Yoga and the Quest for the True Self | Free Book
Millions of Americans know yoga as a superb form of exercise and as a potent source of calm in the midst of our stress-filled lives. Far fewer are aware of the full promise of yoga as "the way of the fully alive human being"--a 4,000-year-old practical path of liberation that fits the needs of modern Western seekers with startling precision.
Now one of America's leading scholars of yoga psychology--who is also a Western-trained psychotherapist--offers this marvelously lively and personal account of an ancient tradition that promises "the soul awake in this lifetime." Drawing on the vivid stories of practitioners at the largest yoga center in America, where he has lived and taught for more than ten years, Stephen Cope describes the philosophy, psychology, and practice of yoga--a practical science of development that urges us not to transcend or dissolve the self, but rather to encounter it more deeply.
In this irreverent modern-day Pilgrim's Progress, Cope introduces us to an unforgettable cast of contemporary seekers--on the road to enlightenment carrying all the baggage of the human condition: confusion, loss, disappointment, addiction, and the eternal conflicts around sex and relationship. As he describes the subtle shifts of energy and consciousness that happen at each stage of the path, we discover that in yoga, "liberation" does not require us to leave life in the world for some transcendent spiritual plane. Life itself is the path.
Above all, Cope shows how yoga can heal the suffering of self-estrangement that pervades our society, leading us to a new sense of purpose and to a deeper, more satisfying life in the world.
In The Press
"A down-to-earth, wise, spiritually mature and compassionate teaching
that integrates the best of yoga and our own Western humanity.
Destined to be a classic." —Jack Kornfield, author of
A Path with Heart
"What a delight to find a book on spiritual practice that's as
compelling to read as a good novel. This honest, intelligent, and
beautifully written book is required reading for anyone interested in
spiritual practice today."—Lilias Folan, host of the PBS series
Lilias!
"A tour de force...a book grounded in yoga
psychology that will be meaningful and useful to spiritual
practitioners in many traditions."—Sylvia Boorstein, author of
It's Easier Than You Think and
That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist
"Intellectually precise, profoundly moving, and
gratifyingly accessible...Stephen Cope has written a book that offers
hope that the fruits of spiritual practice and the attainment of
wisdom are not for some more enlightened person, but for you and for
me."—Donna Farhi, international yoga teacher and author of
The Breathing Book
"With rare clarity and wit,
Stephen Cope shows us how yoga can guide us through the maze of our
psyche--and home to our own soul."—Anne Cushman, former editor in
chief, Yoga Journal, and co-author of
From Here to Nirvana
"Yoga and the Quest for the True Self is a
splendid bridge between traditional yoga and the concerns and needs of
contemporary Western seekers. Stephen Cope takes you straight to the
heart of yoga."—Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., founder-president of the Yoga
Research and Education Center; author of The Yoga Tradition and
The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga
- Title: Yoga and the Quest for the True Self | Free Book
- Author: Steven
- Created at : 2024-10-21 05:39:41
- Updated at : 2024-10-27 01:14:37
- Link: https://novels-ebooks.techidaily.com/95958876-9781984800060-yoga-and-the-quest-for-the-true-self/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.