The Yoga of Abraham Lincoln

By Richard Salva

“Abraham Lincoln [in a past life] had been a yogi in the Himalayas.”

—Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the classic Autobiography of a Yogi

            Abraham Lincoln was a yogi.

            No . . . there is no record that he assumed the headstand during Cabinet meetings. Nor did he meditate in the lotus pose before delivering the Gettysburg Address.

            Yet, in many aspects of his life—in little things he did, and in his reactions to situations—Lincoln behaved, quite naturally and unconsciously, just like a yogi.

            Yoga is more than a series of physical postures. It is a philosophy, a way of life, a spiritual path.

            In fact, whether they know it or not, many people today who consider themselves “spiritual” follow a yogic way of life.

            And so did Lincoln.

            Lincoln would have agreed, in his own way and to varying degrees, with certain points of view followed nowadays by spiritual people. He was, in some ways, a forerunner of the modern truth seeker.

            This book was written to throw a spotlight on Lincoln’s many regular, and even daily, habits that demonstrate his affinity with the ancient spiritual science of yoga. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crystar Press
• Release date: Apr 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9780977238125

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Honest Abe

[Lincoln’s] eyes had an inexpressible sadness . . . with a far-away look, as if they were searching for something they had seen long, long years ago. —Thomas Hicks

Abraham Lincoln [in a past life] had been a yogi in the Himalayas who died with the desire to help bring about racial equality. His birth as Lincoln was for the purpose of fulfilling that desire. —Paramhansa Yogananda

From what Yogananda said, it seems that a yogi’s dying wish may have been a central factor in the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Is there any evidence that Yogananda’s statements are true? Were yogic qualities hidden in Lincoln’s habitual thinking and behavior? Did past-life experiences in India color his attitudes and aspirations? To verify such evidence, we need a guidebook.

When seeking evidence of a past-life familiarity with yoga, the best reference guide is the Yoga Sutras, written by the Hindu yoga master Patanjali, who lived around 200 B.C. The Yoga Sutras describe the Eightfold Path, a quintessential expression of the yoga teachings—which focus primarily on how to go within (or meditate) successfully.

The Eightfold Path begins with a series of moral guidelines; it then proposes the best way to sit for meditation and how to overcome restlessness. From there it progresses, step by step, through ever-deeper meditative states—before culminating at the peak of spiritual enlightenment, known as samadhi (or oneness).

A Himalayan yogi of centuries ago would have been familiar with Patanjali’s work, and would have engaged in practices based on it.

Let us compare, then, Abraham Lincoln’s words and actions with these essential yogic teachings and practices.

Here, in a nutshell, is Patanjali’s Eightfold Path:

Stages 1 & 2: Moral guidelines, consisting of five don’t’s and five do’s

(which might be called the Ten Commandments of yoga, although they       are more like Ten Suggestions to help create a firm ethical foundation for     delving within)

Stage 3: Physical posture (the correct position of the body is essential for         successful meditation)

Stage 4: Energy control (one cannot sit for long in meditation if one is restless)

Stage 5: Interiorization of the mind

Stage 6: Concentration

Stage 7: Absorption

Stage 8: Oneness

Stage One: The Five Don’t’s (or Yamas)

Non-Violence

The first of Patanjali’s five don’t’s (as in "Don’t do this or that") is non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi was famous for his practice of this teaching. Here is a brief explanation:

Non-violence is primarily an attitude of mind. Outwardly, one cannot avoid doing a certain amount of injury. The harm one does, however, by wishing harm to others hurts not only them, but oneself. Spiritually, a harmful attitude separates one from the harmony and oneness of life.

Non-injury, on the other hand, embraces that oneness, and is sustained by it. It is a powerful force for victory, for it enlists cooperation from the universe, whereas harmfulness incites endless opposition.

Are there any signs in Lincoln’s life of a past familiarity with this teaching? Let’s take a look.

In Abraham Lincoln’s writings and public talks, he often advocated non-violence. Even though much provoked, he told one audience, let us do nothing through passion and ill temper. The text of his famous Second Inaugural Address includes the words: With malice toward none, with charity for all, let us achieve a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.

Lincoln had many non-violent traits. He disliked leather gloves, because he hated to see animals hurt.* In his boyhood, he gave up hunting for that reason. And he refrained from spanking his children—something almost unheard of in his day. For these reasons and others, he thought it ironic that he was promoting the Northern involvement in the Civil War.

Furthermore, Lincoln counseled those taking up law to avoid litigation and be peacemakers. This may sound self-defeating, but Lincoln practiced what he preached. Many times he defused strife by his words or actions, or simply by radiating calmness.

It is worth noting that, during the nineteenth century when Lincoln lived, non-violence was not a widespread concept in the West. It was a rare sentiment, even among religious people. But Lincoln practiced it in various ways throughout his life. It was a habitual quality that he manifested from his earliest years. Although he became angry at times, he never let his anger get out of control. And it was usually an impression of injustice done to others that set off his wrath.

* When Lincoln was a youth, he once wrote a pamphlet against cruelty to animals.

Non-Lying

Non-lying is the next don’t on Patanjali’s list:

Non-lying is a necessary attitude if we would overcome our false notions about life. Our path to enlightenment is entirely a matter of ridding ourselves of our delusions.

Truthfulness means to try always to see things as they are, to accept the possibility that one may be mistaken in his most cherished opinions, to entertain no likes or dislikes that might prejudice his perception of reality. In practice, it entails expressing the truth in speech, writing, thought, and action.

The connection here is easy to make. Who, after all, hasn’t heard of Honest Abe Lincoln? The man who cautioned: You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

But there was a good reason for Lincoln’s nickname. He was about as steadfastly truthful as any man could be.

I never encourage deceit, he wrote, and falsehood, especially if you have a bad memory, is the worst enemy a fellow can have. Truth is your truest friend, no matter what the circumstances.

To Lincoln, it was absolute truthfulness or nothing. His personal creed was that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false is guilty of falsehood, and the accidental truth of the assertion does not excuse him.

His law partner, William Herndon, wrote, Ask Lincoln to sacrifice in the slightest degree his convictions of truth, and his soul would exclaim with indignant scorn, ‘The world perish first!’

One could see Lincoln’s truthfulness shining through his face and eyes. A man once loaned him a substantial sum simply because he looked so honest. Known as a straight-shooter all his life, even Lincoln’s political enemies had to acknowledge his personal integrity.

But there was a drawback. Because Lincoln was so very honest himself, he assumed that others would treat him the same way. For example, after Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had both agreed to stop campaigning, Lincoln expected Douglas to abide by his word. When Douglas broke their agreement and gave a speech, Lincoln was shocked.

(One can imagine that a Himalayan yogi, spending his years in the company of other truth-seeking and utterly honest yogis, might be ill-equipped at first to deal with deceitful or untrustworthy people.)

Self-Honesty

Viewing it from another angle, Abraham Lincoln also faced his flaws without flinching. In other words, he was honest to himself. While in the White House, he once said candidly, I am sure that if I do not go away from here a wiser man, I shall go away a better man, for having learned what a very poor sort of man I am.

Some of his contemporaries were convinced that they knew the will of God concerning the great issues of their time. Not Lincoln. During the Civil War, he reflected that God’s will might well have been something different from the purpose of either side. He also turned aside praise for his efforts during the war, insisting that the highest merit belonged to the soldiers, because they were the ones who put their lives at risk.

Lincoln’s self-honesty included an acknowledgment of his homeliness. When a photographer instructed him to look natural, he snorted. That, he said, "is what I’m trying to avoid!"

Words Coming True

Patanjali wrote that there are powers that arise naturally in yogis who perfect a spiritual quality. For example, those who

Reviews for The Yoga of Abraham Lincoln

[ThonAureate · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was much better than I was expecting. Enjoy an informative read on the similarities between the life of a yogi and the life of Lincoln