Acclaim for
YOGA AND THE DARK
NIGHT OF THE SOUL
“What do Arjuna (of Bhagavad Gita fame) and St. John of the Cross have in common? Among other things, both experience a ‘dark night of the soul’—that is to say, they undergo necessary purgations on the path to transcendence. But do these two luminaries have a monopoly on this proverbial dark night? No. We are all privy to such existential tribulation, sooner or later, and Simon Haas makes careful record of this. In his stimulating and informative work, Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul, Haas uses Arjuna’s dark night to explore his own, thereby lending a hand to his own healing and, by extension, to ours. His focus, in particular, is the yoga tradition and India’s ancient bhakti texts, primarily the Bhagavad Gita. Drawing on his own realization and that of the sages, he brings readers into the ‘light’ of enlightenment, showing us that the dark night is not so dark after all, but is, rather, a catalyst to illumination. This is an authoritative, metaphysical book on yoga that takes one beyond the needs of the body and mind and situates one in spiritual luminescence. What more can a discerning reader ask for?”
—STEVEN J. ROSEN (SATYARAJA DASA), author of some thirty books on Vaishnavism and related subjects; senior editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies; and associate editor of Back to Godhead magazine
“A true delight and pleasure to read, which I hope to share with young people across the world who wish to deepen their understanding of the true, majestic science of yoga.”
—CHARLOTTA MARTINUS, founder of TeenYoga and Director at Universal Yoga Ltd
“Simon Haas has done it again. With the clear perception of a sage, he has retold this ancient classic, the Bhagavad Gita, in a way everyone can understand. … I have used Haas’s The Book of Dharma: Making Enlightened Choices as a course book for our students in yoga teacher training. This too will become part of our curriculum.”
—DR RICHARD A. MASLA, founder of Ayurveda Health Retreat and of YogaVeda School of Yoga & Ayurveda
“Haas draws generously from the Bhagavad Gita and other classical yoga texts, alongside colourful narratives from his own spiritual journey and travels. From a little girl at Heathrow airport and a dog on the Yorkshire Moors, to holy men in crematoriums and Indian monkeys, we hear inspiring stories sure to open our hearts and minds in learning to appreciate the potential power in darkness to rewrite our own life stories from ones of fear and confusion into those of love and compassion.”
—CATHERINE L. SCHWEIG, chief editor of Goddess: When She Rules (Golden Dragonfly Press, 2017) and author of over fifty articles on yoga and the Bhagavad Gita
“Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul is by far one of the best books I’ve read. It’s an eye-opening and heart-touching, beautifully crafted tapestry on the nature of difficult life experiences, and on how best to navigate through them. … Every page and chapter has an uplifting message and delivers immense value for the well-being of the body, mind and self. I highly recommend it.”
—ARIADNA LANDMAN, Ayurvedic medicine teacher and practitioner; founder of VitalVeda
“The writing is beautifully balanced, simple yet profound and poetic, eloquent yet direct and accessible. Simon’s insights, guidance and stories warm the heart and mind.”
—DYLAN HENDRIX, teacher of yoga and author of Art of the Storm (Balboa Press, 2017)
“A timely yoga read and ideal travel companion. I highly recommend this yoga book to anyone on a yoga journey, especially yoga teachers and students; it is a must.”
—TWANNA DOHERTY, CEO at Yogamatters
“As an accomplished representative of an authentic spiritual tradition that has taught the Bhagavad Gita for millennia, Simon Haas guides us on a mystical journey within ourselves that leads to realms of everlasting, transcendent happiness. Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul makes for compelling reading and is sure to become a classic in its genre.”
—KRISHNA DHARMA, author of the world’s bestselling retellings of the great Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana
“Simon Haas elegantly sheds light on the ancient text Bhagavad Gita, revealing its profound relevance to daily life. Haas weaves beautiful real-life stories into the context of this ancient wisdom, making it accessible at a time when it is so needed, in a way that perhaps has never been done before.”
—JONATHAN GLASS, M.Ac., C.A.T., Ayurveda practitioner and author of Total Life Cleanse: A 28-Day Program to Detoxify and Nourish the Body, Mind, and Soul (Healing Arts Press, 2018)