• Explores the culminating instruction of the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta to breathe through the whole body

• Teaches you how to alter your physiology to move beyond the static consciousness of mindfulness to a natural, spontaneous state of embodied awareness

• Provides instruction and somatic koans for practicing the core principles of radiant mindfulness—awakening the body, liberating the breath, and opening up to vision and sound

Drawing on the Buddha’s teachings, Will Johnson provides a daily practice that moves beyond the static consciousness of mindfulness to a natural, spontaneous state of embodied awareness. Acknowledging the foundational importance and structural limitations of mindfulness practice, he explores the often overlooked culminating instruction of the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta to breathe through the whole body.

Through reflections and meditations, or what he calls somatic koans, Johnson shows you how to alter your physiology to change consciousness. He explains how to move through levels of conscious awareness, from the passive observation of the breath and the reality of this present moment to radiant mindfulness—an awakening of the body, liberation of breath, and opening up to vision and sound. In this state, the “I” disappears but awareness becomes heightened and unfiltered, allowing a direct experience of unity with the world and within oneself.

This book offers ways to spontaneously achieve the enlightened state beyond the mind that the Buddha taught as the true goal of meditation. The simple yet profound practice of radiant mindfulness can transform everyday life into a path of spiritual awakening.

Will Johnson is the director of the Institute for Embodiment Training and the founder of Bambu Hueco, a retreat center in Costa Rica that views the body as the doorway to spiritual growth and transformation. The author of several books, including Breathing through the Whole Body, The Radical Path of Somatic Dharma, Breathing as a Spiritual Practice, and Eyes Wide Open, he teaches a deeply body-oriented approach to sitting meditation at Buddhist centers around the world. He lives in Costa Rica.

Introduction: Back to the Future

• PART 1 •

Foundations of Radiance

You Are How You Breathe

The Path of the Dropping of Prefixes:
From Unconsciousness to Sciousness

• PART 2 •

The Practice of
Radiant Mindfulness

The Two Prerequisites

The First Prerequisite

The Second Prerequisite

Rising and Falling

Rising and Falling of the Belly

Rising and Falling through the
Whole Body

Freeing Your Neck

Radiant Vision, Radiant Sound

Removing the Virtual Virtual-Reality Headset

Softening Vision

Adding Sound to Vision

Walking on the Earth

Walking with Grace

Moving through Life

The Radiant Glow of Loving-Kindness

Loving Yourself

Kiss of Love

Reverse Engineering Enlightenment

Recipe for Radiant Mindfulness

Instructions on Breathing from the
Satipatthana Sutta

Radiant Breathing through the
Whole Body

Rocketing to Inner Space and Back

Ten Breaths of Radiance

Afterword: The Birthing of Western Dharma

Author’s Note

The Song of Radiant Mindfulness