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The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living
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 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.
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 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.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
278 people are currently reading
3081 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Cope
33 books186 followersStephen Cope is the director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living, the largest yoga research institute in the Western world—with a team of scientists affiliated with major medical schools on the East coast, primarily Harvard Medical School. He has been for many years the senior scholar in residence at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts, and is the author of four best-selling books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
September 26, 2011
This is the 1st book i've read about yoga and its deeper purpose. As an atheist, I am intrinsically weary of self-help and spiritual books but I am also deeply in love with yoga so I thought I'd give this book a go since I've heard great things about it. There was a lot of amazing insight in it for me, and I really like how he talks about the fact that scientists have studied what happens in our brains when we meditate and practice yogic physical and mental movements. That part of it speaks to me. Though I've done yoga on and off for probably 15 years, it never really did much for me until I needed it and in the last 2 years it really changed the way I think and live. Cope talks a lot about some of the initial changes that occur when you start practicing yoga and I can relate. I didn't connect with the latter half of the book because the whole idea of living in a yoga retreat for months on end just screams of a certain type of privilege that again, I am just intrinsically weary of. How does that apply to real peoples' lives when the insights in the book from its characters come from months (and sometimes years) of living in a cabin out in the woods? Who can really do that? Maybe some day in the future I will relate with those sections of the book as well but now, not so much.
January 27, 2010
There was a lot of meat on this bone. I have been practicing yoga for about eight months, and as I become more familiar with the physical aspects of yoga, I find myself more interested in the mental side as well. So there is a pull factor involved in exploring the wisdom of yoga. There is also a push factor, in that I am increasingly uneasy about my relationship with my church. There have been a lot of changes within the Catholic Church - new pope, new archbishop, new pastor - none of which resonate with me, so my needs for community are changing.
Pope's book fits into this niche very well. There is almost nothing on the physical aspects of yoga here. There is more about meditation, which I found very useful. The device Pope uses to reveal the wisdom of yoga is a group of yogis that he was a part of during a two year period. This group came together at Kripalu Yoga Center, where Cope has a position.
These people are a composite of people that Cope has met through Kripalu. This method is useful, but sometimes annoying. They are very different, and I found myself becoming very interested in the people and how yoga has helped their growth. In many ways they are archetypes, the Beautiful Woman, the Wizened Old Lady, the Accomplished Guru, the Powerful Lawyer, the Fat Lady and of course, the Conflicted Scholar (the author). Two things are annoying about this convention, first that I found myself caring about them. They are fictional characters, for goodness sake. The other is the detail that Cope burdens us with. I don't think it is necessary for me to know what type of tea they were drinking as they had a particular conversation.
But the device works. Cope explains a lot about the yoga sutras within this context, applying his knowledge and experience with these people to their specific problems, many of which I identify with. For instance, craving and aversion. Most of us are drawn to certain things, food, comfort, sex, money, excitement. We also have aversion to other things, conflict, physical work, cold, etc. Cope tells us how these people have used the guidance of the yoga sutras to resolve their problems.
This book has given me a further push down the yoga path. It contains a lot of solid information and inspiration.
Pope's book fits into this niche very well. There is almost nothing on the physical aspects of yoga here. There is more about meditation, which I found very useful. The device Pope uses to reveal the wisdom of yoga is a group of yogis that he was a part of during a two year period. This group came together at Kripalu Yoga Center, where Cope has a position.
These people are a composite of people that Cope has met through Kripalu. This method is useful, but sometimes annoying. They are very different, and I found myself becoming very interested in the people and how yoga has helped their growth. In many ways they are archetypes, the Beautiful Woman, the Wizened Old Lady, the Accomplished Guru, the Powerful Lawyer, the Fat Lady and of course, the Conflicted Scholar (the author). Two things are annoying about this convention, first that I found myself caring about them. They are fictional characters, for goodness sake. The other is the detail that Cope burdens us with. I don't think it is necessary for me to know what type of tea they were drinking as they had a particular conversation.
But the device works. Cope explains a lot about the yoga sutras within this context, applying his knowledge and experience with these people to their specific problems, many of which I identify with. For instance, craving and aversion. Most of us are drawn to certain things, food, comfort, sex, money, excitement. We also have aversion to other things, conflict, physical work, cold, etc. Cope tells us how these people have used the guidance of the yoga sutras to resolve their problems.
