Yoga: A Historical Perspective

"To remain ignorant of what happened before one was born is to remain ever a child."

-- Cicero, The Orator

Yoga has a fascinating and storied history. Serious devotees of any discipline or field of endeavor are always interested in understanding what came before; the historical perspective enlarges one’s appreciation of that discipline. The history of the yogic tradition is immense, reaching back thousands of years. It could easily fill volumes; in this article and the one to follow, I intend only to adumbrate it. This article will provide a sketch of Vedic and Preclassical Yoga; in the one to come, we'll take a brief look at its Classical and Postclassical forms.


About 5,000 years ago, yoga emerged as a spiritual pursuit among the itinerant gurus of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. It is named for its emergence at the intersection of two great rivers in what is now India and part of Pakistan. In the early 20th century, archaeologists discovered the ruins of this ancient (but by no means primitive) culture. The discovery challenged the then-conventional wisdom that yoga was the province of Gautauma Buddha and his early Buddhist disciples hundreds of years later. The archaeological digs in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro revealed a great many engraved figures of the earliest yogis. The continuity between the Indus civilization and the later Indian Hindu tradition also became evident at that time.

There has been considerable disagreement among scholars as to whether yoga was an invention of the Indus people themselves, that of Aryan invaders from the North, or one of the many cultural fusions of the two civilizations. What is clear is that the Indus people had a thriving maritime economy and prosperous, well-developed urban centers that provided its people with sufficient leisure time to create a variety of artistic, literary and spiritual traditions.

The Rig Veda, an ancient religious text written in proto-Sanskrit, is the source of what are considered the earliest yoga “scriptures.” The word translates loosely to our word “yoke,” and implies the fusing of the spiritual and the physical. As yoga practitioners, we are part of a centuries-old tradition from the longest continuing civilizations in the world: that of India. This part of the world gave us not only the incredibly rich legacy of the Hindu tradition, but also the earliest Buddhist and Jain movements.

A brief sketch of Classical and Postclassical yoga to follow!



Copyright Ⓒ 2013 by William K. Ferro
All rights reserved

New Year's Evolutions

Image from chakranews.com

The Free Exchange of Ideas

Far too many people, it seems to me, are afraid of evolving. They seem to think that any reversal of previously-held opinion renders one “inconsistent” or “inauthentic.” But it makes perfect sense to change one’s view as new knowledge comes to light. Indeed, at the heart of free inquiry lies the imperative to evolve toward a more enlightened state. To remain stubbornly fixed in a view in light of new information would seem to be the negation of this imperative.

Sometimes the reversals people experience can seem extreme, even baffling, to others. This should come as no surprise, since no two people see any issue from precisely the same vantage point; neither do they evolve at the same speed, nor in the same direction. One of the best forms of education is teaching oneself to see all sides of every issue, including (or especially) issues about which you feel most strongly. Not only does this help you to become more tolerant of those who do not share your view; it also prepares you to debate more effectively, without resorting to ad hominem attacks.  What is the point of debate, after all, if not to change your opponent’s point of view, and remain open to having your own viewpoint changed?

It’s fascinating to watch two mutually respectful, intelligent, and well-prepared people conduct a debate. In the best cases, neither opponent emerges from the experience entirely unchanged. If the apologist for one view makes an excellent case, his/her opponent can’t help but be partially swayed, even if not completely won over to that viewpoint.

There are a few rules I think should be a priori agreements when entering into a debate:

1) Ad hominem (“against the person”) attacks are off-limits.

2) That which is asserted without evidence may be discarded without evidence.

3) Both sides should be alert to truths spoken by the other, and willing to concede them (if not necessarily conceding the implications the opponent infers from those truths).

The Socratic principle that people can only be said to be truly educated when they've come to realize how ignorant they are is brilliant. When one comes to the sudden realization that it may not be safe to believe everything one believes, real growth and education become possible. Flexibility and mental agility are excellent attributes to bring to a debate, especially considering the recent coarsening of discourse in our culture. My new goal is to become as post-partisan and as unaffected by ideology as possible. To make judgments about people based on what they say and do; to resist the cultural bias that encourages us to judge thoughts and words based on who a person is. “Hmm...this seems like a fairly cogent argument...wait a minute, this guy’s a Democrat! Well, so much for that argument!” You get the idea: we want to view each issue in its own context, untethered from ideology. 

Copyright © 2013 by William K. Ferro
All rights reserved

The Humanist Manifesto, More than Slightly Altered

1. Humanism is a philosophy for people who think for themselves; no deviation from this norm will be tolerated. There is no area of thought that a Humanist is afraid to challenge and explore except the U.S. Tax Code and the mating patterns of mollusks. Even we have to draw the line somewhere.

