#399. How to Get Out of Your Head | Willa Blythe Baker

It is a common desire to get out of our heads, to escape the internal noise, the chatter, the Sturm und Drang, the sound and fury, etc. You hear about it in pop songs and poetry, this urge to be blown away, to transcend. But how do you actually do it?

Willa Blythe Baker can help answer this question and is a font of practical advice. She is the Founder and Spiritual Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA and its retreat center Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. She was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after twelve years of monastic training and two consecutive three-year retreats. She has a doctorate from Harvard University and is the author of the new book, The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom.

This episode talks about Willa’s new book and explores: what somatic mindfulness is; the four levels of your body; specific exercises for getting out of your head; and how to meditate without all the effort. This rangy conversation goes on all sorts of fascinating, esoteric digressions, but always comes back to the practical stuff.

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Where to find Willa Blythe Baker online: 

Website 

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Willa’s writing on Lion’s Roar

Social Media:

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Books Mentioned:

• The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom

• The Everyday Dharma: Seven Weeks to Finding the Buddha in You

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Jack Kornfield
• Rumi, “The Guest House”
• Joseph Goldstein
• Emaho - “how wondrous,” exclamation of amazement
• Alexis Santos
• Sayadaw U Tejaniya