This book has given me a further push down the yoga path. It contains a lot of solid information and inspiration.
November 8, 2010
Stephen Cope is a psychotherapist and a longtime Kripalu Yoga teacher. In this book he integrates the Buddha’s insight of suffering into the daily lives of a series of friends who are fellow yoga practitioners. He provides a thorough teaching on the overlap of Patanjali’s yoga sutras with Theravada Buddhism, while respecting both traditions. The book provides a feel for how you might start to incorporate mindfulness in your own daily life.
September 15, 2023
I felt this book made a lot of wisdom clear and accessible. Unfortunately, the author quotes Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh/Osho a couple times toward the end and that put a damper on things for me. No matter how insightful BSR/Osho's pull quotes seem, he was a deeply corrupt person who deeply corrupted his followers and did great harm. His ideas and words do not deserve the esteem they are given.
January 6, 2013
Fantastic book. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras can be very hard to read as they are written in short and sometimes cryptic messages of wisdom. However, this book will take you through the lives of people and their struggles and apply the sutras (and more) to their life trials and tribulations. It's a great read for anyone whether you're in to practicing yoga or not.
November 13, 2019
4/5 Stars
Library Loan
For some reason, as of lately, I have been struggling with reading spiritually awakening books, yoga books, self-help books, etc. It might have to be because of the low scoring on the last two reads. Who knows. What I do know is that something happened when I read this book. All the other books were factual and gave me clarity on yoga, meditation, and finding your own path. The Wisdom of Yoga, however, touched a part of me and opened it up.
I had been struggling in my yoga practice, as well as the grind of daily life. My control was slipping and I decided to finally bite the bullet and pick this book up...hoping that it could give me an enlightenment that I have not already read.
My heart connected to each of the stories that Cope presents of his friends. You have Susan the compulsive eater, Kate the self-centered, Jacob the overly aggressive romantic, Maggie the story-teller, and Rudi the enlightened. In each of Cope's interactions with his friends, I found myself opening up piece by piece. I found a connection with Susan and her disordered eating due to my own years of anorexia. I found myself entering Jacob's body when it came to the lack of love, and believing I will never find anyone. Each of their struggles became my own and each of their enlightenment's brought clarity to my own situation.
I can't explain this feeling that washed over me once I finished the book, but for the first time in months I was....calm. I haven't been calm or clear-headed in quite a few months and I could finally breathe. It was like the teachings that each of these individuals had including Stephen Cope resonated inside myself. To some this might be hocus-pocus, but to someone like me who has been trying to find a book to finally make some ground with my own practice and healing. This book is truly a blessing.
I did find a few things that I did not like. All the science and backstory given about yoga. He would switch between stories and the yoga science that connected to those stories. Or connect to other spiritual yogi's that have gone down the same path. While I did like some of the insight given, once again you got that taste of medical writing from a doctor and it, at times, would throw the entire experience and story off. While I did find that some of the insights were pertinent to what Cope is teaching us. I could have done without some of the beginner yoga explanations. Especially since this book is more advanced than a beginner's guide, actually this is not a guide at all.
While I can't explain my own experience with the book, I do recommend that others pick up the book to finally find clarity in their own lives and their own paths that they take. This book has done wonders at opening up something inside me that I didn't even know existed. A calm state. Which most of us can agree that we feel very little of these days.
Bookstagram
Library Loan
For some reason, as of lately, I have been struggling with reading spiritually awakening books, yoga books, self-help books, etc. It might have to be because of the low scoring on the last two reads. Who knows. What I do know is that something happened when I read this book. All the other books were factual and gave me clarity on yoga, meditation, and finding your own path. The Wisdom of Yoga, however, touched a part of me and opened it up.
I had been struggling in my yoga practice, as well as the grind of daily life. My control was slipping and I decided to finally bite the bullet and pick this book up...hoping that it could give me an enlightenment that I have not already read.
