Bøger af Stephen Cope

For modern spiritual seekers and yoga students alike, here is an irreverent yet profound guide to the most sophisticated teachings of the yoga wisdom tradition–now brought to contemporary life by a celebrated author, psychotherapist, and leading American yoga instructor.While many Westerners still think of yoga as an invigorating series of postures and breathing exercises, these physical practices are only part of a vast and ancient spiritual science. For more than three millennia, yoga sages systematically explored the essential questions of our human existence: What are the root causes of suffering, and how can we achieve freedom and happiness? What would it be like to function at the maximum potential of our minds, bodies, and spirits? What is an optimal human life?Nowhere have their discoveries been more brilliantly distilled than in a short–but famously difficult–treatise called the Yogasutra. This revered text lays out the entire path of inner development in remarkable detail–ranging from practices that build character and mental power to the highest reaches of spiritual realization. Now Stephen Cope unlocks the teachings of the Yogasutra by showing them at work in the lives of a group of friends and fellow yoga students who are confronting the full modern catastrophe of careers, relationships, and dysfunctional family dynamics. Interweaving their daily dilemmas with insights from modern psychology, neuroscience, religion, and philosophy, he shows the astonishing relevance and practicality of this timeless psychology of awakening.Leavened with wit and passion, The Wisdom of Yoga is a superb companion and guide for anyone seeking enhanced creativity, better relationships, and a more ethical and graceful way of living in the world.

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 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.

The sequel to the bestseller The Great Work of Your Life shows us the way through our darkest times to our truest calling. How do we make sense of our lives when our world seems to be falling apart? > In this sequel to his best-loved book, The Great Work of Your Life, Cope again takes the ancient yogic text the Bhagavad Gita--the epic narrative of the warrior Arjuna's odyssey of self-discovery--as a roadmap for our journey to our own true calling. Then he builds on that foundation using the stories and teachings of famous figures, as well as stories of ordinary people and his own rich personal experience. Along the way, we find striking examples for finding meaning and purpose in our lives: Gandhi shows how to tap our spiritual resources and listen for our inner voiceSojourner Truth and Henry David Thoreau inspire us to seek out the unmistakable signs of dharma in the midst of chaosMarian Anderson and Ruby Sales shed light on dharma's mystic power and how we learn to trust in itAnd more In the spirit of Pema Chödrön's When Things Fall Apart, this book is required reading when you find yourself forging a path through crisis--or seeking a way through your darkest times to your truest self.

Discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of your being To know your true callingΓÇöyour dharma, as the yogis sayΓÇöis perhaps the greatest desire within each of us. And yet, few can say we know our purpose with absolute certainty. Fortunately, there is a time-tested guideΓÇöan ancient mapΓÇöfor discovering and fulfilling your unique calling. In The Great Work of Your Life, Stephen Cope walks you through each step of the journey. Cope teaches that the secrets to unlocking the mystery of your dharma can be found in the spiritual classic, the Bhagavad GitaΓÇöa timeless tale about the path to dharma, told through an instructive dialogue between the fabled archer Arjuna and his divine mentor, Krishna. In The Great Work of Your Life, Cope uses ArjunaΓÇÖs journey as a framework for each of us to discover our own dharma, masterfully weaving together stories of both well-known and ordinary Western lives. Throughout the book, Cope explores the "Four Pillars of Dharma," or the stages we move through as we fulfill our own true callings. Each pillar is illustrated with riveting true stories, including:Jane GoodallΓÇÖs ability to follow her heart without questionΓÇó The little-known tale of Walt WhitmanΓÇÖs dharma discovery in the second half of lifeΓÇó How living your purpose can be like training for the Olympics in the story of Susan B. AnthonyΓÇó Ludwig van BeethovenΓÇÖs triumphs over childhood abuse, depression, and going deafΓÇó GandhiΓÇÖs transformation from tongue-tied youth to leader of the Indian independence movementΓÇó Understanding how divine guidance works with the life of Harriet TubmanΓÇó Additional insights and tales from the lives of both famous luminaries and everyday people"We feel the happiest and most fulfilled when we bring highly concentrated effort to our true calling," teaches Cope. Moving and inspiring, The Great Work of Your Life is a call to action and step-by-step guide for each of us to discover and embrace our dharma.