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The Wisdom of the Body

With Willa Blythe Baker recorded on November 28, 2021.

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While we might think of the body as flesh and blood, there is so much more to this mortal coil. The body in fact may be our deepest teacher. In this session, we explore how to listen to the wisdom of the body and realize its potential to guide us to groundedness, self-honesty, presence and wisdom.

Listen to the audio version below, or click here to download the mp3.

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