Course Description
This online course explores the historical development, philosophical contexts, and practices of Indian and global yoga traditions and their relationship to the use of psychoactive substances, especially psychedelics. The course begins with a close examination of the terms “yoga” and “psychedelic” and the larger ethnopharmacological domains and cultural environments in which spiritual practices and the use of psychoactive substances have been linked. Having explored the categorical frameworks used to ground discussions of psychoactive substances, we explore the nature of their action on human biology, especially with respect to “classical” psychedelics.
Following a “big picture” overview of the relationships between psychoactive substances and yoga, we examine them in ancient, classical, medieval, modern, and contemporary contexts. The ancient context focuses on the use of the substances referred to as “elixir” (soma) and “agent” or “poison” (viṣa) in the Vedic context, with an eye to their relationships with proto-yogic practices and the emergence of the Upaniṣad literature. In the classical and medieval context, we explore the role of herbs (oṣadhi) and roots (mūla), as well as various concoctions and combinations of them, as a basis for extraordinary modes of perception and action (siddhi), in the context of Classical Hindu Yoga, Buddhist Abhidharma, Āyurveda, and Tantric and Haṭhayoga literature, giving attention to key narratives around the Hindu deity Śiva. Lastly, we look at the “First-” and “Second-Wave” psychedelic movements in the United States and the intertwining of therapeutic and spiritual applications of yoga within the domain of psychedelic culture, with an eye to the contemporary flourishing of yoga-informed psychedelic retreat culture and psychedelic facilitation.
Over these four sessions, we will take a deep and sustained look at the role of psychoactive substances and psychedelics within the domain of the theory and practice of yoga. This process will shed light on the linkages between psychoactive substances and global society in general and on the significant import they have had on the culture of yoga throughout its history.
Course Preview
Course Modules
Module 1 — Defining Yoga, Defining Psychedelics
Module 2 — Vedic Foundations: Soma, Viṣa, and the Upaniṣads
Module 3 — Classical and Medieval Yoga: Oṣadhi, Mūla, and Soma Revisited
Module 4 — Psychoactives and Psychedelics in Modern and Contemporary Yoga
Students Will Receive:
- 4 Pre-recorded Video + Audio lectures (90 min)
- 4 Pre-recorded Q&A sessions (90 min)
- 4 ACP Credits
- 12 Hours of CE credit with YA
- Course Syllabus (PDF)
- Weekly Readings (PDF)
- 4 Multiple Choice Quizzes
- Yogic Studies Certificate (PDF)
- Access to the private Community Forum
Dr. Stuart Ray Sarbacker
Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Philosophy, Oregon State University
Stuart Ray Sarbacker is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Philosophy in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Oregon State University (USA). His work centers on the relationships between the religious and philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, especially with respect to mind-body discipline (yoga). He has written three books, including Samādhi: The Numinous and Cessative in Indo-Tibetan Yoga (SUNY Press), The Eight Limbs of Yoga: A Handbook for Living Yoga Philosophy (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux), and Tracing the Path of Yoga: The History and Philosophy of Indian Mind-Body Discipline (SUNY Press). He is a co-founder of the American Academy of Religion’s Yoga in Theory and Practice unit. Professor Sarbacker is an active yoga scholar, practitioner, and teacher, having performed fieldwork and training in India, Nepal, Thailand, Japan, and the United States. He is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the first state-approved Psilocybin Facilitator training program in Oregon, InnerTrek.
This course is eligible for 12 hours of Continued Education (CE) credits with Yoga Alliance
Stay Informed
Sign up for the Yogic Studies mailing list to find out first about upcoming courses, podcast episodes, promotions, events, and the latest research delivered straight to your inbox.