The Awakening Body: Somatic Meditation for Discovering Our Deepest Life [Paperback]

A senior Buddhist teacher offers six fundamental body-based meditation practices that show the reader that enlightenment is as close to you as your own body.


Many of us experience life through so many conceptual filters that we never recognize the freedom and joy that are inherent in us—and are in fact the essence of who we are. We can grow old not realizing that one of the most powerful tools to escape the painful knots we tie ourselves in is, literally, at our fingertips: our body. 
 
Here, Reggie Ray cracks open the shell of the mind-body dichotomy and presents six fundamental body-based practices that connect us back to who we really are. These practices cut through the mental fabrications through which we experience our world and lead us directly to the richness of living a fully present, embodied human life.

Includes a link to free downloads of recorded guided practices.“Reggie Ray makes accessible some of the deepest Buddhist teachings through connection with the sensing, living body. This book will be a companion and practical guide to all those interested in discovering the wisdom of the body, whether beginners or longtime meditators.”—Peter A Levine, PhD, author ofWaking the Tiger
 
“A powerful book that brings the body fully into awakening.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center
 
“Reggie Ray’s decades of practice, study, and teaching shine throughThe Awakening Body.  For those drawn to somatic practice, this is an essential guide. The re-contextualization of ancient and deep understandings makes them highly accessible for the modern practitioner.  Reggie has become so familiar with these esoteric practices that he can explain them quite simply, revealing their true purpose for all who wish to engage them.”—Sharon Salzberg
 
“The Awakening Bodyis a vital relĂ*