Product Description

The emphasis on the mind in meditation can be somewhat misleading: If we pay attention only to mental processes and overlook the experience of the body, we can remain stuck in our heads and not be able to break free of the involuntary thinking that we find so claustrophobic and toxic. This short, practical guide helps us embrace the fact of our embodiment—the experience of the sensations, movements, and gestures of the body—and to realize that mindfulness is the natural state of awareness of a body that has learned how to experience its feeling presence. Johnson takes us through the three primary principles of the posture of meditation: alignment, relaxation, and resilience. He devotes a large part of each chapter to specific practices to help the reader experience different aspects of physical presence. This book is of interest to meditators of all traditions—Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Jews, and others—as well as therapists, bodyworkers, and anyone interested in body-centered psychology and other natural modes of healing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #487731 in Books
• Published on: 2000-07-05
• Released on: 2000-07-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 152 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781570625183
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Amazon.com Review
"Transform the act of cooking into a dance worthy of both Nijinsky and the Buddha." This is the essence of Will Johnson's handbook for living in your body. Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient combines the body awareness of yoga, the life force, as Johnson puts it, of Taiji, and the mindfulness of Thich Nhat Hanh into a single and simple practice of attentive movement. Too often meditators and spiritual practitioners from all religions retreat into the head or heart, neglecting not only the health but the spiritual potential of the body. Through carefully constructed exercises, Johnson reintegrates body and mind, bringing the senses of vision, hearing, and tactile sensation into what he calls a unified field of shimmering awareness. After alignment and relaxation, the capstone of Johnson's practice is resilience, a harnessing of life force in every natural movement. Free of tension and buoyed by the earth's gravity, the body, a mass of coordinated activity, moves like a flock of starlings. When resilient movement is combined with unified sensation, the ground of being opens up to every moment's joyful apprehension. Learn and indulge. --Brian Bruya

From Library Journal
Johnson, director of the Institute for Embodiment Training in Cobble Hill, British Columbia, believes that the body should not be overlooked in meditation. As he points out, the Buddhist principle called mindfulnessAsensing the body's presenceAis known as "the royal road to enlightenment." The themes expressed here are largely continuations and reconstructions of those in Johnson's other book on the physical realm of meditation, The Posture of Meditation: A Practical Manual for Meditators of All Traditions. Focusing on bodily sensations and aligning the body so that it is not in opposition to gravity are stressed through numerous metaphors. Just reading Johnson's grounded and rhythmically poetic prose will put one in a meditative state. Suitable for beginning meditators or advanced meditators with somatic orientations, this book is recommended for large public libraries.ALeAnna DeAngelo, Springfield, MS
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
The term "mindfulness" stresses the importance of the mind in meditation--but as Johnson points out in this cogent, if slightly repetitive, book, the body is just as important for successful meditative practice. Proper meditation demands that the body be aligned, relaxed, and resilient. The body must fully participate in order to "create a condition in the mind that is naturally awake, aware, and mindful." Johnson first discusses the sensations that are everywhere present in our bodies (though often silenced), and then moves on to suggest techniques for cultivating "embodied mindfulness"-including exercises that call attention to one particular finger, or the scalp of the head. Johnson compares the posture of meditation to a stool with three legs, which are alignment, relaxation, and resilience. Alignment and relaxation encourage the realization that the body is fluid, not solid, while resilience allows for the body to engage in "free and unhindered motion" during meditation--a far cry from hours spent aching in the full lotus position. Throughout, Johnson comments shrilly on how our culture's dependence upon telephones, televisions, and the Internet has led to a profound loss of embodiment. Readers may wish to skip over the diatribe and begin with the practical exercises, which do help set the stage for mindful meditation. (Beliefnet, June 2000) -- From Beliefnet

Customer Reviews

An overlooked classic
This is by far one of the best books on mindfulness meditation available, although you wouldn't know it from a cursory review of the book, nor from the lack of attention it has received from reviewers. Starting from the principles of meditation posture (being aligned, relaxed, and resilient), the author moves into a discussion of mindfulness in daily life and how these principles apply as we embody mindfulness in daily life. A particular strength of this book is his focus on mindfulness of the body. It is a common misconception (even among those of us who should know better) that spirituality is about transcending the body, senses and emotions. Will Johnson shows how mindfulness of the body, senses and emotions is a gateway to profound, subtle-level experience. I can't recommend this book highly enough. On a side note, following the principles in this book has substantially reduced the physical pain I experience while sitting on retreats.