Dibs

It’s not all about Downward-facing Dog, headstands and the Lotus position. Psychotherapist and yoga teacher Cope reveals that there’s more to the ancient Indian practice than just postures and breathing techniques. He focuses instead on the Yoga Sutra, a guide to proper living, eating, thinking and speaking penned some eighteen centuries ago by the sage Patanjali. Mixing personal anecdotes with lessons from the Sutra, Cope makes the modern Western mind (surprise!) seem muddled, misguided, sad and sometimes even sinister. We’re selfish, isolated, “stranded on an island of our own making. An impostor Bali Hai.” We lack restraint. We lie through our teeth. If you want to know more about the foibles of Cope’s pals, about how yogis of yore solved their problems, and about how to “get out of your own way,” this is a talky meditation guide that won’t work a single kink out of your knee- or ankle-joints.

Grade: C+