With each mindful choice, you reclaim technology as a tool that serves your deeper values rather than distracting from them.
Finally, my adventures in Thailand:
January 6th, 2025
Lumphini, Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is a metropolis that feels like a dream made real—a kaleidoscope of everything I love about traveling in Asia. The city brims with contrasts and connections, merging the maximalist malls of Tokyo with the vibrant night markets of Taipei and the fiery, flavorful cuisine of Indonesia. At the same time, its sprawling urban landscape, cultural diversity, and efficient transportation remind me of my birthplace, New York City. As 2025 begins, I find myself filled with a mixture of gratitude and excitement to be starting the year in this vibrant, multifaceted city.
The hostel I’m staying at is not just a pit stop for travelers; it’s a haven for wanderers who have chosen to linger. It’s a place where stories unfold on every couch, in every shared meal, and even over casual cigarette breaks on the porch. There’s Sal, an easygoing man from Argentina who immediately recognized me from my yoga videos and shyly asked if I could guide him through some hip openers. Then there’s Goldie, a Brahmin from Mumbai with a mischievous wit and a steady rotation of joints in hand, whose humor often leaves me in stitches. And finally, there’s a South African man, perpetually absorbed in rewatching Breaking Bad, his focus unshaken by the world buzzing around him.
Goldie, of course, is impossible to ignore. On the first night we met, as a group of us shared travel stories under the glow of the porch light, he turned to me with a teasing glint in his eye. “You’re a yoga teacher?” he asked, drawing out the word ”you’re” with an exaggerated incredulity.
I smiled, unbothered. “Well, yes,” I replied, “but I’m also a student.”
“What makes you think you have the right to be a yoga teacher?” he shot back, the challenge hanging in the humid Bangkok air.
I took a breath. “I’m 22,” I said. “I’m probably only 4% into my yoga journey in this lifetime. But there are people in this world who are at 0%, who just need a spark to set them on their path. I hope to be that catalyst. That’s why I teach—while staying aware of how much I still have to learn.”
He studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Fair,” he said, the sharpness in his voice softening. “Just don’t bastardize it like all the other Westerners have.”
“I won’t,” I promised. And somehow, from that pointed exchange, a friendship was born.
Goldie is unlike anyone I’ve met. Raised in privilege, he’s traveled the world alone since the age of 13, weaving tales of dinners with Italian mobsters in New York and nights spent with cartels in South America. Bangkok, with its relative safety and recent embrace of marijuana legalization, seems to have mellowed him. But he’s still full of surprises—one minute lamenting New York City’s chaos, the next waxing poetic about his love for Mexico. His stories, wild as they are, remind me of how many lives can be lived in a single lifetime.
When I’m not caught up in Goldie’s whirlwind, I’ve been walking Bangkok’s streets alone, soaking in the city’s rhythm. The air is thick with heat and the scent of sizzling street food—lemongrass, chili, and charred meat mingling in a sensory symphony. The markets pulse with life, every stall a kaleidoscope of color: deep green herbs, bright orange mangoes, glistening red chilies. I’ve been chasing spice here, diving headfirst into fiery curries and tangy papaya salads, my taste buds on an endless adventure of their own.
Tomorrow, everything changes. My parents are flying in from New York—the first time I’ll see them in eight months. I’m nervous, mostly because I’m still regaining my strength after being sick in Vietnam, but also because sharing this world I’ve come to love feels vulnerable. I want them to see the magic I see: the warmth of the Thai people, the endless energy of the city, the sense of possibility that hangs in the air.
Bangkok feels like the perfect place for this reunion. It’s a city that’s as sprawling as it is intimate, where grand temples rise alongside narrow alleyways filled with the chatter of vendors and the hum of tuk-tuks. It’s a place that, much like me right now, is constantly in motion yet deeply rooted in its traditions.
As I prepare for tomorrow, I feel a mix of emotions—anticipation, nostalgia, hope. Bangkok has been a beautiful beginning to this new year, and sharing it with my family feels like the perfect way to bridge the worlds I’ve been navigating on this journey. I can’t wait to show them what I’ve found here: not just a city, but a sense of connection, of wonder, of home.
I am confident that you’ll enjoy these videos of mine: