Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic Read online

  Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic

  By Darren Main

  Copyright 2010 Darren Main

  ISBN: 9781617923753

  Discover other titles by Darren Main at www.DarrenMain.com

  Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road

  Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians about Homosexuality

  Inner Tranquility: A Guide to Seated Meditation

  The Yogi Entrepreneur: A Guide to Earning a Mindful Living Through Yoga

  Dedication

  Dedicated to my mother, Kathy Flynn-Ascare and to my father, John Main.

  Mom, your devotion to me has been unwavering and your unconditional love has been my greatest source of strength. Dad, your honesty and integrity have been my moral compass along this journey. Thank you both for making this book and everything I do possible.

  Table of Contents

  Hatha Yoga Prayer

  Foreword

  Author’s Note

  Introduction

  Part One

  Chapter One: Atman and the Ego

  Chapter Two: The Illusion of Maya

  Chapter Three: Kundalini and the Flow of Life

  Chapter Four: Karma Yoga and Relationships as a Spiritual Practice

  Part Two

  Chapter Five: Yama-The Moral Restraints

  Chapter Six: Niyama- The Observances

  Chapter Seven: Asana- Sit

  Chapter Eight: Pranayama- The Breath of Life

  Chapter Nine: Pratyahara- Sense Withdrawal

  Chapter Ten: Dharana- Concentration

  Chapter Eleven: Dhyana- Witness

  Chapter Twelve: Samadhi- Ecstasy

  Conclusion

  Glossary

  Appendix

  Hatha Yoga Prayer

  I offer this practice to the Sadguru, The Teacher within all things

  The Teacher that is the Prana (life energy) from which my body emerged.

  The Teacher that sustains and nourishes me with each breath.

  The Teacher whose lessons are in every life experience— even pain and death.

  May this practice open me to the wisdom of the Sadguru,

  That my mind may know peace,

  That my heart may know compassion,

  And my life may extend peace and compassion to all beings.

  Om Shanti, Om Peace

  —Darren Main

  Forward

  By Stephen Cope

  In the summer of 1893, a young Indian Swami electrified American audiences at the First World Parliament of Religions with his discourses about “the Science of Yoga.” The 29-year-old Swami Vivekananda, whose arrival at Chicago’s Columbian exposition was cloaked in mystery, held audiences of 7,000 spellbound with his descriptions of “the fully alive human being”—or jiva mukti, “the soul awake in this lifetime.” Yogis, he said, had discovered that all human beings have astonishing potentials of mind, body, and spirit—potentials which can be awakened through the practical science of liberation which he described in his talks.

  Vivekananda quickly became American’s first yoga celebrity. After his triumph in Chicago, he traveled extensively around the United States, teaching the systematic path of awakening which he called “raja yoga.” Raja yoga,” he claimed, “is the epitome of all yoga psychology”—combining all of the different schools of yogic practice, devotion (bhakti yoga), selfless service (karma yoga), the yoga of intellectual refinement (jnana yoga), and the yoga of postures and breathing (hatha yoga), into a methodical psychospiritual technology which is guaranteed to transform the human character, energy system and consciousness. “Raja yoga is,” he claimed, “an exact science.”

  On that summer morning in Chicago, Vivekananda opened the door to yoga in America. Since that time, dozens of Indian yoga adepts have walked through it—most of them with a message very similar to Vivekananda’s: all human beings have the potential to wake up in this lifetime, to become fully alive human beings.

  Over a century later, yoga has taken America by storm. Recent surveys suggest that as many as 20 million Americans are now involved in some aspect of the practice of yoga—in health clubs, YMCA’s, yoga centers, and private living rooms around the country. Not surprisingly, America’s first wave of enthusiasm for this ancient practice has centered around the practices of yoga postures (asana) and breathing exercises (pranayama). But thousands of American yogis have now begun to discover that these practices are inextricably linked to the entire science of transformation described by the young traveling swami over a century ago.

  As Americans inevitably begin to lift the lid of Vivekananda’s methodical science of liberation, many will find that it has great appeal. It’s practical. It’s non-religious. And, most importantly, it doesn’t require retreat from the world. Quite the opposite: Yoga psychology transforms the most mundane activities of daily life into spiritual practices. The way we eat, breathe, move, dream, have sex, speak, work, all become opportunities for transformation and development.

  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.

  Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic is a welcome contribution to the burgeoning American literature on yoga—a contemporary story which will help to take the views and practices of yoga more deeply into the journey initiated so many years ago by the visionary young Swami.

  Stephen Cope

  Lenox, Massachusetts

  Stephen Cope is the author of Yoga and the Quest for the True Self and The Wisdom of Yoga. He is the Scholar in Residence at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts.

