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The Body Is the Crucible of Enlightenment

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Willa Blythe Baker helps us access the body’s wisdom through an exploration of the four layers of embodiment: the physical, energetic, mental, and integrative. These layers are increasingly subtle, and Willa explains how we can develop our awareness as we attune to them. By learning to listen more closely to our bodies, we can open our hearts and liberate our minds, opening the door to a deeper engagement with the world. 

Willa Blythe Baker is a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder and spiritual codirector of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, and its retreat center Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, New Hampshire. She holds a doctorate in religious studies from Harvard University, was a visiting lecturer in Buddhist ministry at Harvard Divinity School from 2013 to 2017, and has completed twelve years of monastic training and two consecutive three-year retreats. She is also the editor, author, and translator (respectively) of The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work, Everyday Dharma, and Essence of Ambrosia.

Learn more about Willa in our Visiting Teacher profile, and watch the recording of her live meditation, dharma talk, and Q&A session on January 14, 2021 here.