My heart connected to each of the stories that Cope presents of his friends. You have Susan the compulsive eater, Kate the self-centered, Jacob the overly aggressive romantic, Maggie the story-teller, and Rudi the enlightened. In each of Cope's interactions with his friends, I found myself opening up piece by piece. I found a connection with Susan and her disordered eating due to my own years of anorexia. I found myself entering Jacob's body when it came to the lack of love, and believing I will never find anyone. Each of their struggles became my own and each of their enlightenment's brought clarity to my own situation.
I can't explain this feeling that washed over me once I finished the book, but for the first time in months I was....calm. I haven't been calm or clear-headed in quite a few months and I could finally breathe. It was like the teachings that each of these individuals had including Stephen Cope resonated inside myself. To some this might be hocus-pocus, but to someone like me who has been trying to find a book to finally make some ground with my own practice and healing. This book is truly a blessing.
I did find a few things that I did not like. All the science and backstory given about yoga. He would switch between stories and the yoga science that connected to those stories. Or connect to other spiritual yogi's that have gone down the same path. While I did like some of the insight given, once again you got that taste of medical writing from a doctor and it, at times, would throw the entire experience and story off. While I did find that some of the insights were pertinent to what Cope is teaching us. I could have done without some of the beginner yoga explanations. Especially since this book is more advanced than a beginner's guide, actually this is not a guide at all.
While I can't explain my own experience with the book, I do recommend that others pick up the book to finally find clarity in their own lives and their own paths that they take. This book has done wonders at opening up something inside me that I didn't even know existed. A calm state. Which most of us can agree that we feel very little of these days.
Bookstagram
August 14, 2022
Not bad for a bunch of privileged folks finding enlightenment.
May 31, 2024
A beautiful dance between the sharing of Yogic wisdom and it’s journey told through Stephens’s own experiences. Experiences of his seeking and it’s fruits and the coming together of one of his yoga groups, unfolding in beautiful supportive friendships. I felt it’s warmth, I felt it’s importance and I’m glad I’ve taken the time to read this.
March 24, 2011
I read this book for my Yoga Book Club here in Portland. As a yoga teacher, I really enjoyed how author Stephen Cope wove the Yoga Sutras throughout the book, making them less esoteric and more accessible than I've experienced in the past. He touches on psychology, neurology, and Buddhist philosophy as well as dozens of years of yoga scholarship to describe the yogic path to wisdom.
January 26, 2021
Long and rambling with a few brief moments of actual insight. I found the characters thin and their issues and phobia conveniently introduced only to be nearly instantly resolved. I wasn't looking for a self-help book, rather a deeper understanding of the physical practice of yoga, so the book was a disappointment to me.
January 5, 2025
a profound read. a lot of information and a good book to take your time reading to grasp the various concepts. I enjoyed the philosophy/eastern views of yoga throughout the book. this book helped me understand the psychological side of meditation and gave me a better grasp of the importance of implementing it into yoga practice. i enjoyed the personal stories intertwined into the book as well. if you have been practicing yoga and are curious about the accident wisdom around the practice I recommend reading this.
December 13, 2022
Another step further down the exploration of the yogic wisdom. On the one hand one wanted to know what will happen to the characters encountered serving as „real life“ examples on the other that is an exercise in the witnessing practice. On the other hand it was a valiant effort in bringing the Yoga Sūtras to a mainstream mind challenging the neurones to come to grips with the what is what and the when is when of the manyfolded path.
October 11, 2023
This was such a complicated book. Stephen Cope tries to mash up 2 very different approaches in one book. This book presents very abstract and complex yoga teachings through a casual analysis of his friendships at a yoga school. Does it work?
On the one hand, it's an earnest summary of deeply esoteric yoga concepts of yamas and niyamas, codified by Patanjali. Cope is a university scholar, and he loves this stuff. He gets into the sanskrit. He definitely geeks out. He brings in scant examples from other spiritual (mainly Christian) traditions to support his ideas. You may follow that or may not; you may or may not be interested.
