Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic: 4th Edition

Everyday, millions of people roll out their yoga mats or sit on their meditation cushions in an effort to quiet the mind and heal the body. Some practice Iyengar yoga, while others practice vinyasa or restorative yoga—almost all who practice yoga have touched something deep within themselves and had their lives transformed by this ancient practice. In Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Darren Main offers a fresh, down-to-earth approach to the time-tested practice and philosophy of yoga. He shows us the way to apply the ancient wisdom of India to every aspect of life. From work and relationships, to death and dying—allowing even our busiest days to become powerful and mystical adventures, filled with all the wonder and magic that was once reserved for those living as monks and nuns. This is not a book about perfecting yoga asanas or pranayama breathing techniques. It is a book about changing the way we see the world—transforming every experience and relationship into a yoga practice unto itself. Since teachers like Swami Vivakananda and Paramahansa Yogananda brought yoga to the West, yoga students and teachers alike have sought to integrate the practice and philosophy of yoga into modern life. Find out why this best-selling yoga book has been used in yoga teacher training programs the world over and has become a modern spiritual classic. _______ With gentle humor and obvious knowledge, Darren Main shares with us his practice and understanding of yoga. He does a beautiful job of interspersing his life experiences with the classical teachings in a way that makes them clear and alive. You will enjoy this book. —Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D. Author of 30 Essential Yoga Poses and Living Your Yoga Our urban lifestyles could greatly benefit from a bit of mysticism. To live in a magical, mystical world one only has to uncover the potential in their own daily lives. Darren Main gives us a how-to book on yoga, which offers us ways to transform the mundane into the mystical. —Sharon Gannon, Author of Jivamukti Yoga Darren Main is wonderfully talented at bringing the essence of living yoga off the mat fully to life for all who are on the yoga path. He writes in a friendly and accessible tone that makes often esoteric philosophical concepts easy to grasp in practical ways that one can apply in daily life. I highly recommend this book to all yoga students and teachers interested in more deeply exploring the practice on the mat and bringing it all more broadly into their life out in the larger world. —Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques A practical, easy-to-read road map to becoming an Urban Mystic —Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D. Author of Shortcuts to God and Love is Letting Go of Fear In Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic Darren Main has given us a wonderful doorway into the potentially complex world of raja yoga. His work provides us with a compelling but accessible Baedeker to the sometimes dense world of Indian metaphysics. It is a yoga commentary with a uniquely American voice. It is piquant, experience-near, real, contemporary, and very sensitive to the reader for whom the world of Sanskrit terms and Indian ideas is completely new and foreign. Darren’s work, like raja yoga itself, is precise and methodical in its approach to spiritual practice. —Stephen Cope Author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self Darren Main takes yoga off the yoga mat—adroitly applying the ancient system of yoga to the daily challenges of the modern mystic. Combining personal insight and anecdotes with practical, down-to-earth teachings, he brings you into a world in which every part of your life has sacred and transformative potential. —Yogi Amrit Desai Founder of Kripalu Yoga, Lenox, MA, and author of Amrit Yoga Read more