The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom - Paperback

by Willa Baker (Author), Tsoknyi Rinpoche (Foreword by)

Spirituality & Practice "Best Books of 2021" Award Winner

A highly practical and approachable guide to somatic meditation with easy practices for accessing the body's inherent mindfulness, from an expert in somatic meditation.

Tap into the wisdom of the body with down-to-earth practices like "Surrendering to the Breath" and "Befriending Feelings" that allow the body to become the source of mindfulness. Willa Blythe Baker introduces meditation practice as the cultivation of a way of being, rather than a way of doing. It is a way of being that is self-aware, self-compassionate, and embodied. This way of being is not limited to practice on the cushion or on the yoga mat--somatic mindfulness is available at any moment, activated by attention to the body's wisdom and its teachings.

Discover the three layers of embodiment, from the earth body of flesh and blood, the subtle body of sensory experience and emotion, and the awareness body of consciousness. The three parts of this book explore these layers through turning attention to the physical, energetic, and mental dimensions of human experience. By diving deep into the body, readers will find that they already have what they need. Concentration, wisdom, compassion, kindness, and joy are waiting there.

Author Biography

WILLA BLYTHE BAKER, PhD, is a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism. She is the founder and spiritual director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and its retreat center, Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, New Hampshire. She was authorized as a lineage holder (lama) in Kagyu Tibetan Buddhism after twelve years of monastic training and two consecutive three-year retreats.

Willa earned her doctorate at Harvard University in 2013 and was the Visiting Lecturer in Buddhist Ministry at Harvard Divinity School from 2013 to 2017. She is a contemplative faculty member of the Mind and Life Institute, Kripalu Center, Omega Institute, Sangha Live, One Earth Sangha, and the Barre Institute for Buddhist Studies. She is part of Clark University's Council of the Uncertain Human Future and sits on the advisory board for One Earth Sangha. Willa also leads an annual retreat for eco-activists at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge.

Willa is the author of several books including The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom, The Arts of Contemplative Care (with Dr. Cheryl Giles), and Everyday Dharma. She translated Tarantha's Lamrim in Essence of Ambrosia: A Guide to Buddhist Contemplations and is the author of several other translations of Tibetan works. Her articles have appeared in Lion's Roar, Buddhadharma, Tricycle, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Journal of Buddhist-Christian Studies, and The Tibet Journal to name a few. She is currently working on a translation of a memoir by the Dzogchen master Jigme Lingpa.