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.
