This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ancientfutures.substack.comDo yogic practices and psychoactive substances lead somewhere similar? Stuart Sarbacker is a scholar and practitioner of yoga based in Oregon, where adult use of psilocybin – the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms – was recently legalised (though some places opt out).As well as studying and teaching yoga, Stuart has also trained to facilitate sessions with psilocybin. His work looks at the overlaps between ancient history and modern engagement with psychedelics, both therapeutically and for life-enhancing purposes. Among other questions, we consider:* How influential is yoga in psychedelic research?* What exactly was soma and what was its function?* Could psychoactive plants have inspired early yogis?* To what extent might drugs mimic meditative insights?* How transformative are mystical experiences of any kind?Stuart is the author of several books, including an overview of yoga history titled Tracing the Path of Yoga (on which more here). He shares academic his writing here – on topics as varied as near-death experiences, sun salutations and meditative clarity. For another conversation between us, see last week’s post.🤩 To expand your perspective on yoga, join me online for The Path of Knowledge.🙏 Donations make this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or buy me a coffee... Your support is greatly appreciated!
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
#2425 - Ethan Hawke
11 Dec 2025
The Joe Rogan Experience
SpaceX Said to Pursue 2026 IPO
10 Dec 2025
Bloomberg Tech
Don’t Call It a Comeback
10 Dec 2025
Motley Fool Money
Japan Claims AGI, Pentagon Adopts Gemini, and MIT Designs New Medicines
10 Dec 2025
The Daily AI Show
Eric Larsen on the emergence and potential of AI in healthcare
10 Dec 2025
McKinsey on Healthcare
What it will take for AI to scale (energy, compute, talent)
10 Dec 2025
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View