&gt; ancient hindus saw being a yogi as a path for one that was of a certain age and already had a family and proved itself capable of functioning in society<p>This was the case with the Western mystery traditions since the Greeks, but I wasn&#x27;t aware of it in the East.  Buddhist monks are often accepted at a very early age.  In Tibet in particular they learn advanced yogic practices, although the more rigorous training does not start until the teenage years.  Foyan, an 11th Century Chinese Zen monk,  comments that there is no point studying past the age of 30 because you are too old!