The Subtle Body: Energy & Embodiment in Mindfulness Practice

Connect to the rich wisdom of the body through a month of somatic exploration and self-discovery

In the Buddha’s mindfulness teachings, he encouraged his followers to pay attention to “the body in the body.” The ancient Buddhist tantras also describe a body hidden within our physical form, a subtle layer of our being that is pure energy.

This concept is referred to as the subtle body. Awareness of the subtle body can bring radical new dimensions to our mindfulness meditation practice.

Through body awareness, we can re-interpret emotion, thinking, dullness and agitation as vibrant energies, rather than as obstacles to our awakening. When met with compassion and appreciation in the body, every mental state becomes a vehicle for liberation.

In this month-long, interactive and experiential course, Willa Blythe Baker invites you to come back into your body, connect to your deepest self, and to set out on the path of embodied awakening.

Module 1: The Body in the Body

In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha urges aspiring meditators to focus on “the body in the body.”

Similarly, Buddhist tantras speak of a hidden dimension within the physical body called the subtle body. This dimension acts as an energetic bridge between the body’s physicality and the mind’s cognition.

As we open to the vibratory, felt sense of the subtle body through meditation, we learn that ease must be embodied.

Module 2: The Anatomy of the Subtle Body

In this module, Willa will introduce the anatomy of the subtle body: pathways, prana, quintessence and energy centers.

Contemplating the anatomy of the subtle body can help us reframe peace, awareness, insight and compassion as embodied states.

Anatomical reflection and prana meditations will help us develop interoception, recognized by modern science as the “sixth sense.”

Module 3: Untangling from Within

In our third module we’ll come to realize that every sense perception, thought, and emotion expresses itself as subtle energy.

Instead of focusing on content or form, through contemplative practice with the subtle body, we encounter “energy events.”

In this module we’ll practice befriending these energy arisings, which will allow us to more easily dispel our grasping and aversion in turn.

Module 4: Embodying Wakefulness

Aside from the physical body and subtle body, there are two additional layers of embodiment mentioned in Buddhist tantras, which we will focus on in our final module:

the “innermost body,” the most subtle layer of embodiment aligned with simple bare consciousness
and the “body of integration,” a fusion of all layers.

Examining these elements of embodiment will round out our newfound somatic meditation practice.

On-Demand Course Details

Pre-Recorded Video Teachings

Filmed in high definition, educational video lessons from Willa each week will keep you engaged through mind, body, and heart.

Guided Somatic Meditations

Reach deeper levels of understanding and awareness through body-focused mindfulness practices guided by Willa.

Total Flexibility

Complete this course independently, on your own schedule, at your ideal pace. Watch and re-watch the videos as you please.

30 Day Refund Guarantee

If you're unsatisfied with the course for any reason, you can contact us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

About Willa Blythe Baker

Willa Blythe Baker, PhD is the Founder and Spiritual Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA and its retreat center Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. She was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder (lama) in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after completion of two consecutive three-year retreats in the nineties. In 2013, she received a doctorate from Harvard University in Religion, and was Visiting Lecturer in Buddhist Ministry at Harvard Divinity School 2013-2017.

Her books include Essence of Ambrosia (2005), Everyday Dharma (2009), The Arts of Contemplative Care (2012) and The Wakeful Body (2021). Her articles have appeared in Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Tricycle Magazine, the Journal of International Buddhist Studies and elsewhere. She is on the Advisory Board for One Earth Sangha, and has served as Contemplative Faculty for the Mind and Life Institute.

Willa guides meditation retreats primarily in the Northeastern United States. Her teaching interests include the wisdom of the body, non-dual awareness, compassion and eco-dharma, among other topics. Click here to learn more about Willa Blythe Baker.

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