Thread by @vakibs

In this thread, I will discuss about a Yogic model for information processing.

Are current user-interfaces encouraging us to consume information mindlessly? Does blocking information help? Can human consciousness be elevated by better interface design for applications? Etc.

The starting point for my thoughts is a question I asked myself sometime ago, about whether Shannon's definition of information as "surprise" is overlooking some basic biological framework of being human.

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Shannon's theory for information processing, which was developed first for faithful encoding and decoding for communication e.g, a in a telephone network, influenced many other far out domains.

Here is Whiting's information processing model for human cognition in sports etc.

A fundamental thing about this model is that it is a linear pathway : input -> (pipeline) -> output

There can be many blocks in the pipeline, but input/output resemble Shannon's original diagram for communication in a channel. What if this is a bad way to look at the process?

An alternative way to look at a similar process is to consider this as a homeostasis like how nature maintains ecological balance, or like how a cell maintains pH or temperature.

Another example is about how a peaceful cognitive state can be maintained in the mind by meditation.

I will use the Yogic philosophical framework to sketch how such a theory for cognition and "information processing" might look. In Yoga, before we deal with the mind, we discuss two things: food and breath. I will discuss them first as metaphors.

This follows the understanding that the human body is a "pancha kosha" or that it has 5 conceptual planes: Annamaya (material plane & food), Pranamaya (breath), Manomaya (mind), Vijnanamaya (understanding & awareness) and Anandamaya (bliss).

I will discuss the first 3 planes.

How does the body process food?

It can be argued as follows: the energy that comes in via food goes to 5 different usages/pathways:

1. For digestion and Excretion.
2. For speaking.
3. For acting out in the world by motor organs.
4. For using motor organs to bring new food in.

I didn't mention the basic usage.

0. For letting things just be as they are. For maintaining whatever is within the body which is food (for whichever animal) to remain so as food without deteriorating. --> This is homeostasis.

You might say it is a peculiar way to look at the problem. But there is a logic. It becomes clearer when discussing breath.

The plane of breath can also be considered to have 5 components. Here, Yogic philosophy gives them clear names.

1. Apana : The breath that activates digestion and pushes excreta out of the body. This circulates in the lower part of the body.

2. Udana : The breath that enables speaking, by inhaling and exhaling through the mouth . This circulates in the upper part of the body.

Vyana: The breath that pushes air to all extremities of the body. This regulates blood flow that supplies nutrients everywhere. This nourishes the muscles so that they can move.

Samana:The breath that draws air inwards from all corners. This diffuses entropy: pH, heat etc.

The counterpart to element 0 is the breath itself that maintains homeostasis & keeps the body alive, letting it inhale and exhale further into the future.

Prana: It circulates in the most essential circuit to keep the body alive: centre of brain, spinal cord, other vital organs.

It is important to discuss breath because the plane of breath is the *only* way a person can control in the various modes of vital activities regulated by the parasympathetic neural circuit. All the 5 types of breath can be independently controlled with respect to their pace.

It is only by the ability to control breath that other activities can be indirectly controlled: heartbeat, digestive ability, sleep, dream states
etc.. which are all possible to some degree by the mastery of breath control.

In the Yogic scheme, food nourishes breath and breath nourishes mind.

It is an illusion that most people have that they can make their mind go wherever they want. This absolutely not true. Control of mind is much harder than control of breath.

Better food -> better breath control -> better mind control.

The 8 limbs of Yoga (ashtanga) of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras help maintain this control by discipline: for eating the right food, for posture, for holding breath, for holding the mind steady.

Now let us discuss the 5 equivalent modes for "mind processing". This is how information gets consumed and metabolised by the mind.

1. Apana: Information is digested & excreted. The mind creates no new modalities except excreting it in a less usable form (and slowly decaying).

2. Udana: Information is used for speaking. In Yoga, this is considered to have the potential to activate a creative source (para). It is then transmuted into 3 forms: pashyanti, madhyama & vaikhari. A less aware mind can perceive only the outer forms and doesnot have creativity.

On the mental plane, every activity to produce new information can be considered as an output of Udana. The vocal pathway with the tongue is the most powerful muscle in the body, but other pathways can channel the 'Para' as well, pushing the universe into new creative directions.

3. Vyana: This is about integrating the information into one's body and one's identity. Until the information becomes part of every fibre, it has not really been used. This is the most powerful expression of embodied cognition.

4. Samana: This causes the discrepencies and imbalances in one's body and self-identity be reduced to equality in the flow of information. This is the antidote to cognitive dissonance. This is our hope to get over walls of hatred.

5. Prana: This is the eternal flow of informarion that keeps the body and mind in homeostasis. This is what we need to protect : free software, open-source and open-data. This is the divine Sarawati that creates and nourishes all. We need her protection. She needs no protection.

