Of Yogis & Deadheads
By Prem Prakash
At one point in my studies with yoga guru, Baba and yoga, practicing austerities, regulating and disciplining my
Hari Dass, I became eligible to learn some advanced medita- lifestyle -- they were stunned. They could hardly believe that
tion techniques. For this instruction, I was to meet with some someone so seemingly cool in the Deadhead culture could live
of his more senior students who lived in Canada. Since they such a square life. I attempted to describe the benefits of tra-
resided quite a distance from my home in Vermont, I made a ditional yoga, but they had a hard time appreciating something
point of timing my trip to coincide with a Grateful Dead con- so far removed from their accepted way of thinking.
cert near Toronto. Between the yogis and the Deadheads, I felt like I was
Staying with my yogi friends was wonderful. I accom- living in two different worlds. Worlds that were, well, worlds
plished my meditation goals and we all had a really nice time apart. I found delight in both these spheres, however, and I
together. When I mentioned that I was planning on seeing the don’t want to give up either my love for yoga or my passion for
Grateful Dead, they were aghast. They could hardly believe that the Grateful Dead. I felt I needed to find a way to bring these
someone so seemingly sincere about spiritual growth could be seemingly inseparable worlds together. As I contemplated this
interested in a musical event that, in their eyes, was little more situation, I began to realize that I was also seeking a way of
than an indulgence in sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. I tried to bringing together two different aspects of myself. I love to
explain to them that there was more to the scene than meets sit quietly and I love to dance madly. My search for answers
the eye, but they had a hard time not judging based on their brought me into the realm of myth.
established value system. Myths are ways of presenting truths which are impos-
Hanging out at the Dead concert with the Deadheads sible to describe with words. Myths exist in the regions of our
was also wonderful. The music was astounding and we all had psyche that are home to paradox, ambiguity, and intuition. In
an excellent time. When I told people about my regular life- contemporary Western culture, myths are generally denigrat-
style back home – rising before dawn for hours of meditation ed, believed to be mere fables generated (continued of page 29)
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