Awakening Through the Nine Bodies - by Phillip Moffitt (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This "beautiful" illustrated guide for meditation and yoga students of all spiritual traditions "offers subtle and vast teachings on the mystery of the body and mind" (Jack Kornfield, author of No Time Like the Present).

Based on meditation practices Phillip Moffitt learned twenty years ago from Himalayan yoga master Sri Swami Balyogi Premvarni, this beautifully illustrated book is a guide to exploring the nature of mind and gaining a better understanding of experiences that arise during meditation. The Nine Bodies teachings map out a journey that starts with consciousness that arises in the physical body and is directly observable, and then travels through ever more subtle levels of consciousness to that which is not manifest and is only potential, and therefore has to be inferred. The book includes a series of mysterious illustrations that Balyogi created during his time of intense Samadhi explorations. Each illustration is a rich composition of symbols that express aspects of inner experiences that are almost impossible to express with language.

Moffitt makes these teachings available for meditation students from all spiritual traditions to use as gateways for exploring the nature of mind and as additional means for tracking and classifying meditative experiences. Students of yoga will also find value in the teachings of the Nine Bodies as they provide a means for contextualizing and connecting with yogic teachings on chakras, koshas, gunas, and the Three Bodies.

Review Quotes

"In this remarkable book, Phillip Moffitt presents a subtle and original description of the many layers of human consciousness, leading to the depths of liberating realization. Moffitt's understanding is relevant for students from both yogic and Buddhist backgrounds."
--Guy Armstrong, author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators

"How can we map the inner terrain of consciousness, locate ourselves within it, and even choose to travel in different dimensions to discover ever more subtle qualities of existence? Awakening through the Nine Bodies directly addresses these perennial queries. I will be enjoying this book for years to come and highly recommend it to all those seeking true inner freedom."
--Sarah Powers, cofounder of the Insight Yoga Institute and author of Insight Yoga

"This beautiful book offers subtle and vast teachings on the mystery of the body and mind--combined with paintings by an Indian master that evoke deepening states of meditative awareness."
--Jack Kornfield, author of No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are

"Awakening through the Nine Bodies is at once a vivid map connecting the vast territories of consciousness, a practical guide that can immediately be put to liberating use, the tale of a unique spiritual apprenticeship, transmission of a precious lineage that otherwise might be lost, a bridge between various yogic and Buddhist models, and an invigorating call to awaken."
--Chip Hartranft, author of The Yoga-Sutra of Patañjali: A New Translation with Commentary

About the Author

Phillip Moffitt is a Buddhist meditation teacher and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served as co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center since 2010 and leads meditation retreats throughout the United States. His teacher, the Venerable Ajahn Sumedho, inspired his book on the Four Noble Truths, Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering (Rodale, 2008).

Prior to immersing himself in the study of Theravadan Buddhism, Moffitt spent over ten years studying and practicing yoga with teachers in the Sivananda and Iyengar traditions. He has written numerous articles for both Buddhist and yoga magazines and journals.

In addition to teaching meditation, Moffitt is the president of Life Balance Institute, which he founded in 1995. In his work at the institute, he trains individuals and groups in the principles of values-based leadership and living with an emphasis on how to skillfully make major transitions. His book, Emotional Chaos to Clarity (Penguin, 2012), presents many of the principles that he uses in Life Balance work.

Before becoming a meditation teacher and founding Life Balance Institute, Moffitt was editor-in-chief and CEO of Esquire and led the successful turnaround of the magazine in the 1980s.