We might be using a rather limited model for information processing, treating the user as a cog between input and output. That is between (a prejudiced view of) Prana and Apana only. A design for user interface that doesn't imagine the other modes of mental activity.

People who activate only Apana will die. It is a mental death on the mental plane, sooner or later. But even if it's later, it is a slow death with every minute of life being a process of death.

Don't let social media feed your Apana !

In the early days of computer applications, full programmability was the norm. It was possible to activate all five modes of mental activity. The current user-interfaces are designed to block your creative agency. Like junk food and opioids that will only keep you addicted.

What way for the future? A full theory of cognitive interfaces is needed, where these 5 activities can be modeled and measured. Not all clubbed and hidden under trivial activity like Apana. Until then, we need to periodically plug out our minds. Out of badly designed interfaces.

Here is a faithful introduction to the 5 types of Prāna in Yoga, a few postures and exercises that enable you to control them.
sequencewiz.org/2014/09/03/5-v…

The author Olga Kabel wisely disabled her twitter account. But she refers to the book of scholar @davidfrawleyved who is active.

The American Institute of Vedic Studies, founded by @davidfrawleyved has anarticle that connects tech addiction to the addiction of food & drugs, which I discussed previously. In the Yogic framework, these addictions are similar.

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vedanet.com/addiction-and-…

Although the nature of tech addiction is not understood today at neuro-physiological level, mapping these addictive pathways is the relatively easier part.

It is more difficult to understand what would be supportive technologies & user-interfaces to amplify Yogic consciousness.

We do not have a theory to optimize for the "joy" of using a technology, leading ultimately to the most supreme of such joys - Ānanda . But in an old essay on my blog, I gave some wild examples of how such technologies might look like.

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I think extending the practices of Āsana and Prānāyāma of Yōga to the sphere of the mind (Manōmaya) will let us build a framework for designing such technologies.

In the Yōgic framework, Prāna is the most essential of all the 5 planes of existence, encompassing even the mind.

In the Brihadāraṇyaka Upanishad, Sākalya (student) discusses with Rishi Yājñavalkya (teacher) on what are the most essential Dēvas. The 33 Viśwēdēvas of ṚgVeda (which encompass all the aspects of the universe) are successively reduced to 6,3,2,1.5 and ultimately to 1 (Prāna).

How to control the five aspects of Prāna?

Firstly, Apana shouldn't be excessive but has to be integrated with Prāna. Stillness and ecologically rich areas amplify Prāna, which has to flow freely with the universe.

Dēvas feed on Prāna, Asurās (who suffer death) feed on Apana.

Secondly, Vyāna and Samāna have to be realized. This can happen only in silence. In breathing, Vyāna (expansion) is realized by holding the breath after inhaling. Samāna (dissolution) is realized by holding the breath after exhaling.

Vyāna refers to Vishnu & Samāna to Shiva.

Vyāna and Samāna can be visualized as the opening and closing of the infinite lotus that is located at the heart (Hṛt-Padma). This can aid in meditation. I discussed the corresponding imagery in my article here.

pragyata.com/mag/the-infini…

If these 4 aspects of Prāna are in balance, then Udāna can be controlled. It is the means to tap into cosmic creativity that is also present in one's own body.

It will lead to joy of different levels, which is technically the fulfillment of the 7 Chakras located along the spine.

While Prana refer to the sensory organs (Jñānendriya), Apana & Udana refer to the organs of motor control (Karmēndriya). In mythic imagery, these two polarities are the worlds of Dēvas and Pitṛs. They define two ways to exercise one's Karma (action). Both are important.

In this framework, a technology that doesn't exercise the user's motor control and creative capacity, while forcing the user to be passively consuming information is considered to create an imbalance of Prāna.

Social media and most apps on "smartphones" fail on these counts.

If no distinction is made between mere excretion (Apana) and creative action (Udana), users cannot maintain their focus.

In Yoga, Apana is controlled by Bandha (blocking) e.g, Mulabandha (contracting pelvic muscles). Meditation is supported by Mudra (posture & finger gesture).

Any technology can be interpreted as an extension of user's own body. Indeed, such extended body image can be part of one's own brain and controlled with brain interfaces. This can also true for virtual interfaces on software.

We need a theory of Bandha & Mudra for these UIs.

Finally, an understanding is needed on how to effectively encode silence (Anahata). Silence has meaning given the holistic ecological context within which to interpret it. But in Shannon's information theory, silence has no information. i.e, there is no place for Samana & Vyana.

in my opinion, a complete theory for the design of user interfaces based on Yogic principles is possible. But this also needs to extend the very basics of information theory. So this is a tall order, but possible.
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