Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52149 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .39" h x .39" w x .39" l, 1.10 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Synopsis
Not only a superb form of physical exercise, yoga is an ancient system for personal growth that promises happiness and peace in daily life, as well as enlightenment - "the soul awake in this lifetime." Now, Stephen Cope - who is a trained psychotherapist as well as a yoga teacher - explains this path of transformation in vivid personal experiences and modern psychological terms to which we all can relate. Drawing on a wealth of stories from the largest yoga community in America, he explains the goals and challenges of practice, the development of "the witness," and the subtle shifts of energy and consciousness that emerge at each stage. Above all, he shows how yoga can heal the suffering of self-estrangement that pervades our society, leading to a new sense of purpose and a deeper, more satisfying life in the world.

Customer Reviews

Western and Eastern sould body knowledge
This is an autobiographical book written by an American psychologist and yoga celebrity. The forward motion in the book is carried by Cope's experience while resident at the Kripalu Centre for Yoga and Health. This part of the book describes how Kripalu changed from a run of the mill guru-led yoga retreat to a more egalitarian yoga and health centre with a strong emphasis on the body-mind connnection and an anti-asceticism stance. Interspersed is a Hindu parable about the journey to enlightenment.

Cope's main point seems to be that in order to be a whole human being, we need to embrace wholeness rather than divide life into dichotomies and try to go for the "better" half of each dualistic pairing. He also talks about practical ways of achieving this non-grasping, non-rejecting way of living.

All in all, reading this book was a very enjoyable and poignant experience. Cope is honest about his own failings and failures in a touching way. He also doesn't shy back from demonstrating his strengths. What impressed me most is how Cope seems to model a way of being whole, being both a scholar and a body worker, being silly at times, profound at others. It's inspiring.