Stephen Cope, MSW, Kripalu's Scholar Emeritus, is the founder and former Director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living. Stephen is a best-selling author, well known for making the sometimes esoteric scriptures of yoga accessible to the mainstream reader. He has more than a quarter million books in print, translated into 14 languages, and has received international acclaim for his work. His books include Yoga and the Quest for the True Self; The Wisdom of Yoga; The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling; Soul Friends: The Transforming Power of Deep Human Connection; The Dharma of Difficult Times. How do we make sense of our lives when our world seems to be falling apart?
This beautifully written guide from scholar and teacher Stephen Cope shows that crises don’t have to derail us from our purpose-they can actually help us to find our purpose and step forward as our best selves.

In this sequel to his best-loved book, The Great Work of Your Life, Cope again takes the ancient yogic text the Bhagavad Gita-the epic narrative of the warrior Arjuna’s odyssey of self-discovery-as a roadmap for our journey to our own true calling. He then builds on that foundation using the stories and teachings of famous figures, as well as stories of ordinary people and his own rich personal experience. Along the way, we find striking examples for finding meaning and purpose in our lives:

Gandhi shows how to tap our spiritual resources and listen for our inner voice.
Sojourner Truth and Henry David Thoreau inspire us to seek out the unmistakable signs of dharma in the midst of chaos.
Marian Anderson and Ruby Sales shed light on dharma’s mystic power and how we learn to trust in it.
In the spirit of Pema Chödrön’s When Things Fall Apart, this book is required reading when you find yourself forging a path through crisis-or seeking a way through your darkest times to your truest self.