Wisdom of Yoga or Aspergers and Girls

Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living

Author: Stephen Cop

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 foranyone seeking enhanced creativity, better relationships, and a more ethical and graceful way of living in the world.

Publishers Weekly

Psychotherapist and longtime resident teacher at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Mass., Cope applies the compassionate insights made in his book, Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, to this guide to the Yogasutra. Attributed to Patanjali, a second-century sage, the Yogasutra barely mentions the physical postures now identified as yoga. But the 196 trenchant entries, scholars say, contain the body of wisdom gleaned by those who sought, through direct experience, the inner workings of body, mind and spirit. This wisdom tradition (raja yoga), Cope says, is as effective today in diagnosing and healing "ordinary unhappiness" as it was centuries ago. Drawing parallels between ancient yogis and Buddhists and Western theologians, philosophers and poets, Cope argues that the yogis uncovered the roots of fear, illusion and self-deception. He focuses on the eight limbs of yoga (ethical behaviors, disciplines, postures, breathing practices, sense withdrawal, concentration, meditation and enlightenment) to demonstrate their effects in the lives of modern practitioners. Readers will readily identify with at least one of the challenges discussed -be they failed relationships, dysfunctional families, unrealized ambitions and compulsive behaviors. Beginners will find it helpful to read the Yogasutra, provided in an appendix, before diving into the personal stories and Cope's sympathetic commentaries. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Cope (Yoga and the Quest for the True Self) is a psychotherapist, a yoga teacher, and senior scholar in residence at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA. In this text, he takes on the challenge of interpreting for the Western world one of the most revered cornerstone writings of yoga tradition-the Yogasutra, which is more than 2000 years old. Cope narrates the experiences of five friends, each of whom comes to the study of yoga with certain struggles that highlight the key concepts of the Yogasutra. While the author warns us that the characters are composite figures, the reader is caught up in their development and growth throughout; their inclusion makes the more difficult and erudite theoretical discussions much easier to understand and assimilate. Interesting parallels are drawn between Western psychology and the Eastern philosophy of raja yoga, enhancing and easing the contemporary Western thinkers through the compact threads of the Yogasutra. Recommended for all libraries with interests in Eastern philosophies.-Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology, Lib. & Information Ctr., Atlanta Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

See also:

Asperger's and Girls

Author: Tony Attwood

At last, here is a book that provides up-to-date information about girls and women with Asperger's Syndrome. Covering topics such as diagnoses, education, puberty, relationships, and careers, experts in the field share practical advice for both caregivers and the women and girls who are affected by Asperger's. Other chapters are written by women who have been diagnosed with ASD. They candidly reveal their experiences and compassionately advise others. Finally, this book recognizes the unique problems of girls on the spectrum. About the Authors: Dr. Tony Attwood is the world's foremost authority on Asperger's Syndrome. Dr. Temple Grandin is arguably the most successful woman with autism. Catherine Faherty, Shelia Wagner, Mary Wrobel, and Teresa Bolick are major figures in the Asperger's field. Lisa Iland, who has a brother with autism, offers insightful social advice. Jennifer McIlwee Myers and Ruth Snyder have Asperger's Syndrome; their intriguing stories will make you laugh and cry.