In Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Darren Main explores the time-tested practice and philosophy of yoga in a new way. By using modern examples from more than a decade of experience with this ancient practice, Darren brings the principles of yoga into clear focus and makes them user-friendly for yogis living in the post modern era. There has been an explosion of people interested in yoga in the past few years, and it continues to grow. Many of the people who have started yoga and found its physical benefits to be astounding, are now interested in taking their yoga practice to the next level: the psychological and spiritual dimensions of the practice. Just as the physical practice of Hatha yoga needed to be adapted for a modern western lifestyle before it could catch on, the psychological and spiritual principles of yoga need some reinterpretation as well. These techniques for Self-Realization were employed by people living cloistered and solitary lives, and as such can seem quite distant from our post-modern urban lifestyles. Darren Main believes that an integration of these tools with our modern, urban lives is very possible. People are deeply searching for a way to integrate the principles that have surfaced in the past with the modern lifestyles we lead today, and to do this in a way that is free of dogma. That is what Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic is about. However, it is not a stuffy interpretation of this ancient practice, but rather a fresh look at how these timeless principles can help individuals find peace and create it in our world. The author accomplishes this with the use of contemporary examples and relates these teachings to other paths to show their universal nature. While he uses an occasional Sanskrit word or two, he relies on a more current and understandable vocabulary to make the book palatable to a wide audience.
Darren Main is a yoga and meditation instructor and author. His books include "Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic", "Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road", Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians about Homosexuality" and "The Findhorn Book of Meditation".
In addition to his writing, he facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the United States and abroad. He currently resides in San Francisco.