On the other hand, it's a casual armchair psychoanalysis of a group of 5 yoga practitioners, and how they slowly integrate yoga values into their psyche. Mind you, they all are financially independent white straight cisgender characters with enough privilege to allow 2 years of full time yoga training at a retreat center (excepting Cope himself, who is gay, though he doesn't mention his sexuality in the book). Cope is a retired psychiatrist, who gave up his practice to pursue yoga. So now, you the reader can learn how "Susan" stopped overeating, or how "Jason" learns to love his overbearing mom, through the precepts of yoga. Or, you might enjoy "Rudi", a character without any real flaws who sounds like an enlightened mashup of Rick Rubin and Andre the Giant. There's no laugh track, but in a sense, it's a little bit like reading about the cast of FRIENDS on a self-discovery yoga journey.
Sometimes the anecdotes were cute and helped me understand the yoga precepts. And often, I appreciated the way Cope could clearly draw a line between the experiences of the characters and the principles of yoga they were supposedly demonstrating.
More often, it felt convoluted and thin. None of the characters actually felt like authentic humans to empathize with. Cope's writing tended to be wordy, drawing attention to mundane details that were uninteresting. Do you really care if any of these characters are slowly stirring hot chocolate or wearing denim? I didn't read a book called "Wisdom of Yoga" because I was dying to know if Maggie's 4th novel was going to be published by a major book dealer.
Cope also quotes continually from Carlos Castaneda, a self-made spiritual guru in the 1960s, who has been routinely criticized and discredited for more than 50 years!! and was outed as a sexual predator for several of his female "followers," including Taisha Abelar. Cope also repeatedly quotes from Thomas Merton and St. Paul, along with a few particular (male) Indian yoga writers. For a writer who is curious about yoga to research the hell out of it, I found Cope's blind sense of hero worship to be irritating and misguided.
If you can set aside the meandering prose and move past the male hero worship, there is actually a lot of wisdom to pick up. That made the book even more frustrating--there is actually a lot to admire in it.
Books on yoga, especially from the 20th and early 21st century, still seem to be grappling with this conundrum: how does a western publisher tell the story of an eastern philosophy to a Western audience without centralizing it within a western patriarchal structure?
The challenge for us, I guess, is how to notice the parts that can be improved next time and remember that all of us are moving along our personal yoga path. No one has arrived yet, and much grace is always required.
On the one hand, it's an earnest summary of deeply esoteric yoga concepts of yamas and niyamas, codified by Patanjali. Cope is a university scholar, and he loves this stuff. He gets into the sanskrit. He definitely geeks out. He brings in scant examples from other spiritual (mainly Christian) traditions to support his ideas. You may follow that or may not; you may or may not be interested.
On the other hand, it's a casual armchair psychoanalysis of a group of 5 yoga practitioners, and how they slowly integrate yoga values into their psyche. Mind you, they all are financially independent white straight cisgender characters with enough privilege to allow 2 years of full time yoga training at a retreat center (excepting Cope himself, who is gay, though he doesn't mention his sexuality in the book). Cope is a retired psychiatrist, who gave up his practice to pursue yoga. So now, you the reader can learn how "Susan" stopped overeating, or how "Jason" learns to love his overbearing mom, through the precepts of yoga. Or, you might enjoy "Rudi", a character without any real flaws who sounds like an enlightened mashup of Rick Rubin and Andre the Giant. There's no laugh track, but in a sense, it's a little bit like reading about the cast of FRIENDS on a self-discovery yoga journey.
Sometimes the anecdotes were cute and helped me understand the yoga precepts. And often, I appreciated the way Cope could clearly draw a line between the experiences of the characters and the principles of yoga they were supposedly demonstrating.
More often, it felt convoluted and thin. None of the characters actually felt like authentic humans to empathize with. Cope's writing tended to be wordy, drawing attention to mundane details that were uninteresting. Do you really care if any of these characters are slowly stirring hot chocolate or wearing denim? I didn't read a book called "Wisdom of Yoga" because I was dying to know if Maggie's 4th novel was going to be published by a major book dealer.
Cope also quotes continually from Carlos Castaneda, a self-made spiritual guru in the 1960s, who has been routinely criticized and discredited for more than 50 years!! and was outed as a sexual predator for several of his female "followers," including Taisha Abelar. Cope also repeatedly quotes from Thomas Merton and St. Paul, along with a few particular (male) Indian yoga writers. For a writer who is curious about yoga to research the hell out of it, I found Cope's blind sense of hero worship to be irritating and misguided.
