Cope, Stephen

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COPE, Stephen

PERSONAL:

Male. Education: Obtained M.S. in social work.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, P.O. Box 793, West St., Route 183, Lenox, MA 01240.

CAREER:

Licensed social worker and psychotherapist in Boston, MA; Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lenox, MA, senior teacher. Lecturer on yoga and meditation. Featured in video, Kripalu Yoga Dynamic.

WRITINGS:

Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, Bantam (New York, NY), 1999.

Will Yoga and Meditation Really Change My Life?: Personal Stories from America's Leading Teachers, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health (Lenox, MA), 2003.

Yoga for Emotional Flow: Free Your Emotions through Yoga Breathing, Body Awareness, and Energetic Release (audio book), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stephen Cope is a former psychotherapist who teaches and writes about Kripalu Yoga, a practice that combines physical exercise with spiritual uplift. With his background in Western psychotherapeutic techniques, Cope brings a different perspective to the study of yoga and meditation, and his book Yoga and the Quest for the True Self offers advice and anecdotes tailored to an American readership. Barb Bindon in Lambda Book Report particularly appreciated Cope's approach, calling Yoga and the Quest for the True Self an "unexpectedly accessible and engaging read." A Publishers Weekly critic likewise felt that the work "lights up a notoriously arcane subject for Western readers." Cope's book also focuses upon the ways in which yoga can lead to psychological as well as physical health. According to Rebecca Miller in Library Journal, "few other accessible books provide as good an overview of the spirituality of yoga."