Stephen Cope

Una guía inspiradora para descubrir el propósito de tu vida y la tarea para la cual has nacidoLos yoguis clásicos y modernos insisten en que cada ser humano tiene una misión personal, una vocación individual, un proyecto natural que anida en el fondo de su ser que denominan.Para algunos privilegiados, la vocacion y la pasion afloran en su vida facil y espontaneamente como un regalo reconocible y accesible. Para otros, sin embargo, es necesaria una lucha intensa durante largo tiempo para llegar a discernir y apreciar la melodia interior de su propio dharma.Stephen Cope ilustra y enseña el viaje hacia el dharma apoyandose en el ejemplo de personajes de importancia historica (Henry David Thoreau enfrentandose a la reprobacion de toda una ciudad para seguir su inspiracion; Robert Frost tratando de encontrar su musa palabra a palabra; Walt Whitman recibiendo una llamada que ni siquiera el sabia que existia, o Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot rompiendo las normas para entender la conexion entre ver y pintar, entre otros), pero tambien a traves de personas comunes y corrientes de su circulo personal.La conclusion es el convencimiento firme y claro de que es el dharma lo que te permitira soportar el sufrimiento de la vida y que solo te encuentras a ti mismo cuando te pierdes a ti mismo en una gran tarea.Los cuatro pilares del dharma es la puerta de entrada al espiritu profundo del yoga explicado y aplicado a nuestra era actual. Es la clave para adentrarse en el misterio de lo que los antiguos denominaban karma dharma o lo que los modernos simplemente llaman vivir una vida autentica.Stephen Cope afirma que es posible vivir plenamente esta vida como una expresion directa de tu corazon y de tu alma. Tomando como referencia las eternas enseñanzas del Bhagavad Gita, Cope enseña en esta obra como desbloquear esta posibilidad unica que se encuentra anclada y oculta en el interior de cada ser humano.En Los cuatro pilares del dharma hallaras:* El modo de vivir una vida autentica y repleta de sentido y proposito.* Inspiracion para tu mente, tu corazon y tu alma para encontrar el reconocimiento y la acogida de tu dharma personal.* La manera de transformar tus acciones cotidianas en autentica practica espiritual para conducirte a la libertad ultima y la realizacion final.Stephen Cope es fundador del mayor centro de investigacion de yoga del mundo occidental, el Instituto Kripalu para la vivencia extraordinaria, ubicado en Lenox, Masachussetts . En el ejercio como director durante muchos años. Actualmente escribe y enseña en este Instituto sobre la relacion entre la filosofia y psicologia occidental y las tradiciones contemplativas orientales. Es tambien autor de La sabiduria del yoga: guia de la vida extraordinaria para el buscador occidental, publicado en esta misma editorial.

Aunque muchos occidentales siguen concibiendo el yoga como una serie de posturas y ejercicios de respirción saludables, tales prácticas físicas son sólo una parte de una amplia y ancestral ciencia espiritual.Los sabios yoguis han explorado sistematicamente, durante mas de tres mil años, las cuestiones esenciales de nuestra existencia humana: ¿cuales son las causas primeras del sufrimiento, y como podemos conseguir la libertad y la felicidad?; ¿como existiriamos si funcionasemos con el maximo potencial de nuestra mente, nuestro cuerpo y nuestro espiritu?; ¿como es una vida humana optima? ...Los descubrimientos de estos sabios se recogieron de manera brillante en un tratado breve (pero de profunda cualidad) titulado Yoga-Sutra, que recoge con notable riqueza de detalles el camino completo del desarrollo interior, desde las practicas que dan caracter y poder mental hasta los niveles mas avanzados de la realizacion espiritual.Es esta una obra de enorme interes para los buscadores espirituales y los practicantes de yoga, que brinda las enseñanzas de la tradicional sabiduria del yoga para aplicar en la vida contemporanea. Una obra precisa y sabiamente accesible.La sabiduria del Yoga, libro lleno de ingenio y de pasion, es un compañero y guia extraordinario para cualquiera que busque una mayor creatividad, mejores relaciones personales y una forma de vivir en un mundo mas etico.Stephen Cope nos brinda en sus paginas las enseñanzas del Yoga-Sutra, presentandonoslas en accion en las vidas de un grupo de amigos, estudiantes de yoga, que tienen que afrontar todas las vicisitudes modernas de sus carreras profesionales, sus relaciones de pareja y sus dificiles relaciones familiares. Entretejiendo sus dilemas diarios con explicaciones tomadas de la psicologia y la neurologia modernas, de la religion y de la filosofia, nos presenta el asombroso valor y posibilidad de aplicacion actual de esta psicologia atemporal del despertar.STEPHEN COPE espsicoterapeuta, profesor avanzado en el centro Kripalu y autor de Yoga en busca de uno mismo. Actualmente es profesor residente superior en el Centro Kripalu para el Yoga y la Salud, en Lenox, Massachusetts (EE.UU.)

