"Car horns will continue to distract you; the drama of your ego and your external environment will pull your mind far from the practice of yoga, but eventually you will return. That is how it works. Try to let go of the idea that you need to do yoga perfectly to see its benefits and learn to enjoy the process of waking to a deeper understanding of who you really are," writes Darren John Main, a yoga teacher and workshop leader. Using quotations from The Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Upanishads, the author undertakes the challenge of bringing these ancient Hindu texts to life in contemporary cities. Main says in the introduction that his goal is "to help move our experience of yoga off the mat and meditation cushion into the whole of life."
The early chapters of this paperback cover the essentials of Hinduism — Atman and the ego, the illusion of maya, the flow of life (prana, chakras, kundalini, the guru), and the yoga of relationships. The author moves on to some very challenging practices to do in an urban environment.
One is contentment. In The Yoga Sutra we read: "As the result of contentment, one gains supreme happiness." Yet many of the enchantments of the city offer another path — a restlessness with reality if it isn't exciting or challenging enough. Main outlines three antidotes to this way of thinking. One, live in the present moment and savor its riches. Two, notice judgments but don't act on them. Three, be at peace with what is.
Even as we learn to live with our less-than-perfect physical poses, we can enjoy what comes our way in the city without getting attached to like or dislike, pleasure or pain. Main also explores the practice of austerity which he defines as "simplicity through modest living." Both of these yogic practices can add meaning and depth to our experiences as urban mystics.
