While we might think of a mortal coil, great masters of the past have taught that the body is the temple, a profound source of yogic wisdom. As the Hevajra Tantra says “Great wisdom lives in the body”. This wisdom does not arise from our ideas and opinions about the body. It arises from the power of the body to draw us into the present moment, the domain of wakefulness and ease.
Join Lama Willa for a six-week online course enlivened with Buddhist textual sources and guided practice. Together we will explore the wakeful body as a domain of pilgrimage through the physical, energetic, and cognizant dimensions of experience. This course is the first of 3 modules that will be offered in 2021 exploring the body as a teacher capable of bringing innate wisdom to fruition.
Participants will have an opportunity to
- Learn to access the body’s innate wisdom
- Learn a new meditation practice each week
- Receive a weekly inspirational quote from Buddhist textual sources for personal contemplation
- Learn movements and postures that help enliven and deepen the practice of meditation
- Develop independence and confidence in embodied contemplative practice
Materials
Feb 03 — Week 1– Grounding |
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Online Resource | The Way of Mindfulness: The Satipatthana Sutta and Its Commentary |
Book Recommendation | Masters of Mahamudra: Songs and Histories of the Eighty-Four Buddhist Siddhas (Suny Series in Buddhist Studies) by Keith Bowman |
Quote | "Don't seek for isolation in a mountain retreat, the mountain of your body is the best sanctuary." ... Maitripa |
Practice Notes | Practice of the Week: Descent into Feeling |
Feb 10 — Week 2 - Relaxing |
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Link | Meditation: Befriending Anxiety |
Practice Notes | Week Two - Quote and Practice |
Feb 17 — Week 3 - Movement and Stillness |
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Practice Notes | Week Three - Quote and Practice |
Feb 24 — Week 4 - Opening & Layers |
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Practice Notes | Week Four - Quote and Practice |
Mar 3 — Week 5 - Interoception, Nadis, Mother (Central) Channel |
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Practice Notes | Week Five - Quote and Practice GROUND |
Mar 10 — Week 6 - Befriending Emotions and Untangling |
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Practice Notes | Week Six - Quote and Practice The Guest House |