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

This book is so real and honest! I often feel that texts on this subject can be alienating or inaccessible, this book was incredibly refreshing. An absolutely amazing resource for a a yogi at any point in their spiritual journey. Darren covers the 8 limbed path, the ego, maya and many more illuminating topics. I found the book to be rooted in history and it was not watered down or overtly western. Research, appreciation and care were brought into explaining ancient philosophical perspectives.The information presented was accessible,insightful, and useful in many areas of my life. The urban mystic is alive and real, and I felt that through Darren's stories of personal discovery while encouraging the pursuit of exploration without attachment when observing our own lives. I read this book for a teacher training and was so excited to deepen my understanding of what yoga means as a way of life and not just an hour long workout. I feel at ease knowing that it is meant to be a practice of being better, not perfect, the connection and importance of service really spoke to me and my journey in finding a career as well.Overall this book gave me so much and has inspired me to do so for others throughout my journey as a yogi! Thanks Darren!

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.

This book fell into my lap at a time when I was searching for answers. I had just barely begun a yoga practice for health and physical reasons. I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the deeper level this book provides until I read it.Darren is extremely easy to follow. His writing is clear and concise. He offers gems of wisdom that whet the appetite for more. He gets right to the root of the matter and touches the places where others just gloss over the surface.This book has set me on the path of deeper exploration, with joy in my heart about what I will find - whether “good” or “bad.” It is not an instruction manual to tell you how to live your life, or spoon feed you what you think you need. Rather, it is an outline, or a map, to help you find your own way to peace.Nice work, Darren. I will definitely be handing this out to my friends. The only drawback is that now I’m going to have to buy a print version, so I can make notes and highlights...

Whatever good things I'd like to write about has already been covered by the other reviews. Buy the book, it's great.

This book is a must have for any yoga teacher period! Grasping the teachings of the bhagvad gita, the upanishads, and the yamas and niyamas is a very complicated process. The teachings were traditionally spoken, then applied; students would be with their masters for as long as it takes to understand the path. Our modern times do not afford us the opportunity to develop with any true integrity the true teachings and yet we as a society scream for it. Darren Main's book, Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic, has a beautiful way of applying these ancient teachings to modern day approaches and clarity. It not only helps one to apply these lessons to our modern lives, but gains our understanding of how simple it is to truly follow the path of the urban mystic. I have read this book myself and to my students for years and the meanings often times change and grow with the student. Like my favorite passage states, 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.'

Great book - down to earth and readable, taking the subject seriously without being precious about it. Raises some interesting points and has given me a lot to think about.

Excellent book

Excellent book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've been teaching yoga for a few years and studied plenty of books on yoga this bye far is one of the best most enjoyable I can't recommend it enough full of real life stories just what a book on yoga should be like .

Darren gives us such a gift in this book. Recommended by a friend, I bought this at a point in my life when I was just brand new to yoga, and it took my practice to a whole other level.This book is not a 'how-to' as such, but it is a guide to integrating your yoga practice into your everyday. It explains some philosophical and esoteric concepts in easy to understand language, and there is much that I took from this book which continues to colour the way I perceive my life now.If you're looking to deepen your yoga practice above and beyond a good way to keep supple and strong, then this book is definitely worth checking out. Oh, and I should say too, that I followed up this book by downloading the free workbook that accompanies Yoga & the Path of the Urban Mystic. I recommend you do too!