Awakening the Body
A 10-Week Online Course with Dr. Reggie Ray
September 15 – November 23
Our body is the most direct and perfect path to profound spiritual transformation. Through somatic meditation, we connect with the inherent wakefulness already present within our body.
Registration is open.
Download a Free Guided Somatic Meditation
Join our mailing list and receive a guided audio meditation of the 10-Points Practice, a body-scan style practice for bringing awareness into the body and releasing tension.
Uncover the wisdom of your body and deepen your meditation practice.
Awakening the Body provides practitioners with a guided, step-by-step approach to uncovering the wisdom of your body and integrating that wisdom into everyday life. You will learn ten unique somatic meditation practices to connect with the interior experience of your body, release unconscious holding and tension, and connect with the joy and freedom at the core of your being.
The course runs from September 15 — November 23, 2020. This is the first course in our Foundation Series and a prerequisite for subsequent online courses. Find out more about our foundational series here.
Registration for this program is open.
Watch an introduction to the course with Reggie Ray.
Course Features
Weekly Video Teachings
10 weekly units of hour-long video teachings by Reggie, specifically created for this online course.
Progressive Curriculum
The units unfold in a developmental sequence to foster a deepening experience of embodiment in practice.
10 Live Video Calls
Join live video calls for teachings and Q&A with Reggie, Caroline, and senior teachers.
Downloadable Content
Download the audio of all teachings and guided mediations for offline access and use.
Guided Audio Meditations
10 unique, body-based guided meditations correlate with each unit’s teaching.
Weekly Readings
Each unit features study supports with recommended readings from The Awakening Body by Reggie Ray.
Teachings & Guided Practice with Dr. Reggie Ray
Dr. Reginald “Reggie” Ray is the co-founder and Spiritual Director of the Dharma Ocean Foundation, dedicated to the evolution and flowering of the somatic teachings of Tibetan Tantra. He is a lineage holder in the tradition of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The author of many books, audio courses, and online series, Reggie’s work and teachings draw from his background as a Buddhist academic and practitioner. He holds a Ph.D. from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago in History of Religions. Reggie cofounded the Religious Studies program at Naropa University with Chögyam Trungpa, where he taught for over 30 years. Reggie remains engaged in the transmission of this lineage through his involvement with Dharma Ocean students, the creation of new offerings such as this course, and in his lifelong work as a student and as a teacher.
A Course Integrated Into Your Daily Life
Awakening the Body is designed for “householders” — for those of us who have chosen to engage in a spiritual path inside of careers, families, and the great stressors (and great opportunities) provided by living in the world, as it is. This program teaches techniques that are meant to be integrated into your daily life and helps you establish a committed practice at home.Live Support From Reggie
Reggie will offer four live sessions on Zoom to answer your questions about the teachings and practices he presents in the course curriculum. The live sessions will be recorded and posted to the course platform for later viewing.— Dr. Reggie Ray
Join the Course!
- Registration closes September 14th.
Course Curriculum
Each week, a new talk and new guided practice from Reggie will be released.
Unit 1
Talk
Fundamental Human Transformation
Guided Practice
10 Points Practice
Unit 3
Talk
Ways of Knowing
Guided Practice
Earth Descent and Earth Breathing
Unit 5
Talk
Five Invitations
Guided Practice
6 Levels of the Breath
Unit 7
Talk
Meditation as a Path of Healing
Guided Practice
Whole Body Breathing and Rooting
Unit 9
Talk
Spirituality in the Modern World
Guided Practice
Central Channel 2
Unit 2
Talk
Meditation and Individuation
Guided Practice
The Posture of Meditation
Unit 4
Talk
Aspects of the Journey
Guided Practice
Yin Breathing
Unit 6
Talk
Working with Trauma
Guided Practice
12-fold Lower Belly Breathing
Unit 8
Talk
Esoteric Tradition of the Body
Guided Practice
Central Channel 1
Unit 10
Talk
Body as Sacred Journey
Guided Practice
Dissolving with the Outbreath
Weekly Video Gatherings
There will be 10 weekly Zoom calls led by Reggie, Caroline, and senior teachers.
These call times may be subject to change. Dharma Ocean will inform students within the course platform of any changes.
A Course Preview from Reggie Ray
In this clip from the course entitled “Fundamental Human Transformation”, Reggie speaks to the contrast between our interpretation of life (the map) and our experience of it (the territory).
How Can We Practice Genuine Spirituality in the Modern World?
In this video, Reggie explores how much of the spirituality offered today is commodified and seen as something to possess. It is incapable of satisfying our deeper longing or touching the reasons why we seek a spiritual practice in the first place.
Yet there is a way for us to access the wisdom that can meet our deepest human need, a wisdom that brings us to the direct heart of our human experience. This is the path of somatic meditation.
Trust Experience
In this clip from the course, Reggie discusses how spirituality and spiritual practice have historically existed inside of mental maps. While these mental constructs were once considered above questioning, they are now viewed as arbitrary and relative. Somatic meditation, Reggie reminds us, can take us into an experience beyond any map or ideology, where we can access the deep truth of our being. Free of the limitations of any map, we can discover the territory of our own lives.
Sacred Unfolding
In this video excerpt taken from the second week of the course, “Meditation and Individuation”, Reggie discusses how all of the things we’ve experienced in our life, no matter how challenging, have established the framework for our own spiritual development.
— Reggie Ray
Join the Course!
- Registration closes September 14th.
Scholarship Information
If you currently have financial hardship and find the cost of this program prohibitive, please email us at info@dharmaocean.org for a financial assistance application prior to registration.
Questions?
If you have questions, please reach out to us: 303-652-0795 or info@dharmaocean.org
Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dharma Ocean has very limited staff. We’ll due our very best to respond to your inquiries and questions as quickly as possible. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding.