0 History of Yoga

History of Yoga

Several seals that were discovered at the Indus Valley Civilization sites which date back to 3300 to 1700 BC show drawings of figures that are in yoga or a meditative like posture.

There is a great deal of evidence supporting the idea that these pictures depict a form of ritual discipline which suggests a precursor of yoga. This was pointed out by the archaeologist Gregory Possehl.

He also points out the fact that there are sixteen other "yogi glyptics". These images point to the fact that the yoga pose may not only have been used by deities but also by humans. Possehl makes the suggestion that yoga dates back to the early civilization in the Indus Valley.

There is a very widely known image named the Pashupati seal and it was discovered by John Marshall. He believed that this was a representation of a "proto-Shiva" figure.

Most modern authorities do not believe the idea that this so called "Pashupati" represents a Rudra or Shiva figure. Gavin Flood states that these views are merely "speculative".

He feels that it is not clear from this seal whether the figure is indeed seated in a yoga posture. He does not even know if this shape was supposed to represent a human figure.

There are authorities who do support the idea that this ‘Pashupati’ figure does indeed depict a figure in a meditation or a yoga posture. This idea is supported by noted archaeologist Jonathan Mark Kenover.

In 2007, terracotta seals were found in the Cholistan Desert which is located in Pakistan. One of these seals had three pictographs on one side. When the seal is turned over, there is a "yogi" on the other side.

0 How To Understanding Children And Behavior Issues

Behavior issues and the need in understanding children usually fall on teachers and parents. With teachers, dealing with children and their behavior issues brings out another prickly issue of discipline.

Education experts and authorities agree that one way to deal with discipline is related to the outward behavior of children. It is composed of three ideas related to reinforcement – positive, negative, and punishment.

Positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcements (primary and secondary reinforcements) are sometimes compared to the old ‘rewards system’. Basically, it is giving the children what they want or need after they have done what we wanted them to do.

Food, for example, given to the child as a prize for something done is a primary reinforcement. Secondary reinforcements are not rewarding at first, but they will be after accumulating for a period of time. Money is considered a secondary reinforcement.

Negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is a little difficult to explain because its use is not usually recognized. Negative reinforcement is something that, when removed, has to be made in order for it to go away. The seat-belt buzzer which gives out an annoying noise and will stop only when it is put on is one example of negative reinforcement.

Punishment

Punishment as a mode of discipline is different from reinforcement. It is like some kind of an opposite because where reinforcement seeks to increase behavior, punishment seeks to decrease it. However, some punishments do not have direct connection to the behavior it is trying to discourage.

Extinction

Extinction is the real opposite of reinforcement in the sense that it removes the rewards that encourage or keep a behavior going. A class clown gets laughter from everyone when he clowns around for attention. But if we ignore him, we use extinction which is the removal of rewards (laughter) that keep the clown going.

Sanctions

Still another way with discipline is having the children think about their actions and behaving in appropriate ways. Sanctions are calculated to help children behave and act in moral ways.

Sanctions include 1) temporary exclusion from the group; 2) calling the child’s attention to the consequences of his actions; 3) depriving the child of what he misused; and 4) restitution. Restitution means he must make good that which he has done wrong or ill.

Temporary exclusion means a child is asked to leave the group until he can participate and follow the group’s rules. Sometimes, this action does not work with all types. Shy types would leave and never come back.

Calling the attention of the child rule-breaker to the consequences of his actions (for instance, breaking crayons) is one other sanction. Again, sometimes not all child law-breakers will feel the weight of this. A child may defiantly declare that he does not care.
This means it could be the time to use the 3rd sanction.

Depriving the use of anything a child has abused or misused is sometimes effective. As with all sanctions, this is related to the child’s previous action. The child may not use any crayons because he broke them.

Restitution is a very important sanction that can be used in discipline. It means “making good that which you have harmed.” A child who broke the crayons of another must “restitute” or replace the crayons before he is admitted to the group again.

Understanding children and behavior issues are the primary considerations before instituting any method of discipline in schools and even in the homes. It is fair for all concerned – the offenders and the do-gooders.