WILL JOHNSON
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WILL JOHNSON,
Institute for Embodiment Training
Embodiment Training is a path of awakening that views the body as the doorway, not the obstacle, to personal growth and spiritual transformation. Through combining the orientation of Western somatic therapy with Eastern meditational practices, Embodiment Training leads you to the discovery of your natural, embodied state. Like the Dzogchen rigpa and the Buddhist sunyata, the embodied state has been described as "like coming home at last." The practices mix bliss (the complete surrender to the deep energies of the body) with presence (immaculate mindfulness) and provide an audacious ride to the center of what is. The Institute promotes the teaching and practices of Will Johnson.
Faraji is a Sufi word meaning "ripped opened." The insights of Embodiment Training reveal themselves the most palpably and clearly to practitioners who are exploring the physical posture of balance. Playing with balance allows the energies latent in the body to explode open. The practitioner then yields to these liberated currents of energy, allowing them to move him or her however they want. These movements spontaneously initiate the dance, and everybody's dance will be unique. The dance may range from completely surrendered and unpremeditated movement, like the Subud latihan, to more intentional stretching, like yoga asanas. There is no goal to the dance, no end place that you are trying to get to. There is only movement, surrender, and awareness, even in the asanas. The veil of the mind depends on stillness of the body. When you connect with the current that constantly wants to move, the veil lifts. We refer to these practices as Sudaba which is short for the surrendered dance of balance. The main text for this practice is Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance by Will Johnson (Inner Traditions, 2005).
Ordinarily, we think of meditation as an activity involving our minds, but in truth meditation is initiated by assuming a specific gesture with our bodies. Meditation practice that focuses on breath, balance, and body is an important technique through which we can come to a more accurate appreciation of the nature and process of embodiment. Through the practice of meditation we train ourselves to experience the truth of the present moment and purify ourselves of whatever residue makes it difficult for us to do so. Embodiment practitioners will often explore the vipassana practices of U Ba Khin as well as the Kum Nye practices of Tarthang Tulku. The basic manual for sitting practice is The Posture of Meditation (Shambhala, 1996) by Will Johnson.
As important as it is to bring a sitting meditation practice into your life, it is equally important to extend the practice throughout your day. When you get up from your cushion, you can continue with the practice through the application of embodied mindfulness: seeing what's here to be seen, hearing what's here to be heard, surrendering to the energies and sensations of the body that are here to be felt. In the practice of embodied mindfulness, the sensory fields merge together as one, and the breath breathes through the whole body. The basic manual for mindfulness practice is Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness (Shambhala, 2000) by Will Johnson.
To aid in the releasing of the armoring of the body that keeps the consciousness of union concealed, students are encouraged to explore the many different forms of bodywork and movement education. Rolfing remains the preferred form of bodywork to release the deep tensions and holdings in the body. Traeger is excellent for activating sensations. Reiki sessions can smooth out the waves that powerful bodywork stimulates. The practice of Watsu takes bodywork into the water and allows releases and surrenders that aren't so easily available on dry land. The many different breath therapies can be of great help in clearing away the restrictions to a breath that moves through the entire body. The field of bodywork is vast. Find practitioners with whom you resonate, preferably ones who view their work in the context of spiritual practices, and explore what they have to offer.
Embodiment Training focuses on the following nine practices. All practitioners explore the first six of these practices. The last three depend on circumstances and personal inclinations.
The central technique of Embodiment Training is an interactive gazing practice from the Sufi and Tantric traditions that you explore with a partner. Friends will sit down together, look into each other's eyes, hold each other's gaze, and simply surrender to whatever sensations and perceptions begin to occur. Friends are urged to explore the practice for long periods of time: hours can turn into days, days can turn into weeks, weeks can become months. Over time, the conventional sense of self dissolves, and you realize your fundamental identity as the enlightened consciousness of union. This is the primary practice that the Sufi poet and mystic Rumi explored with his beloved friend Shams during their intensive retreats together. The practice has been most graphically presented in images of the quintessential Hindu lovers, Radha and Krishna, bonded together as one through the shared connection of their gaze.
