On Friday night, I decided (again) to quit Instagram.
It wasn’t dramatic. Just the slow realization that my brain was turning to mush - again. That I was swept into drama that brought suffering - again. That I was spending time worrying about things other people posted instead of taking care of me.
Saturday was my first complete day off.
By Sunday morning, I’d been logged out for 30 hours.
And by Sunday night, something unexpected happened:
I’d realized that I’d spontaneously given up coffee.
If you’ve been following me for the last six years, you know these two themes well - Instagram and coffee - my most stubborn attachments. My broken record. I quit one or both of them for a period of weeks to months and feel so much better. Then I have one coffee or log in to do one Instagram post and the spiral progresses again until I’m doomscrolling and drinking more than three coffees a day.
But here’s what I’m beginning to understand: when you give up one stimulant, your whole system recalibrates. The need for the next stimulant naturally falls away. Or, when you give up your primary addiction, everything else falls into place.
The Spiritual Science of Letting Go
The first shift I noticed was in my nervous system. Social media is pure rajas in motion - agitating, restless energy. Coffee has a similar impact: spiking cortisol, revving up the sympathetic nervous system, and then leaving you to crash. Once I removed one stimulant, my whole system began to downshift. From that quieter baseline, the body naturally resisted the next hit.
From there came a new awareness of habits. Patanjali teaches pratipakṣa-bhāvanam - observing our patterns and choosing differently. Without the endless scroll, I suddenly saw my coffee ritual for what it was. It wasn’t true need - it was tethered to the act of scrolling, a pairing that dissolved once one side fell away.
In yoga philosophy, we speak of sattva - clarity, harmony, balance. Both coffee and social media cloud sattva, leaving the mind unsettled with comparison, anxiety, jitters, or crashes. By removing one stimulant, I am starting to feel that clarity again.
I also noticed changes in sleep and natural rhythms. Without the disruption of late-night scrolling - the blue light, the restless mind - I am already feeling that I am sleeping more deeply. With better rest, my mornings so far have felt lighter, less dependent on the “fake” energy of caffeine. The Buddha often pointed toward the middle way: finding balance in natural rhythms instead of leaning on extremes. My body is remembering how to rest and rise on it’s own.
The Grief and the Gift
I’ll be honest: the first day off both, I felt noticeably slower and lower. By day two, I could feel people sensing a lower energy vibration in me. One of my friends even asked today, what’s wrong?
But I know from the 12 Steps that this is par for the course. The first days of withdrawal often feel empty. But the promise is true: when you give up one thing, you gain everything.
Already, the clarity, spaciousness, and energy I feel here in Bali is pointing me toward so much beauty.
What’s Growing in Bali
🌸 Advanced 300-Hour YTT
Our incredible group is about to finish their in-person module. Some are graduating fully, others still have pieces left. My next advanced 300-Hour YTT runs July 5–25, 2026, and spots are already filling. You can sign up here.
🌸 200-Hour YTT
The next foundational training runs December 28, 2025 – January 17, 2026 here in Bali. Earlybird ($200 off) ends September 28, 2025. Spots are open to book here!
🌸 Sky Yoga
When I’m not teaching at my own shala, I’m grateful to be part of the teaching team at Sky Yoga in Pejeng, sharing traditional Hatha and Patanjali’s Sutras alongside senior teachers from Kaivalyadhama. I’ll be teaching again on their 300-Hour YTT starting in November and throughout 2026.
Check out the Sky Yoga Teacher Trainings here.
🌸 Mindful Bali: Daily Drop-Ins & Weekly Kirtan
Daily Yoga: Monday–Saturday, 9:30am
Weekly Kirtan: Saturdays, 5:30pm
Both are held in my rooftop shala here in Ubud. Join us for a class here!
Leaving Instagram and coffee in the same breath has reminded me that freedom is possible, not by adding more, but by letting go.