Lesson series
Integrating the Energy of Head, Heart, and Body
Level 100
- 6 live online classes with guided practices
- Thursdays, January 22nd – March 5th 2026,
- 10-11:30AM Pacific time / 1-2:30 Eastern time
- Zoom link sent on registration
- Recordings available for review for 6 months after class
- A supportive learning environment for beginners
Description
Many people today describe themselves as spiritual but not religious drawn to meaning, presence, and inner truth without dogma or belief systems that no longer resonate. This Level 100 course is designed for exactly that kind of seeker.
Integrating the Energy of Head, Heart, and Body is a foundational course that offers practical tools for inner balance, clarity, and embodied awareness. Through guided practices and simple experiential exercises, you’ll learn how different centers of intelligence thinking, feeling, and physical presence interact in daily life, and how to bring them into greater harmony.
This course does not require belief, prior study, or affiliation with any religious tradition. Instead, it supports a grounded, experience-based approach to spirituality without religion, rooted in attention, presence, and lived understanding.
What you’ll explore:
- How the head, heart, and body function as distinct yet interconnected sources of insight
- Ways to calm mental overactivity while increasing clarity and discernment
- How to work skillfully with emotion, intuition, and feeling energy
- Practices that strengthen grounding, stability, and embodied presence
- How integration leads to greater ease, resilience, and openness in everyday life
What to expect:
- Six live online classes with guided practices and group reflection
- Recordings available for review and integration
- Simple tools you can use immediately in daily life
- A welcoming environment for beginners and experienced practitioners alike
Who this course is for:
- People seeking meaning, balance, or inner clarity without religious framing
- Those curious about non-religious spirituality and embodied awareness
- Anyone looking for a practical, accessible entry point into spiritual development
This Level 100 course serves as a strong foundation for further study at Dharma College, offering clarity, depth, and integration without belief-based pressure.
Format
Classes meet online for six weeks, for one and one-half hours each week. Classes are recorded, and you will have access to the recordings for your personal use only. Each week there will be guided, experiential practices, opportunity for group discussion, and short presentations by the instructor. Weekly handouts will provide the instructions you need to continue your experiential learning at home and to apply it amidst daily life. Brief readings will be supplied for those who wish to do them. An online chat room gives you the ability to dialogue with your fellow students.
Weekly Topics
Week One: Getting in Touch with the Qualities of the Heart, Head, and Abdomen
Week Two: Freeing Feeling in the Throat to Connect Heart with Head
Week Three: Finding Stability and Strength through the Body’s Abdominal Center
Week Four: Calming and Utilizing the Clarity of the Head
Week Five: Heeding the Call of the Heart
Week Six: Transforming Our Being through the Integration of Bodily Energy
Readings From
Instructor
Dr. Elon Goldstein
Elon Goldstein is Lecturer in Religious Studies at Brandeis University where he teaches on Buddhist meditation and Asian religions. From 2017-2024 he was Visiting Lecturer in Buddhist Studies at Harvard Divinity School. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University in Buddhism and South Asian Religions with training in reading Sanskrit and Tibetan religious texts. Additionally, he has a master’s from Harvard Divinity School, a master’s in Education from Claremont Graduate University, and a B.A. from Harvard University. Elon has practiced Buddhism since 1988 and is a longtime student of Tarthang Tulku’s teachings. He has two daughters with whom he and his wife share a vibrant home filled with pets.
Associate Instructor
Arwyn Wilkinson
Arwyn Wilkinson supports operations at the Ratna Ling Retreat Center and contributes to the Yeshe De Bindery and book distribution project. Concurrently, she has pursued her studies at Dharma College, where she deeply values and recommends the profound insights offered by its classes, enriching both her spiritual practice and understanding of the human experience. Prior to her involvement with Ratna Ling, Arwyn pursued studies in psychology and engaged in work with homeless and vulnerable communities. These experiences have fueled her interest in Nyingma psychology, both personally and for its broader significance in the world.
- 6 live online classes with guided practices
- Thursdays, January 22nd – March of 2026,
- 10-11:30AM Pacific time / 1-2:30 Eastern time
- Zoom link sent on registration
- Recordings available for review for 6 months after class
- A supportive learning environment for beginners