The basic manual for this practice is Rumi, Gazing at the Beloved: The Radical Practice of Beholding the Divine by Will Johnson
(Inner Traditions, 2003). This book is also available in a French translation as Rumi, Union des regards, fusion des ames (Editions du Gange, 2005)
Faraji is a Sufi word meaning "ripped opened." The insights of Embodiment Training reveal themselves the most palpably and clearly to practitioners who are exploring the physical posture of balance. Playing with balance allows the energies latent in the body to explode open. The practitioner then yields to these liberated currents of energy, allowing them to move him or her however they want. These movements spontaneously initiate the dance, and everybody's dance will be unique. The dance may range from completely surrendered and unpremeditated movement, like the Subud latihan, to more intentional stretching, like yoga asanas. There is no goal to the dance, no end place that you are trying to get to. There is only movement, surrender, and awareness, even in the asanas. The veil of the mind depends on stillness of the body. When you connect with the current that constantly wants to move, the veil lifts. We refer to these practices as Sudaba which is short for the surrendered dance of balance. The main text for this practice is Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance by Will Johnson (Inner Traditions, 2005).
Ordinarily, we think of meditation as an activity involving our minds, but in truth meditation is initiated by assuming a specific gesture with our bodies. Meditation practice that focuses on breath, balance, and body is an important technique through which we can come to a more accurate appreciation of the nature and process of embodiment. Through the practice of meditation we train ourselves to experience the truth of the present moment and purify ourselves of whatever residue makes it difficult for us to do so. Embodiment practitioners will often explore the vipassana practices of U Ba Khin as well as the Kum Nye practices of Tarthang Tulku. The basic manual for sitting practice is The Posture of Meditation (Shambhala, 1996) by Will Johnson.
As important as it is to bring a sitting meditation practice into your life, it is equally important to extend the practice throughout your day. When you get up from your cushion, you can continue with the practice through the application of embodied mindfulness: seeing what's here to be seen, hearing what's here to be heard, surrendering to the energies and sensations of the body that are here to be felt. In the practice of embodied mindfulness, the sensory fields merge together as one, and the breath breathes through the whole body. The basic manual for mindfulness practice is Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness (Shambhala, 2000) by Will Johnson.
To aid in the releasing of the armoring of the body that keeps the consciousness of union concealed, students are encouraged to explore the many different forms of bodywork and movement education. Rolfing remains the preferred form of bodywork to release the deep tensions and holdings in the body. Traeger is excellent for activating sensations. Reiki sessions can smooth out the waves that powerful bodywork stimulates. The practice of Watsu takes bodywork into the water and allows releases and surrenders that aren't so easily available on dry land. The many different breath therapies can be of great help in clearing away the restrictions to a breath that moves through the entire body. The field of bodywork is vast. Find practitioners with whom you resonate, preferably ones who view their work in the context of spiritual practices, and explore what they have to offer.
Embodiment Training focuses on the following nine practices. All practitioners explore the first six of these practices. The last three depend on circumstances and personal inclinations.
The central technique of Embodiment Training is an interactive gazing practice from the Sufi and Tantric traditions that you explore with a partner. Friends will sit down together, look into each other's eyes, hold each other's gaze, and simply surrender to whatever sensations and perceptions begin to occur. Friends are urged to explore the practice for long periods of time: hours can turn into days, days can turn into weeks, weeks can become months. Over time, the conventional sense of self dissolves, and you realize your fundamental identity as the enlightened consciousness of union. This is the primary practice that the Sufi poet and mystic Rumi explored with his beloved friend Shams during their intensive retreats together. The practice has been most graphically presented in images of the quintessential Hindu lovers, Radha and Krishna, bonded together as one through the shared connection of their gaze.
The basic manual for this practice is Rumi, Gazing at the Beloved: The Radical Practice of Beholding the Divine by Will Johnson
(Inner Traditions, 2003). This book is also available in a French translation as Rumi, Union des regards, fusion des ames (Editions du Gange, 2005)
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