  Author’s Note

  Throughout this book I make reference to various individuals within the context of stories and examples. While I have based these stories on real people and real situations, I have changed many of the names, circumstances and details of each story in an effort to respect the privacy of the individuals involved. In the few cases where I have not changed the identity of a person, I have obtained their permission or found mention of these persons and events within the public record.

  Translation of Sacred Texts

  Throughout this book, I quote a number of sacred texts from India. There are many wonderful translations of these texts available, each with its own perspective and wisdom. For consistency, I have chosen to quote from translations that will be most clear for the modern yogi. I would like to thank the following authors and publisher for allowing me to reprint small sections of their translations throughout this book.

  The Bhagavad Gita Translated by Eknath Easwaran

  Nilgiri Press ©1985 • www.nilgiri.org

  The Upanishads Translated by Eknath Easwaran

  Nilgiri Press ©1987 • www.nilgiri.org

  The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali Translated by Chip Hartranft

  Shambhala Publications © 2002 • www.shambhala.com

  The Hatha Yoga Pradipika Translated by Brian Dana Akers

  Yoga Vidya © 2002 • wwwyogavidya.com

  The Gheranda Samhita Translated by James Mallinson

  Yoga Vidya © 2004 • wwwyogavidya.com

  Introduction

  Those who aspire to the state of yoga should seek the self in inner solitude.

  — The Bhagavad G
ita, 6:10

  At 5:30 each morning, my stereo is programmed to wake me up. This morning I woke up to the soft sound of Krishna Das chanting his “Devi Puja.” [1] [References are located at the end of the book.] As the deep, rich sound of Krishna Das’ voice coaxed me out of a dream I can’t quite remember and into a waking state, I considered going back to sleep and skipping my morning practice altogether. Yet something deep within pulled me out of bed.

  This morning was not much different from other mornings. I put on some water for tea, then lit a few candles and an aromatherapy lamp. My small bedroom was magically transformed into a sacred temple. It was chilly, so I turned on the heat and sipped on some hot herbal tea while I washed my face, brushed my teeth and slipped into the loose-fitting, white cotton clothes that I reserve for my spiritual practice. Finally, I rolled out my yoga mat and began.

  I started my practice by bowing my head to the earth in surrender and chanting a devotional prayer, followed by the sound of “Om.” I then entered into some yogic breathing techniques. My mind and body began to wake up. Before long I was in downward-dog pose. I have done this pose a few thousand times, yet still my body resisted it. Again I considered going back to bed, but instead chose to breathe more deeply. After a few more yoga poses, my body and mind began to melt into the practice. My resistance faded, and I felt my whole being entering into an effortless rhythm, holding some poses and flowing through others – each pose bringing me deeper and deeper into the practice. I moved from downward-dog to upward-dog and then hopped through to assume triangle pose.

  My breath was shallow at times, and when I realized this I allowed it to deepen, filling my entire body. I finished my asana (poses) practice by moving through a series of floor poses that included the camel, the cobra and the posterior stretch. After doing several rounds of the “breath of fire,” I took a seat on my meditation cushion, wrapped myself in a white blanket, and closed my eyes. Now my breath was deep, but unregulated. I felt my mind resting on the breath, but often drifting into plans for my day. Each time I noticed myself playing this familiar game, I smiled and returned my mind to the gentle flow of my breath. I sat for what felt like both an eternity and a few short moments. I opened my eyes softly and concluded my morning practice with a brief reading from the Upanishads [2] and then chanted the sound of “Om.”

  As I rose from my meditation cushion I could feel a quiet calm. I showered, dressed, and walked down to Courtney’s, a small corner market that is famous in San Francisco. My goal was simple – to buy some fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast. As I waited for the light to change, I took a few deep breaths. Children were showing up at the grade school across from my home. I felt as though nothing could shake my peace of mind. . . but in the moment that followed that thought, I stepped out into the street, only to hear the blare of a car horn. A woman in a tiny car ran the red light and nearly knocked me over. To add insult to injury, she gave me the finger.

  I was flustered, but continued across the street to the market, only to find that they were out of yogurt. I begrudgingly settled for some granola and rice milk. On the way home I picked up the morning paper and began to read the headlines as I walked. I read that the economy was still showing signs of slowing, and that another teen had shot his classmates somewhere near San Diego.

  By the time I got home again, less than one city block, I could feel stress consuming my body and mind. As I walked by my bedroom door I caught the scent of lavender from my aromatherapy lamp. I had to laugh! Not more than an hour earlier, I was sitting in peace, and here I was now, in the middle of a drama that my ego [see Chapter 1] and the environment had conspired to create.

