Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic
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Upanishads, The- A collection of short sacred texts from India that are frequently bound together in one larger book.
Urban Mystic- A term used to describe a new type of spiritual seeker who lives in the world, and practices yoga, meditation and other techniques that were traditionally reserved for people who had left the world to live in solitude or in monasteries.
Vishnu- Part of the Hindu Trinity. God in the role of sustainer. See also Shiva and Brahma.
Vayu- The yogic word for breath. Unlike western physiology where there are two breaths (inhale and exhale), yogis identify five distinct breaths in the body which include prana vayu, apana vayu, samana vayu, udana vayu and vyana vayu.
Visshudha- The fifth major chakra, located at the throat and back of the neck. The communication and communion centers.
Wicca- An ancient earth-based religion that originated in Europe and focused on the cycles of the moon and sun.
Witness Consciousness- The practice of stepping back and observing a situation rather than engaging in ego-based drama.
Yama- The first limb of yoga outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. This first limb is made up of five moral precepts that are designed to cultivate a lifestyle and attitude that is conducive to spiritual practice.
Yoga- A 5,000 year old practice that seeks to unite the soul with the creator. Literally translated as ‘yoke’ or ‘union’, yoga seeks to unite that which is perceived to be separate.
Yoga Poses- See asana.
Yoga Sutra- One of the basic texts from India, written by Patanjali. The foundation for most modern forms of yoga.
Yogananda, Paramahansa- The author of the classic yoga book, Autobiography of a Yogi, and the founder of Self-Realization Fellowship.
Yogi- One whose primary spiritual path is yoga.
Yogini- The traditional term for a female yogi. Most women no longer use this term and simply use the term yogi, which was originally used to describe men only.
Appendix
Appendix A
The Styles of Yoga
Style/Founder/Website
Amrit Yoga/Amrit Desai/www.amrityoga.com
Ananda Yoga/Swami Kriyananda/www.ananda.org
Anusara Yoga/John Friend/www.anusara.com
Ashtanga/Sri K. Pattabhi Jois/www.ashtanga.com
Bikram /Bikram Choudhury/www.bikramyoga.com
Hatha/Unknown/none
Hatha Flow/Unknown/none
Integrel/Swami Satchidananda/www.yogaville.org
Iyengar/B.K.S. Iyengar/www.iyengar-yoga.com
Jiva Mukti/Sharon Gannon &David Life/www.jivamuktiyoga.com
Kripalu/Amrit Desai/www.kripalu.org
Restorative/Unknown/none
Self Realization/Paramahansa Yogananda/www.yogananda-srf.org
Sidha /Muktanada/www.siddhayoga.org
Svaroopa Yoga/Rama Berch/www.masteryoga.org
Tri Yoga/Kali Ray/www.kaliraytriyoga.com
Appendix B
The Seven Chakras
#
Name/Location/Function
1
Muladhara/Base of spine/Survival, Tribal consciousness
2
Svadhistana/Below Navel, lower back/Sexuality, Procreation, partnership
3
Manipura
Above Navel, mid back/Personal power, individuality/
4
Anahata/Breast Bone, between shoulder blades/Love and compassion
5
Visshudha/Throat and neck/Communion, communication
6
Ajna/Between eyebrows, Back of head/Perception, intuition, cognition
7
Sahasrara/Crown of head/Connection to Spirit
Appendix C
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Sanskrit/English
1. Yama/1. Restraint
Ahimsa/Non-harming
Satya/Truthfulness
Asteya/Non- Stealing
Brahmacarya/Sexual Moderation
Aparigraha/Greedlessness
2. Niyama/2. Observance
Shauca/Purity
Samtosha/Contentment
Tapas/Austerity (Simple Living)
Svadhyaya/Study (Self Inquiry)
Ishvara Pranidhana/Surrender
3. Asana/3. Sit (Pose)
4. Pranayama/4. Breath Regulation
5. Pratyahara/5. Withdrawal of Senses
6. Dharana/6. Concentration
7. Dhyana/7. Meditation (Witness)
8. Samadhi/8. Ecstasy (Liberation)
Appendix D
History of Yoga
4,000- 2,000 BCE
Pre-Vedic Period - Archeological evidence on clay tablets depicting person seated in a yoga position.
2,000- 1,000 BCE
Vedic Period - First references to yoga found. Mostly references to breath control.
1000 - 500BCE
Pre-Classical Yoga - The earliest Upanishads are written with many more references to yoga. Still no hard and fast philosophy or practice established.
500 BCE
Epic Period - Books like the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, and later Upanishads are penned. Yoga as its own distinct practice begins to take shape and form.
200 CE
Classical Period - Patanjali writes the Yoga Sutra (including the eight limbs). This becomes the backbone of most modern forms of yoga, including most styles of hatha yoga popular in the West.
500 CE- 1900 CE
Post Classical Yoga - Many styles of yoga emerge based on various elements of the Yoga Sutra and the eight limbs. Hatha yoga begins to form and the basic poses get established. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is written around 1400 CE by Svatmarama Yogi.
1900-CE to present
Modern Yoga - Various masters come to the United States and other Western countries and begin teaching yoga to a new audience. Hatha yoga is greatly influenced by the gymnastics of the British empire and hybrid vinyasa styles of yoga are born out of British occupation of India.