If you can set aside the meandering prose and move past the male hero worship, there is actually a lot of wisdom to pick up. That made the book even more frustrating--there is actually a lot to admire in it.
Books on yoga, especially from the 20th and early 21st century, still seem to be grappling with this conundrum: how does a western publisher tell the story of an eastern philosophy to a Western audience without centralizing it within a western patriarchal structure?
The challenge for us, I guess, is how to notice the parts that can be improved next time and remember that all of us are moving along our personal yoga path. No one has arrived yet, and much grace is always required.
April 2, 2020
At first, I was intimidated by this book. I almost took it right back to the library to find a fluffy little novel that I could rip through. However, I felt drawn to finish it and knew I could learn something from its pages. After reading it, I am grateful I chose to stick it out. It is a book that you will be thinking about weeks after you’ve put the jacket back on, and you may even find yourself returning to it in the future.
Cope’s stories of his friends at the yoga center help keep the book accessible to those with very little knowledge of ancient Yoga like myself. While each character has a distinct set of issues that they have to work through, they find commonality in their quest to finding peace within themselves. Even the more technical side of the book was very interesting to me. While I know I won’t be enlightened anytime soon, the teachings of traditional Yoga can be applicable to anyone. Patanjali teaches that “the causes of suffering are not seeing things as they are.” For example, if you fixate on that which you don’t possess, i.e. a new car, a dream job, a plot of land, or worldly travels, you will be unhappy. However, if you can recognize the gifts in your life and simply be grateful, you will find happiness that you didn’t know you possessed. I think this is a very simple lesson that everyone can use.
Cope’s stories of his friends at the yoga center help keep the book accessible to those with very little knowledge of ancient Yoga like myself. While each character has a distinct set of issues that they have to work through, they find commonality in their quest to finding peace within themselves. Even the more technical side of the book was very interesting to me. While I know I won’t be enlightened anytime soon, the teachings of traditional Yoga can be applicable to anyone. Patanjali teaches that “the causes of suffering are not seeing things as they are.” For example, if you fixate on that which you don’t possess, i.e. a new car, a dream job, a plot of land, or worldly travels, you will be unhappy. However, if you can recognize the gifts in your life and simply be grateful, you will find happiness that you didn’t know you possessed. I think this is a very simple lesson that everyone can use.
April 28, 2012
This book helps explain the yoga-sutra to a layperson such as myself. By using personal stories of people he's known the author shows how the concepts or sutras are manifested and/or can be put into practice. Part Five of the book (the last part) was the only part I found too existentialist, but perhaps I'm just not ready for that yet. I liked how he provided a comparative of raja-yoga and Buddhism- having read some works of lama surya das i was thinking I was seeing similarities...but wasn't sure. The author also provides a translation of the complete yoga-sutra for reference.
January 14, 2013
Beautiful work!!! Cope has brought Patanjali's yoga sutras to life for me more than anything else i have read to date! Although he occasionally lost my interest with his foray into theoretical psychology, by framing the book around personal experience he has created a very modern day identification and the opportunity for personal application of this ancient wisdom.
March 1, 2017
Okay so i only give 5 stars if the books changed my life.THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE! 1. I have been mistaken my entire life on the most fundamental factors of being human. 2. I am now convinced Jesus was a Yogi. 3. Erratidating Duhka from my life will be but a byproduct of the life upon which i am embracing as of today. 4. WOW!
July 1, 2017
This is the first yoga book that I have read and found it very interesting and inspirational. I want to read Stephen's other book next....love the practice of yoga and want to continue reading more about the philosophy and practical applications.
August 2, 2011
Love this book so much! 10 outta 5!
November 17, 2016
I like the combining aspects of Western Psychology with the inner mind working of yoga practice and meditation. Very inspiring to deepening my own practice.
May 27, 2025
Stephen Cope’s The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker’s Guide to Extraordinary Living is a profound exploration of yoga’s broader philosophy, far beyond the physical postures (asanas) often associated with it. As someone who initially viewed yoga as a workout, I found Cope’s deep dive into its meditative and philosophical roots both enlightening and accessible.