  This, of course, is the difficulty in trying to live a deeply spiritual and centered life. It is why most people who really want to cultivate a life that is devoted to and guided by Spirit consider renouncing the world to find a quiet little cave or monastery. The world we have created is not one that encourages a spiritual life. Therefore, it is challenging to try to live as an urban mystic. Nothing short of a deeply held commitment will suffice. That is what this book is all about.

  I use the term urban mystic because it describes a great many of us. A mystic is a person, from any spiritual tradition, who seeks an intimate relationship with Spirit. A mystic may or not be a religious person, but he or she is committed to turning his or her mind over to the guidance of Spirit. A mystic seeks a direct experience of the Divine, but mysticism is not to be confused with religion, for religions seek to explain what cannot be explained, and a mystic seeks to know through experience.

  In the past, people who wanted to practice mysticism would go off to a hermitage or join a religious order. Some were revered, others seen as fools. In either case they did not fit into the worldly life. They saw things through very different eyes, and as a result they did not have a home in the urban world.

  This is all starting to change. People from all walks of life are developing a deeper connection to Spirit and living in the world at the same time. They are meditating on their lunch breaks and practicing Tai Chi before the kids get up. These urban mystics are filling yoga classes and studying Kabala [A form of Jewish mysticism, sometimes spelled Cabala or Khabala]. There is a movement underway, and it is much more than a flaky New Age fad. People are looking for something more than a good job, a sexy spouse and some over-inflated stock options.

  Sitting next to my computer is a statue of the Buddha. He has a shaved head and is wrapped in a saffron robe. His legs wind gently into a lotus pose and his eyes are softly closed in meditation. In one hand he holds a cellular phone and in the other a cup of coffee. I keep this little statue by my computer because it reminds me so much of the spiritual path I am on. Like many others, I am called, or so it would seem, to walk between two worlds. I am torn between living a deeply contemplative life and being a full-fledged member of my secular community.

  There are a growing number of people in our western culture and around the globe who are torn between two worlds. On the one hand we strive to grow spiritually and to seek the deeper meaning of life. We yearn to know the secrets of Spirit, and we know what needs to be done to make the earth a peaceful place. On the other hand, we feel a need to live in communities and contribute to society.

  The problem is not in our commitment, for that is very strong. The problem is that we are torn. Many spiritual techniques, yoga included, were developed by and for people who had renounced the world. Rather than form families, build homes and live in the community, the mystics responsible for such techniques as yoga and Kabala left the material world and went to live as monks or nuns.

  There are great spiritual lessons to be learned from living in a cloistered setting and stepping outside the basic chores of day-to-day life. Yet there are an equal number, and some would argue more, spiritual benefits and lessons to be gleaned from a secular life. As we begin to walk with one foot on the path of the renunciant and the other on the path of the householder, [A Buddhist term for one who chooses to start a family and live in the world rather than becoming a monk.] difficulties arise, and there are not, as yet, mechanisms in place to guide us along. Humanity is evolving into a new level of spiritual awareness, and we are blazing new trails even as I write these words.

  About This Book

  As I have practiced yoga in the quest for inner peace, I have found that my spiritual practice doesn’t end when I leave the yoga mat or finish my meditation. That is the beginning. While having a time of quiet each day is essential for our spiritual health, it is what we do in the world that propels us forward as individuals and as a society.

  Applying the principles of yoga to the whole of life is the key to living as an urban mystic. Sitting in stillness in a quiet room filled with candles is wonderful, but it will not do much good if you are robbed of the peace you so diligently sought in your practice by the first car horn you hear or the daily headlines you read. Yoga can teach you to maintain your communication to Spirit despite the challenges of urban life.
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br />   In this book I do not intend to explain God. There are enough books out there attempting to do that. The aim of this book is to outline the life of the urban mystic by using the principles of yoga. It is my hope that I will be able to make some of the universal principles of mysticism more accessible to the seeker who has a deep desire to connect with Truth and yet feels inspired to live in the ‘real’ world.

  I cannot take credit for this idea, however. The really great teachers have all been in agreement on this. Jesus took the hidden meanings of the Law of Moses and made them user-friendly for the common people of his time. [3] Five hundred years before that, Gautama the Buddha spoke of the “middle path” [4] which runs between asceticism and secularism. Before that, Krishna spoke of service in the world as being a higher form of praise than living a renunciant’s life. [5] Today this idea is being rediscovered, and it is very exciting.

  Because many of us have been raised in Western culture, a lot of the ideas yoga presents can be quite foreign. When you combine these cultural differences with the fact that yoga was originally designed for people who had removed themselves from society, many people who are new to yoga can feel overwhelmed.

  Therefore, I think it’s important to explore some of these new ideas so that the practice of yoga will become more meaningful. In Part One of this book we will be exploring some of the basic tenets of yogic philosophy.