An inspiring guide to finding your lifes purposewhat spiritual teachers call dharmathrough mindfulness and self-exploration. Stephen Cope says that in order to have a fulfilling life you must discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of your self. The secret to unlocking this mystery, he asserts, can be found in the pages of a two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called the Bhagavad Gitaan ancient allegory about the path to dharma, told through a timeless dialogue between the fabled archer, Arjuna, and his divine mentor, Krishna. Cope takes readers on a step-by-step tour of this revered tale and highlights well-known Western lives that embody its central principlesincluding such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman, along with stories of ordinary people as well. If youre feeling lost in your own lifes journey, The Great Work of Your Life may help you to find and to embrace your true calling.Praise for The Great Work of Your Life Keep a pen and paper handy as you read this remarkable book: Its like an owners manual for the soul.Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion A masterwork . . . Youll find inspiration in these pages. Youll gain a better appreciation of divine guidance and perhaps even understand how you might better hear it in your own life.Yoga Journal I am moved and inspired by this book, the clarity and beauty of the lives lived in it, and the timeless dharma it teaches.Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart A rich source of contemplation and inspiration [that] encourages readers . . . to discover and fully pursue their inner selfs calling.Publishers Weekly Fabulous . . . If you have ever wondered what your purpose is, this book is a great guide to help you on your path.YogaHara

For modern spiritual seekers and yoga students alike, here is an irreverent yet profound guide to the most sophisticated teachings of the yoga wisdom traditionnow 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 shortbut famously difficulttreatise called the Yogasutra. This revered text lays out the entire path of inner development in remarkable detailranging 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 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 Americas 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 Pilgrims 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.

Lovingly crafted, deep, richly engaging, and wise. Jack KornfieldAn important resource...for many years to come. Sharon Salzberg...brilliant and utterly engaging. Tara BrachThis glorious book explores the essence of connection through 5 essential types of relationships, [guiding] us into the infinite mysteries of human attunement (Bessel van der Kolk, New York Timesbestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score). Do you long to connect more deeply with other human beings? Do you wonder if youre living up to your human potential to make these deep connections happenand perhaps missing out on this most compelling aspect of a vital life? In this groundbreaking book, bestselling author Stephen Cope invites us to explore the most important questions in this domain: What is the nature of human connection? Why, precisely, is a capacity to connect deeply so important to the development of our minds, bodies, and spirits? What are the actual mechanisms of connection that we must master during the course of life? How can our lack of connection inhibit our happiness and satisfaction in life? Can we learn to connect more wisely than we do? Cope is well known as a master storyteller, and he seamlessly blends science, scholarship, and storytelling, drawing on poignant stories from his own life as well as the lives of famous figuresfrom E. M. Forster to Sigmund Freud to Queen Victoriawhose formative relationships shed light on the nature of connection itself. In the process, he lays out in stunning detail the precise mechanisms of human connection, which he distills into five helpful categories: containment, twinship, adversity, mirroring, and conscious partnership. Then he invites us into a remarkably practical reflection on how these forms of connection appear in our own lives, helping us work toward a fuller understanding of deep human connectionand a more satisfying and fruitful life. Deep Human Connection was originally published as Soul Friends.

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? This beautifully written guide from scholar and teacher Stephen Cope shows that crises dont have to derail us from our purposethey can actually help us to find our purpose and step forward as our best selves. In this sequel to his best-loved book, The Great Work of Your Life, Cope again takes the ancient yogic text the Bhagavad Gitathe epic narrative of the warrior Arjunas odyssey of self-discoveryas 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 voice Sojourner Truth and Henry David Thoreau inspire us to seek out the unmistakable signs of dharma in the midst of chaos Marian Anderson and Ruby Sales shed light on dharmas mystic power and how we learn to trust in it And more In the spirit of Pema Chodrons When Things Fall Apart, this book is required reading when you find yourself forging a path through crisisor seeking a way through your darkest times to your truest self.