Balance of Body, Balance of Mind: A Rolfer's Vision of Buddhist Practice in the West

by Johnson, Will

• ISBN13: 9780893341633
• ISBN10: 0893341630
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-07-01
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

Ancient Buddhist meditations and modern Western somatic therapy are united by their healing capabilities in this fascinating book. Both philosophies recognize that a structurally balanced human body is the key to a mentally and emotionally balanced human mind. The beautiful simplicity of the healing techniques and explanations detailed within will ensure that you attain the spiritual and physical balance needed to create an optimum environment for yourself.

Author Biography

A distinguished graduate of Princeton University, Will Johnson studied with Ida Rolf and Emmett Hutchins at the Rolf Institute in Boulder, Colorado before receiving his certification in 1976. He has maintained an active Rolfing practice ever since and has worked in Canada, the United States, India and Greece. In 1987 he founded the Institute for Embodiment Training to offer individual and group programs synthesizing Western somatic therapy with Buddhist meditational attitudes.

Table of Contents

Dedication and Acknowledgments	p. i
Introduction	p. iii
The Conditions of Balance
Balance of Body, Balance of Mind	p. 3
The Two Faces of Gravity	p. 7
Suffering and its Causes	p. 13
Pain	p. 19
Body	p. 27
Time, Present Time, and Change	p. 33
Surrender	p. 37
The Middle Way	p. 43
Weight, Weightlessness, and Grace	p. 45
Breath	p. 49
Stillness and Movement	p. 55
Sitting	p. 57
Gravity Dance	p. 67
Path and Goal	p. 73
Sound, Vision, and the Components of Reality	p. 79
Metta	p. 89
The Experience of Balance
The Experience of Balance	p. 95
Whole Body	p. 97
Body and Mind	p. 101
Embodied Presence	p. 105
Ourobouros	p. 107
Exhalation and Pause	p. 111
Full-Bodied Breath	p. 115
Heart and Breath	p. 121
Balanced Body, Allowing Body	p. 125
Luminous Vision, Luminous World	p. 129
Penetrating Sound	p. 135
Large Body: The Mandala of Reality	p. 139
The Locus of Experience	p. 149
Sacred Space	p. 153
In Conclusion	p. 157
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