Embodying the Mystery

• Follows the author’s apprenticeships with masterful teachers, out-of-body experiences, meditation retreats in Asia, martial arts in Japan, facing his trauma at the hands of his father, and his struggles to become emotionally literate • Offers interpretations of his experiences poised as questions, reflections, and inquiries, inviting the reader to participate in what opened for the author on his quest for self-realization, including successes, failures, struggles, and enigmas Sharing profound stories, transformative incidents, and provocative situations from across his more than 7 decades of life, founding elder of the Somatics movement Richard Strozzi-Heckler explores the moments of insight and awakening that have been pivotal in forming his unique perspectives within the fields of embodiment, meditation, aikido, and leadership. Beginning with an early experience with death that revealed the universal principle of impermanence, the author takes us on a rich, textured journey into the inquiry of what it means to embody the mystery of Spirit. As we follow him through apprenticeships with masterful teachers, out-of-body experiences, meditation retreats in Asia, martial arts in Japan, facing his trauma at the hands of his father, and his struggles to become emotionally literate, we’re also taken on a path of learning, healing, and transformation. For each story, the author offers interpretations of his experiences poised as questions, reflections, and inquiries. In this way we are invited to participate on his quest for self-realization, including successes, failures, struggles, and enigmas. A deeply personal and intimate portrayal of a life’s journey through a somatic wisdom, this insightful memoir depicts the immeasurable wealth that teachers, practices, vulnerability, and community can offer the sincere seeker on an embodied spiritual path.

Richard Strozzi-Heckler has a Ph.D. in psychology and is a Shihan seventh-degree black belt in Aikido. A nationally known speaker, coach, and consultant on embodied leadership and mastery, he has spent more than five decades researching, developing, and teaching Somatics to business leaders, executive managers, teams from Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, technology start-ups, non-profits, and the U.S. government and military. He was featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal for his groundbreaking leadership program for the U.S. Marine Corps and was named one of the 50 top coaches in Profiles in Coaching. He is the founder of the Strozzi Institute, where he teaches courses on Somatic Coaching and Leadership in Action. The author of eight books, including In Search of the Warrior Spirit, he lives in Northern California.

Introduction Life Fastened to Death Baba The Friend Embodying the Practice A Broken Leg Not a Broken Spirit Doorway to a More Spacious Consciousness Stepping Outside the Self Out-of-Body Perceptions It’s All Inside You Dignifying Fear and Vulnerability Shining Light on the Shadow The Descent into Cellular Wisdom Grieving The Elegance of the Soma Moving the Energy Aikido: The Way of Harmony with Universal Energy The Protector of Spirit The Sensation of Longing Maybe It’s Working Acknowledgments About the Author