The Great Work of Your Life

The Great Work of Your Life PDF Author: Stephen Cope
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0345535685
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
An inspiring guide to finding your life’s purpose—what spiritual teachers call dharma—through 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 Gita—an 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 principles—including such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman, along with stories of ordinary people as well. If you’re feeling lost in your own life’s 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: It’s like an owner’s manual for the soul.”—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion “A masterwork . . . You’ll find inspiration in these pages. You’ll 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 self’s 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

The Great Work of Your Life

The Great Work of Your Life PDF Author: Stephen Cope
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0345535685
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Get Book Here

Book Description
An inspiring guide to finding your life’s purpose—what spiritual teachers call dharma—through 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 Gita—an 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 principles—including such luminaries as Jane Goodall, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman, along with stories of ordinary people as well. If you’re feeling lost in your own life’s 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: It’s like an owner’s manual for the soul.”—Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion “A masterwork . . . You’ll find inspiration in these pages. You’ll 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 self’s 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

The Best of Kripalu Yoga Quest

The Best of Kripalu Yoga Quest PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description


Yoga and the Quest for the True Self

Yoga and the Quest for the True Self PDF Author: Stephen Cope
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 198480006X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 485

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Book Description
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 America's 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 Pilgrim's 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.

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi PDF Author: Brian Leaf
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 160868136X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
As a college freshman business major suffering from a variety of anxiety-related maladies, Leaf stumbled into an elective: yoga. It was 1989. All his classmates were female. But yoga soothed and calmed Leaf as nothing else had. As his tale shows, Leaf embarked on a quest for health and happiness, visiting yoga studios around the country and consulting Ayurvedic physicians, swamis, and even (accidentally) a prostitute.

The Wisdom of Yoga

The Wisdom of Yoga PDF Author: Stephen Cope
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553801112
Category : Yoga
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
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.

Yoga Beyond the Mat

Yoga Beyond the Mat PDF Author: Alanna Kaivalya
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN: 0738749710
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
While many engage in asana, the physical practice, yoga's most transformative effects are found in the realms of the spiritual and psychological. Yoga Beyond the Mat shows you how to develop a personal, holistic yoga practice to achieve lasting and permanent transformation. Join Alanna Kaivalya as she guides you through a complete range of topics, including Removing Obstacles Appreciating the Present Moment Balancing the Chakras Healing Childhood Wounds Creating Your Own Rituals Transforming Your Archetypal Energy Entering the Blissful State This book shows you that yoga doesn't make your life easier; it makes you better at your life. Through ritual, meditation, journaling, asana, and other spiritual practices, Yoga Beyond the Mat provides techniques for developing a personal mythology and allowing the ego to rest, leading modern-day yogis toward what they have been missing: the realization of personal bliss. Praise: "[Alanna] guides and inspires students and teachers alike toward their own liberation, with patience, generosity, and wholehearted enthusiasm."—Linda Sparrowe, former editor-in-chief of Yoga International and author of Yoga At Home "This is the book I dreamed of when I started my yoga path...[Yoga Beyond the Mat includes] all the steps, tools, rituals, and wisdom for lasting bliss."—Dana Flynn, founder of Laughing Lotus Yoga "Alanna has pioneered a relevant, educational book; deep thinking and laced humor."—Ana T. Forrest, founder of Forrest Yoga and author of Fierce Medicine "Alanna reveals with great clarity and approachable language the nuances, shadings and shadows of this ancient ritual of wellness. I highly recommend it."— Dennis Patrick Slattery, PhD, author of Riting Myth "Alanna's rigorous scholarship interweaves with applicable and tangible to-do's that brings reality to your spirituality."—Jill Miller, creator of Yoga Tune Up® and bestselling author of The Roll Model "In today's hectic life, the revival of yoga-past when combined with soul centered engagement offers the remedy we seek...a breakthrough book."—Stephen Aizenstat, PhD, chancellor of Pacifica Graduate Institute "In this groundbreaking book integrating yoga, Jungian psychology, and personal mythology, Alanna Kaivalya recovers the spiritual dimension of yoga for contemporary Western practitioners."—Dr. Patrick Mahaffey, professor and associate chair of Mythological Studies Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute and author of Evolving God-Images "Alanna writes with honesty and clarity about the quest to find self-knowledge and bliss, perfectly balancing skepticism and enthusiasm. The result is a practical guide to the history and philosophy of yoga, and a useful map to living an integrated, satisfying and richly meaningful life."—Dave Stringer, Grammy-nominated Kirtan artist "Drawing on yoga, psychology, mythology, and ritual, Alanna guides readers on a transformative journey toward self-awareness and 'personal bliss,' through an amazing array of practices. Yoga Beyond the Mat is like a library of ideas for studying your self."—Kaitlin Quistgaard, writer and former editor-in-chief of Yoga Journal

