Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
by Stephen Cope
View on GoodreadsPsychotherapist and Kripalu Institute scholar-in-residence Stephen Cope's introduction to yoga's psychological dimensions — translating classical yoga's eight-limb framework into therapeutic and developmental vocabulary accessible to Western audiences.
Core ideas
- Yoga as developmental psychology is the book's framing — Patanjali's eight limbs (yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi) are treated as a developmental sequence with measurable psychological stages, not as religious doctrine.
- The "false self / true self" frame is the book's translation device — yoga's traditional vocabulary of avidya (ignorance) and atman (true self) maps onto Western developmental and trauma-recovery work in productive ways.
- The Kripalu context (resident community, intensive practice, integrated body-mind work) is the book's case-study material — Cope writes from inside a specific contemplative community whose practice he's documented.
Published1999
Pages358
ISBN9780553378351
ReadMar 2022