Cope masterfully unpacks complex Sanskrit terms like Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Dhyana, and Pranayama, making the technical aspects of yoga’s ancient wisdom approachable. What could have been a dry academic exercise is brought to life through the fictionalized stories of three students. These narratives serve as relatable guides, illustrating how yoga’s tools—particularly self-examination through meditation—can empower individuals to navigate life’s challenges, from personal loss and trauma to strained relationships. Through these stories, Cope shows how yoga fosters resilience, inner peace, and a clearer understanding of both oneself and the world.
The book emphasizes that yoga is not just about physical poses (which, as Cope notes, are a tiny facet of the practice) but about cultivating a happier, more grounded existence, even amidst hardship. This message resonates deeply, offering practical wisdom for modern readers seeking meaning and balance.
I experienced this book through its Audible narration, which was clear but slightly slow—listening at 1.2x - 1.5x speed was perfect. Cope’s writing is engaging and accessible, cementing his place as a go-to author on Vedic philosophy, particularly yoga. His ability to bridge ancient teachings with contemporary life makes this book a must-read for anyone curious about yoga’s transformative potential.
Cope masterfully unpacks complex Sanskrit terms like Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Dhyana, and Pranayama, making the technical aspects of yoga’s ancient wisdom approachable. What could have been a dry academic exercise is brought to life through the fictionalized stories of three students. These narratives serve as relatable guides, illustrating how yoga’s tools—particularly self-examination through meditation—can empower individuals to navigate life’s challenges, from personal loss and trauma to strained relationships. Through these stories, Cope shows how yoga fosters resilience, inner peace, and a clearer understanding of both oneself and the world.
The book emphasizes that yoga is not just about physical poses (which, as Cope notes, are a tiny facet of the practice) but about cultivating a happier, more grounded existence, even amidst hardship. This message resonates deeply, offering practical wisdom for modern readers seeking meaning and balance.
I experienced this book through its Audible narration, which was clear but slightly slow—listening at 1.2x - 1.5x speed was perfect. Cope’s writing is engaging and accessible, cementing his place as a go-to author on Vedic philosophy, particularly yoga. His ability to bridge ancient teachings with contemporary life makes this book a must-read for anyone curious about yoga’s transformative potential.
November 11, 2025
This book is a true masterpiece and an essential read for any modern spiritual seeker. It successfully translates the often-complex philosophy of the ancient Yoga Sutras, grounding these principles perfectly in our contemporary, complicated lives.
The book provides profound insights into the eight limbs of yoga, the nature of suffering, and the process of self-discovery (Dharma). I found the author's style of interweaving his own experience and the stories of his group of friends to be exceptionally useful. This brilliant narrative structure immediately made me relate deeply to their personal journeys and significantly clarified Cope's explanation of the different yogic practices.
If you want to understand the true transformative power of yoga philosophy beyond the mat, pick up this book.
The book provides profound insights into the eight limbs of yoga, the nature of suffering, and the process of self-discovery (Dharma). I found the author's style of interweaving his own experience and the stories of his group of friends to be exceptionally useful. This brilliant narrative structure immediately made me relate deeply to their personal journeys and significantly clarified Cope's explanation of the different yogic practices.
If you want to understand the true transformative power of yoga philosophy beyond the mat, pick up this book.
March 12, 2021
Stephen Cope is a psychotherapist and a Yoga teacher at the Kripalu centre. In this book, Stephen takes the reader through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, integrating them with western psychology and aspects of Buddhism. Stephen keeps it real by weaving the Yoga Sutras into the lives of real people. How the practice of Yoga helps and can be used as a tool for transformation and finding the peace within, is what this book talks about. It is an interesting read and takes one into a mode of reflection by looking into oneself and asking some fundamental questions. The story of each yogi mentioned in the book is very relatable and also gives one the hope that we all can reach the state they reached if we practice what they practiced. Highly recommended for psychotherapists and yogis alike.
July 15, 2021
Preface: have only read about 60% of the book
An enjoyable read as it is written more as an autobiography than a guide, but Unless you are unfamiliar with some of the basic concepts of Vedic philosophy or you don't quite understand them and you think reading about them in real-life situations would help, then this is more of an autobiography with a philosophical bent than it is a guide to moksha.
I do however think it would be a great introduction to some of the concepts of Vedic philosophy and the importance of some of its teachings to our lives for those that have not explored it deeply on their own and could lead to some profound realisations for some as to their perspectives on their lives and belief systems.
