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Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Second Edition [Paperback]

Darren Main (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A Practical , easy to read road map to becoming and Urban Mystic. -- — Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D. Author of Shortcuts to God and Love is Letting Go of Fear

Darren John Main has given us a wonderful doorway into the potentially complex world of raja yoga. -- —Stephen Cope, author of 'Yoga and the Quest for the True Self'

You will enjoy this book. -- —Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., physical therapist, international yoga teacher and author of 'Relax and Renew' and 'Living Your Yoga'.

[Darren] gives us a how-to book on yoga which offers us ways to transform the mundane into the mystical. -- —Sharon Gannon, co-creator of Jivamukti Yoga --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

The Mystics from ancient India did not create yoga with our busy modern lives in mind. In fact yoga was originally developed for people who would renounce the world. Therefore, learning to look at yoga in a new way is essential.

In Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Darren Main explores the time-tested practice and philosophy 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 making them user-friendly for yogis living in the modern world.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 274 pages
  • Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.; 2nd edition (March 8, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0595385486
  • ISBN-13: 978-0595385485
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #752,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Darren J. Main
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dirga pranayama, urban mystic, ishvara pranidhana, hatha yoga practice, asana practice, pranayama practice, ego projections
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Darren Main, Yoga Sutra, Yoga Pradipika, San Francisco, Bhagavad Gita, True Self, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein, United States, Ten Commandments, Sister Maggie
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Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Second Edition
84% buy the item featured on this page:
Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, Second Edition by Darren Main Paperback 4.9 out of 5 stars (31)
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The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living
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The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living by Stephen Cope Paperback 4.5 out of 5 stars (22)
$11.56
Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
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Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope Paperback 4.4 out of 5 stars (30)
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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Inner Path Of Yoga For Modern Yogis, April 29, 2004
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This review is from: Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic (Paperback)
This book by Darren John Main "Yoga and the Path Of The Urban Mystic" is really outstanding. It is one among a collection of excellent books to emerge in recent times that are about the inner part of yoga beyond asana.

This book leads you through the eight limb path (ashtanga) of yoga and gives insight in down to earth language how to apply these principles to real life.

Darren is an outstanding writer and has deep insights and a practical way of looking at the Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Highly recommended for Yogis who want to deepen their practice beyond the asanas as well as for anyone who wants a down to earth introduction to these principles of yoga.

Also highly recommended are "Bringing Yoga To Life" by Donna Farhi, "Yoga And The Quest For The True Self" by Stephen Cope, "Living Your Yoga" by Judith Lasater and "Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy" by Michael Lee.

Also check out the CD sets "Yoga For Emotional Flow" by Stephen Cope )which has three excellent guided meditations and "The Yoga Matrix" by Richard Freeman which is a six CD set that gets very deeply into the philosophical aspects of the yoga system.

Namaste

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the serious Yogi, July 5, 2009
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This review is from: Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic (Paperback)
This book was selected for our spiritual book club. There were nine of us, mostly yoga teachers, including some 10 year plus students of yoga philosophy. We picked carefully through each chapter. The long time students of yoga all reached similar conclusions about the book; this conclusion is basically that it is not a good choice for a serious student of yoga. Part one is a general introduction to eastern spirituality. Part two takes the eight limbs of yoga (from the yoga sutras) and interprets them for the "urban mystic". This is a laudable goal, and the book is sometimes very good, even brilliant in a few places. However, it is also dumbed down or wrong in many places. Whole Wheat breathing anyone?

His chapter about tapas is way off the mark. Quoting from the book: "A more modern approach to tapas would be to take a real inventory of our possessions. Most of us, if we were really honest, would be able to take several truckloads of stuff to Good Will and not miss a thing." He interprets tapas as being about non-materialism. But tapas is heat, the self discipline/spiritual effort involved in breaking our conditioned patterns. It's a stretch to include non-materialism, which would more appropriately be Aparigraha (greedlessness), one of the Yamas. But non-materialism is all he discusses in this chapter.

Surprisingly, the book did work for our book discussion. It allowed us to take a fresh look at each concept, discuss positives and negatives in the book, and extend the discussion from there.

Authors often have a specific reader in mind for their writings, and it felt to me that Darren Main's intended reader is a 12 year old cousin who knows little about yoga. It's not a bad book if you've been practicing asana and want a casual introduction to yoga philosophy. However, if you are deeply interested in yoga, I would skip this book and read something written by someone with greater depth and experience. I usually recommend Erich Shiffmann's book "Yoga, the Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness" to those new to yoga.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderfully fun - - simple & significant at once, September 30, 2003
By "dirtgirl" (Marina Del Rey, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic (Paperback)
this book is really fun and easy to read. it's unpretentious, honest, and good natured in its discussion of the mental hurdles, internal conflicts, and regular friction that arise in our lives daily. anybody who has read a lot of what they call mystical, esoteric, or religious texts will especially enjoy the combination of simplicity, sincerity, and depth, that the author has infused this book with. i'd recommend this to absolutely anyone, whether they're interested in yoga or not -- it made a huge difference in my perspective. thank you, darren.

if you practise hatha yoga and are looking for more insight into the non-physical aspects of the practise, you may find as i did, that this book feels like your favorite yoga instructor: full of insight yet unpretentious; warmly encouraging yet demanding.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond Asana
"Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic" was the textbook for a Yogi Training Workshop I recently attended. Read more
Published 2 months ago by David Trudell

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book!
I really enjoy Darren's down to earth style and his clear knowledge of yoga. As a regular listener of his podcasts, I came to know of him and am happy that I have read his book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Debra Newman

5.0 out of 5 stars New yogi's perspective
The author has the ability to provide personal life experiences (that we all have in common) to explain yoga philosopy in a way that allows a lay person or new yogi to understand... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Peter Y. Wong

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Self-Reflection
Darren Main's writing style captured my attention in a warm and friendly manner. He shared his knowledge and personal experiences in wonderful stories that assisted me in looking... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Merry Jen

5.0 out of 5 stars Darren Main - an amazing teacher
This book was just amazing. It provides an accessible introduction to principles of yoga philosophy. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Victoria Lynn Zyp

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing and Inspirational
Darren Main's book was great inspiration for me. I began yoga 11/07 and our group has some recommended books and Darren was recommended. Read more
Published 22 months ago by James Henslee

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for yogis
This book was chosen by the book club at Cosmic Dog Yoga in Livermore, California. I found it to be an amazing book not only about the various limbs of yoga but also about... Read more
Published 23 months ago by K. Rice

5.0 out of 5 stars Wodnerfull book from a great teacher!
I had the delight of taking John Main's classes at the Yoga Tree when I lived in the Haight in 2002. Read more
Published on September 5, 2007 by S. Hawk

5.0 out of 5 stars The Urban Mystic
As a relatively new yogi, I found Darren's book to be a fascinating read of the Eight Limbs. I hadn't a clear understanding of each until I read Darren's words. Read more
Published on July 14, 2007 by Lori Browning

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Real Yoga Book
I have tried to read many books about yoga and the eight limbs, but for the most part, I usually get frustrated and feel disconnected and quit. Read more
Published on June 22, 2007 by Christen Thomasson

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