2. Humanism is a philosophy focused upon human means of comprehending reality. I mean, like, totally, dude. Humanists make no claims to possess or have access to supposed transcendent knowledge. Cause yo, some them guru cats, they be trippin.’

3. Humanism is a philosophy of reason and science in the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge and a vaccine for the survivors of the coming zombie apocalypse. Therefore, when it comes to the question of the most valid means for acquiring knowledge of the world, Humanists reject arbitrary faith, authority, revelation, and altered states of consciousness (although some of us think some of those states that can be a lot of fun).

4. Humanism is a philosophy of imagination. For instance, I imagine it would be kinda cool to be a cow in India. Think of the respect! Cars moving out of your way in the street, no fear of being slaughtered, people just lining up to milk you at 5:00 am...but, as often happens when I imagine being a cow, I digress. Humanists recognize that intuitive feelings, hunches, speculation, flashes of inspiration, emotion, altered states of consciousness, and even religious experience, while not valid means to acquire knowledge, remain useful sources of ideas that can lead us to new ways of looking at the world. From the floor, for example--usually after a night devoted to the pursuit of altered states of consciousness. These ideas, after they have been assessed rationally for their usefulness, can then be put to work, often as alternate approaches for solving problems. Or whatever.

5. Humanism is a philosophy for the here and now [or was that the there and then? Remember to check with editor]. Humanists regard human values as making sense only in the context of human life rather than in the promise of a supposed life after death. (Have you ever spent any time around people who are, like, 100% convinced they're going to heaven? Would you seriously want to hang with them forever? Screw that.)

6. Humanism is a philosophy of compassion, you worthless son of a bitch. Humanist ethics is solely concerned with meeting human needs and answering human problems--for both the individual and society--and devotes no attention to the satisfaction of the desires of supposed theological entities. NO attention...although even we gotta give it up for Thor. He's undeniably cool, what with the lightning bolts and all.

7. Humanism is a realistic philosophy. (“Word?” “Word.”) Humanists recognize the existence of moral dilemmas and the importance of careful consideration of immediate and future consequences in moral decision making. At parties, you’ll often hear us rhythmically chanting, “Go careful-consideration-of-immediate-and-future-consequences-in-moral-decision-making, it’s your birthday,” or words to that effect. We also appreciate the occasional ice show.

8. Humanism is in tune with the science of today. (No offense, alchemists-- it’s just that your time has come and gone, and the sooner you come to terms with that, the better. Trust me--turning lead into gold just doesn't have the “wow factor” it used to. And seriously, you need a shower.) In accordance with today’s science, Humanists recognize that we live in a natural universe of great size and age, not unlike those rare, freaky 80-year-old women who are somehow still like, 350 pounds. What’s up with that, anyway? When you get old, aren't you supposed to shrivel up and shit? We recognize that human beings evolved on this planet over a long period of time, and that there is no compelling evidence for a separable "soul" except in the cases of Aretha Franklin and James Brown.

9. Humanism is in tune with today's enlightened social thought: we strongly feel that accused witches are entitled to a fair trial before being executed. Humanists are committed to human rights, civil liberties, marsupial voting rights, and church-state separation. [Note: there’s a ballot initiative pending on the marsupial thing as of this writing. Check status before publication.] We believe in the extension of participatory democracy; not only in government, but in the workplace, in education, and in deciding who gets to pick the secret password for the treehouse. We also champion (that’s right; I said champion) an expansion of global consciousness and exchange of products and ideas internationally, and support open-ended approaches to solving social problems that allows for the testing of new alternatives. (Not that that in any way excuses you, you commie bastard.)

10. Humanism is in tune with new technological developments. iPhones, iPads, tablets: we’re totally into all that shit. Humanists are willing to take part in emerging scientific and technological discoveries in order to exercise their moral influence but for Christ’s sake stop asking us for money we already to give to, like, a hundred charities, alright? We fully support these revolutions as they come about, especially in the interest of protecting the environment. Except where the environment includes leeches and slugs, which are majorly gross.

11. Humanism is, in sum, a philosophy for those in love with life. [Really? We’re going with “in sum?” Who the hell talks like that? And “in love with life” -- Jesus, do you realize how totally lame that sounds? Goddam editors.] Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options, and trying new strategies for tax evasion. Instead of finding solace in prefabricated answers to the great questions of life, we fabricate them ourselves. Humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery that this entails. So bend over.

Copyright © 2012 by William K. Ferro

All rights reserved