Yoga and the Quest for the True Self

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.

Millions of Americans know yoga as a superb form of exercise and as a potent source of calm in our stress-filled lives. Far fewer are aware of the full promise of yoga as a 4,000-year-old practical path of liberation—a path that fits the needs of modern Western seekers with startling precision. Now Stephen Cope, a Western-trained psychotherapist who has lived and taught for more than ten years at the largest yoga center in America, offers this marvelously lively and irreverent "pilgrim's progress" for today's world. He demystifies the philosophy, psychology, and practice of yoga, and shows how it applies to our most human dilemmas: from loss, disappointment, and addiction, to the eternal conflicts around sex and relationship. And he shows us that in yoga, "liberation" does not require us to leave our everyday lives 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.

Publishers Weekly

Yoga, according to first-time author and longtime yoga teacher Cope, can cure the sense of separation that dogs many people in our culture: a separation from the life of the body; a separation from the hidden depths of life, its mystery and interiority. Here, Cope, a psychotherapist who left a practice in Boston to live, study and ultimately teach at the Kripalu Yoga ashram in Lenox, Mass., navigates yoga for Western seekers. Drawing on his own experiences and the stories of many friends and yoga students, Cope holds up ancient yogic concepts of the self against evolving theories of modern psychotherapy. Rather than attempting a reductive comparison, Cope suggests that various ideas experienced during yoga practice can enhance the goals of Western psychotherapy. Readers familiar with Jack Korn- field's A Path with Heart or Mark Epstein's Thoughts Without a Thinker may find Cope's approach noncommittal. He tells stories of liberation and release without ever quite conceding that yoga and psychotherapy are two profoundly different worldviews. Although ineluctably drawn to yoga practice and the ashram, Cope's point of view is resolutely Western and psychotherapeutic. Still, Cope's psychotherapeutic orientation and genial win-win approach lights up a notoriously arcane subject for Western readers. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

More than 100,000 copies sold!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. The Author Discusses The Ancient Tradition Of Yoga, Drawing On Stories From Practitioners At The Largest Yoga Center In America, He Describes How Yoga Heals, Brings A New Sense Of Purpose, And Provides A Deeper Meaning Of Life. Prologue: Viveka's Tale Xix -- Part 1 Discovery Of The Royal Secret -- 1. Waking Up Is Hard To Do 1 -- 2. To The Mountaintop 16 -- 3. Brahman: Ecstatic Union With The One 35 -- 4. Shakti: The Play Of The Divine Mother 46 -- Part 2 Self In Exile -- 5. You Are Not Who You Appear To Be 61 -- 6. A House On Fire: The Identity Project 74 -- 7. Suffering Of The False Self 88 -- 8. From The Unreal To The Real 99 -- Part 3 Encounters With The Mother And The Seer -- 9. Twin Pillars Of The Reality Project 119 -- 10. Equanimity: On Holding And Being Held 140 -- 11. Awareness: On Seeing And Being Seen 153 -- 12. Awakening The Witness 170 -- Part 4 Spontaneous Wisdom Of The Body -- 13. Riding The Wave Of Breath 193 -- 14. Listening To The Voice Of The Body 219 -- 15. Meditation In Motion 247 -- Part 5 Royal Road Home -- 16. Rose In The Fire 273 -- 17. Triumph Of The Real 290 -- Appendix Yoga Metaphysics With A Light Touch 307. Stephen Cope. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [333]-342) And Index. More than 100,000 copies sold! Millions of Americans know yoga as a superb form of exercise and as a potent source of calm in our stress-filled lives. Far fewer are aware of the full promise of yoga as a 4,000-year-old practical path of liberationa path that fits the needs of modern Western seekers with startling precision. Now Stephen Cope, a Western-trained psychotherapist who has lived and taught for more than ten years at the largest yoga center in America, offers this marvelously lively and irreverent "pilgrim's progress" for today's world. He demystifies the philosophy, psychology, and practice of yoga, and shows how it applies to our most human dilemmas: from loss, disappointment, and addiction, to the eternal conflicts around sex and relationship. And he shows us that in yoga, "liberation" does not require us to leave our everyday lives for some transcendent spiritual planelife 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. Prologue: Viveka's tale The discovery of the royal secret Waking up is hard to do To the mountaintop Brahman: ecstatic union with the one Shakti: the play of the divine mother The self in exile You are not who you appear to be A house on fire: the identity project The suffering of the false self From the unreal to the real Encounters with the mother and the seer The twin pillars of the reality project Equanimity: on holding and being held Awareness: on seeing and being seen Awakening the witness The spontaneous wisdom of the body Riding the wave of breath Listening to the voice of the body Meditation in motion The royal road home The rose in the fire The triumph of the real Yoga metaphysics with a light touch. Focusing on the spiritual benefits of hatha yoga, the author looks past the "how-two" approach to explore the more subtle, less physical effects of this ancient meditation practice. Reprint.