The Future of Yoga
No one knows what will happen with yoga’s future, but many scholars and advanced yoga teachers believe a new wave in the “yoga craze” will involve the more spiritual and philosophical aspects of yoga.
Appendix E: The Sacred Texts
The Vedas
The Vedas are the oldest sacred texts from India, dating back about four millennia.. They also provide the first record of yoga philosophy (though it is faint). There are four main Vedas: Rig, Atharva, Sama, and Yajur, each written largely as hymns, invocations and prayers to nature deities. The Rishis (ancient Indian mystics) are thought to have orally composed them in the area that is now Kashmir. The Vedas are considered by Hindus to be a direct revelation from God (shruti).
The Upanishads
The word Upanishad means “to sit down near (the teacher).” The oldest Upanishads were orally composed as early as 1000 BCE and the newest were penned later than 1900 CE.
The Upanishads pick up where the Vedas left off and most are considered to be direct revelation from God (shruti) as well.
The Upanishads have many more references to yoga but again mostly in the realm of philosophy. Traditionally said to be 108 different books, but more than 200 have been counted.
Unlike the Vedas, The Upanishads contain more practical wisdom on aspects of daily life.
Both the yogic and vedanta philosophies draw from these texts as does the Hindu faith.
The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is part of the larger epic work called the Mahabharata, which is the mythical and historical account of the founding of India. In The Bhagavad Gita, Krishna (the teacher) appears to Arjuna (the student) and teaches him the principles of yoga as a means to end suffering.
The story takes place during a great battle, which is a metaphor for the internal battle that Arjuna himself is experiencing, as he is about to engage in battle against his kinsmen. The various sides are believed to represent the deep split in Arjuna’s mind between family, religion, personal w
ill, and moral duty (Dharma).
The bulk of The Bhagavad Gita is a Q&A session between student and teacher.
The Yoga Sutras
The Yoga Sutras were written between 200 BCE and 200 CE and the author (or the editor) of the Yoga Sutras is believed to be Patanjali., The word sutra means “thread” as the Yoga Sutras are aphorisms that are threaded or weaved together to create the rich tapestry of yoga philosophy.
There are 195 sutras (aphorisms) in total, divided into four sections. The eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga) come from the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras.
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Just as the Yoga Sutras codified yoga in a way that gave yoga philosophy more structure, a yogi by the name of Svatmarama codified the physical practice of hatha yoga in his book, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Light on the Forceful Yoga). It was believed to have been composed sometime in the 14th century CE.
In this book he begins the journey to what we think of today as hatha yoga. Though not easy to read, and still looking very different than the yoga many of us know today, the Pradipika addresses familiar concepts such as basic forms of breath control (pranayama), basic poses (asana), cleansing techniques (kriya), locks (bhandas), hand and body gestures (mudras), and a number of other concepts fundamental to most styles of hatha yoga.
Gheranda Samhita
This book followed the Pradipika and was penned sometime around 1700 CE. Like the Pradipika, it is very different than the hatha yoga practiced today, but it does introduce about 25 additional poses and several concepts not present in the earlier Pradipika.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my Family:
My mother Kathy Flynn-Ascare
My father John Main
My brother Jason Main and my sister Jennifer Main
My Niece Zoe Main and my ‘nephews’, Chase, Jake and Tyler Flynn.
Don, Amy, Alden, Josie, Joe, John, Sarah, Peter, Linda, Kate
Adelina, Arthur and Mary, and all the Mains who are too numerous to mention.
Special thanks to my Sadhana brothers and sisters:
All of my students and teachers have been my greatest asset as I have walked the path of the Urban Mystic. Although I would like to acknowledge you all, my publisher wouldn’t hear of it. There are a few folks who have touched my yoga practice so deeply that I want to mention them here.
Michael Lynch
Christopher Love
Jasper Trout
Sue Louiseau
Michael Watson
Jonathan Reynolds
Jay Kumar
Jacki, Carlose, Kristi, Peter and Jimmy
Nicholas Lizza
Karin “Bhakti” Pratt
An EXTRA special thanks to Ellie Brown for introducing me to the path of yoga.
Special thanks to my Editors:
Sue Louiseau
I want to thank you most of all. Your passion for this book kept me going, and your hours of editing, coordinating, photocopying, and Sanskrit made this book possible. Thank you for letting the Sadguru flow through your editing pen.
I would also like to thank: Keith Perry, Betsy Haggerty, Mia Masia, Deborah Muir, Ellyn Shea, Michael Newman Patrick Finnerty and Nathan Williams. You have all made great contributions to this book, and it has been so much fun to get to know each of you through your comments and critiques.
I would also like to thank Thierry and Karin Bogliolo at Findhorn Press. Without their faith in my writing my other books as well as the first edition of this book would not have been possible.
RESOURCES FOR THE URBAN MYSTIC
Other Books by Darren Main
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Om asato maa sat gamaya
tamaso maa jyotir gamaya
mrytor maa amritam gamaya
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Lead me from Illusion to Truth
Lead me from darkness to Light;
Lead me from the cycles of birth
And death to spiritual Liberation.
OM peace, peace, peace
—Brihadaranyaka Upanishad