Rewilding

Rewilding PDF Author: Micah Mortali
Publisher: Sounds True
ISBN: 1683644220
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
Reconnect with your wild essence as you awaken your innate bond with the natural world “Rewilding is a return to our essential nature. It is an attempt to reclaim something of what we were before we used words like ‘civilized’ to define ourselves.” —Micah Mortali In his long-awaited book Rewilding, Kripalu director Micah Mortali brings together yoga, mindfulness, wilderness training, and ancestral skills to create a unique guide for reigniting your primal energy—your undomesticated true self—and deepening your connection with the living earth. For hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived intimately with the earth. We were in the wild and of the wild. Today, we live mostly urban lives—and our vital wildness has gone dormant. As a result, we’re more isolated, unhealthy, anxious, and depressed than ever, and our planet has suffered alongside us. With Rewilding, Mortali invites us to shed the effects of over-civilization and explore an inner wisdom that is primal, ancient, and profound. Whether you live in the middle of a city or alongside the woods, the insights and practices on these pages will bring you home to your wild, wise, and alive self. Highlights include: Practice-rich content—mindfulness exercises, guided meditations, yoga and pranayama, inward sensing, forest bathing, and much moreThe “life-force deficit”—explore how our separation from nature affects us physiologically and spirituallyAncestral skills—such as tracking, foraging, building fires, and finding shelterDevelop a sense of calm, clarity, connection, and confidence in both your daily life and the great outdoorsWhat you can learn from nature’s teachers—lessons from mountains, rivers, trees, and our animal kinRewild in the wild—guidelines around safety, preparedness, appropriate gear, and packing listsA mindful rewilding flow—put everything together in an immersive, step-by-step rewilding experienceAwaken your authentic spiritual connection with the natural world as you come home to your true selfUnderstand the relationship between our health and the health of our planet—and how we can begin to heal both Part celebration of the natural world, part spiritual memoir, and part how-to guide, Rewilding is a must-read for anyone who wants to embrace their wild nature and essential place in the living earth.

Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit

Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit PDF Author: Dan Millman
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1608687902
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
“This story is mine, but the way belongs to us all.” — Dan Millman Dan Millman’s books and teachings have been a guiding light to millions of people. Now comes the true story of his search for the good life, a quest for meaning in the modern world. In vivid detail, he describes his evolution from childhood dreamer to world-class athlete, including the events that led him to write the spiritual classic Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Over the course of two decades Dan was guided by four radically different mentors: the Professor, a scientist-mystic; the Guru, a charismatic spiritual master; the Warrior-Priest, a rescuer of lost souls; and the Sage, a servant of reality. Each of them generated mind-expanding experiences that prepared Dan for his calling as a down-to-earth spiritual teacher. At times funny, at times poignant, this memoir will delight Dan’s longtime fans and inspire new generations of readers who wish to live with a peaceful heart and a warrior’s spirit.

Sunrise of Joy

Sunrise of Joy PDF Author: Swami Kripalu
Publisher: Epigraph Books
ISBN: 9781936940257
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
On May 20, 1977, Pan American fl ight 695 touched down at Kennedy Airport in New York City carrying a great treasure. The treasure could not be measured in gold or silver or precious gems. The treasure was spiritual, not material. A saint, revered by hundreds of thousands of people in India, but little known in the west, had agreed to visit the United States. His name was Swami Kripalu. This book tells the remarkable story of his life and his extraordinary stay in the United States from 1977-1981, when he broke his silence of many years and delivered more than 100 talks on a vast array of spiritual topics, most of which have never been published prior to this book. In the process, he became the namesake for the Kripalu Center in Lennox, Massachusetts, the largest holistic health center in North America and for Kripalu Yoga, a form of yoga taught by more than 5000 yoga teachers in the United States and around the world. "To live near one of the greatest saints of India is an experience of profound grace. Rarely does such an evolved being exist on this plane. And here he was in the spring of 1977, Swami Kripalvanandji, lovingly known as Bapuji, living among us at the spiritual community named for him." Yogi Amrit Desai "Nothing could have prepared me for my first encounter with Swami Kripalu. As the 69 year old Kripalu walked into the room, my mind was catapulted into a state of focused awareness deeper than anything I'd ever experienced. My first startled thought was that he looked surprisingly like my grandfather, who was also bald and pencil thin. But the similarities stopped there. Swami Kripalu was a lightening bolt wrapped in an orange robe." Rick Faulds, author of Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat. "His Holiness Swami Shri Kripalvanada was the greatest yogacharya of the 20th Century. He meditated 10 hours a day for 30 years, a stunning feat, in pursuit of the Divine Body. He is revered in India as one of our greatest saints." T.R. Patel, Doctor of Ayurveda, author and yoga instructor, Ahmedabad, India. John Mundahl has been a yoga teacher and practitioner for 34 years. He was a resident at the original Kripalu Yoga Ashram in Sumneytown, Pennsylvania from 1977-1981, the four years of Swami Kripalu's remarkable stay in the United States. He is also a retired public school teacher, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, an Ayurvedic Health Care Educator and the author of 10 books, including From the Heart of the Lotus, the Teaching Stories of Swami Kripalu and Soul To Soul: Poems, Prayers And Stories To End A Yoga Class.

From the Heart of the Lotus

From the Heart of the Lotus PDF Author: Swami Kripalu
Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing
ISBN: 097668439X
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Over one hundred short stories from the East to inspire and instruct. Excellent for Buddhists and Yogis.