An enjoyable read as it is written more as an autobiography than a guide, but Unless you are unfamiliar with some of the basic concepts of Vedic philosophy or you don't quite understand them and you think reading about them in real-life situations would help, then this is more of an autobiography with a philosophical bent than it is a guide to moksha.
I do however think it would be a great introduction to some of the concepts of Vedic philosophy and the importance of some of its teachings to our lives for those that have not explored it deeply on their own and could lead to some profound realisations for some as to their perspectives on their lives and belief systems.
April 13, 2018
This is an excellent book and enjoyable to read. It goes deep into meditation and provides some insight into what the possible actually is. It takes time for most of us to realize that “self” is a great deal more than what we see in the mirror. In a world full of meds to relieve depression and anxiety,any would be well served to take charge of their own healing and one does that by trying to figure out what’s going on in our head. I love speculating that many of the people that bought this book after attending a few yoga sessions at their local community center expecting tips on and a discussion on what goes on when they are on the yoga mat and discover this book is about so much more.
March 13, 2022
This was a little woo woo for my taste, and I am
skeptical of the Western privileged perspectives. Most of the characters in this book are unrelatably successful, which is off-putting and adds a tension of expectation on the “less successful” listener, which I won’t further analyze here.
Nonetheless, I found some useful methods for thinking through anxiety, and I’m glad to have read this. What I keep reading in Chatter, Body Keeps the Score, Come As You Are, and this book is: try to take an outside perspective, and embrace undesired feelings and sides of yourself with non judgment. Life goals, right?
skeptical of the Western privileged perspectives. Most of the characters in this book are unrelatably successful, which is off-putting and adds a tension of expectation on the “less successful” listener, which I won’t further analyze here.
Nonetheless, I found some useful methods for thinking through anxiety, and I’m glad to have read this. What I keep reading in Chatter, Body Keeps the Score, Come As You Are, and this book is: try to take an outside perspective, and embrace undesired feelings and sides of yourself with non judgment. Life goals, right?
January 1, 2026
Wow this book really spoke to me. My understanding of the mystical spirituality of yoga is resonating. I’ve never really fully grasped the profound essence of the practice and used to see it more as stretching, conditioning exercise and therapeutic breathing. It’s so much more. Cope’s application of his friend’s stories and how their yoga practice transformed their lives mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically and relationally allows the reader to relate and understand the process from a human perspective (not a theoretical and academic sterile vacuum). Personal and engaging. Thank you.
July 23, 2018
Muy recomendable si te interesa la filosofía del yoga y la meditación. Se basa en hacer digerible para occidentales el tratado del Yoga-Sütra de Patañjali. Te permite ver que el Yoga es algo más que una colección de posturas. Me sorprendió comprobar las profundas relaciones que existen entre el raja-yoga y el budismo, ambas corrientes se influenciaron mutuamente.
Me gustó también que el autor utilizara las historias personales de su grupo de Yoga para hacer más comprensibles los conceptos que explica.
Me gustó también que el autor utilizara las historias personales de su grupo de Yoga para hacer más comprensibles los conceptos que explica.
May 31, 2020
Stephen Cope gives the perspective of a psychotherapist (and Kripalu Yoga teacher) on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The presentation through individual stories is helpful. The appendices contain a translation of the sutras, as well as some distinction from Buddhism.
This book was not at all about asanas and physiology though, and more about states of conciousness and breathing -- as in Buddism.
I picked it up to learn more about the physical practice, but in the end still got a lot out of reading it.
This book was not at all about asanas and physiology though, and more about states of conciousness and breathing -- as in Buddism.
I picked it up to learn more about the physical practice, but in the end still got a lot out of reading it.
August 13, 2020
I really love the premise and structure of this book - a balanced blend of narrative, Western psychology, and yogic philosophy. This was probably my own personal taste but I found the narrative explorations much more compelling than Cope’s analysis or interpretations of the Yoga Sutras. I found this writing slightly too technical still, or just too far-reaching to really drive home specific teachings of the Sutras. The irony in this is that through the book Cope admits his own struggle with being too scholarly or technical in his writing, which makes me forgive my own experience of this book.
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