Diamond Body Practice

Dynamic Mudras from the Diamond Approach

Recording Only.
This event took place June 18 - 19, July 2, 16, & 23

Discover the Gifts of Embodiment

Our body has an inherent affinity for and attunement to Presence. It is a natural potential for us to be able to sense and express the richness of our spiritual nature through our bodies. It has long been known that particular postures and movements we make with our body, classically called ‘mudras’ or ‘sacred gestures,’ when done with awareness and presence, can bring the body into resonance with certain spiritual qualities.

Originally called ‘Five Movements,’ the Diamond Body Practice was developed by Linda Krier at Hameed’s request, and first taught in 2008. Over the years, the practice has deepened and evolved as a way for us to become more intimate with our inner experience by entering deeply into our body in the moment.  

The movements or ‘body prayers’ are invitations to enter into certain aspects of the teaching in an embodied way. This evolution as well as the addition of two new movements prompted the change of name from Five Movements to the ‘Diamond Body Practice.’ 

This is a dynamic and living practice, which is continuing to be refined and to reveal its possibilities. Variations on the form itself, as well as the depth to which it can take us, are evolving as it comes alive in the bodies and souls of those practicing.

Some of the gifts of the practice as reported by students:

Brings them closer to and transforms their relationship with their body
Deepens their sense of being embodied more fully throughout the day
Awakens and calms the body
Regulates the nervous system
Strengthens their capacity to stay with difficult or painful experiences

The movements of the practice are simple, accessible to anyone regardless of physical condition, and are based on sound body mechanics as well as spiritual principles. Learning the Diamond Body Practice can give us a means to deepen our connection to our inner Presence through sensitive, respectful, and attuned listening to our moving body.

“This [practice] is a support for realization, actualization, and embodiment, allowing us to engage the ways that inner experience comes into the physical world. As is the case with all real practices, in the beginning we engage them on the surface, engaging the skeleton and mechanics of the “form.” The impact deepens as we practice. The potential of this practice is far reaching.”

- Karen Johnson, co-founder of the Diamond Approach

In this program you will learn...

The movements of the Diamond Body Practice

How to approach your body with deep listening and respect for the living consciousness that it is

How the practice can support your sensitivity to and intimacy with your embodied experience

How your body is a portal to the interior of your soul and presence

The wisdom of each of the movements and their connection to qualities of Presence in the Diamond Approach Path

How the wisdom of each movement can be embodied in everyday experience

How this movement practice can be a support for your practice of meditation and inquiry

What You’ll Receive When You Enroll...

A recording of the online workshop including teachings, guided meditations, and interactive exercises

Recorded Q&C sessions where you will learn from the teachers and others in the program

Meet Your Teachers

Linda Krier

Linda Krier has followed her passion for understanding the body as a form of spiritual consciousness as a teacher of the Diamond Approach since 1983, and as an Aston-Patterning bodywork practitioner since 1976.  She created the Diamond Body Practice, a movement practice that arises from the logos of the Diamond Approach and supports students in engaging the sacred wisdom of their body. As a Diamond Approach teacher Linda works with individuals and groups in the US and internationally, and is on the training staff of the Ridhwan Foundation.   She is a former faculty member of the Aston Training Center and adjunct faculty of Somatic Psychology at Naropa University.

Greg Knight

Greg Knight began his explorations of consciousness, movement, and embodiment in 1988, and is a long-time bodyworker and movement teacher. With a private practice in Rolfing Structural Integration since 1994, Greg’s work and personal interests incorporate years of studying movement and body-based systems such as continuum, t’ai chi, chi kung, and yoga. A student of the Diamond Approach for twenty-six years, and a Diamond Approach Teacher for the last seven years, Greg works with individuals and groups in the U.S., and leads Diamond Body Practice Trainings for students in the Ridhwan School internationally.

Student Experiences

“I have practiced almost every day for the past two weeks and it has truly transformed the way I inhabit my body – I feel very grateful to you!” -Eme C

“Once you are familiar with DBP and explored it more for yourself, you can do it, parts of it, anywhere, anytime; such freedom.” -Anonymous

“More than any other practice, DBP is showing me what it means to live a completely embodied spiritual life in regular daily life. It feels as if I am just starting to touch on the potential.” -Anonymous

“Learning with Linda Krier and Gregory Knight activated new pathways of sensing and listening to body parts in subtle ways. Ongoing inquiry with and in body movements of DBP feels like discovering a new map of wisdom to me.” -Meirav S

“After taking the Diamond Body Practice sessions, I have found myself engaging with the practice nearly every day. Bringing presence and breath to my body every day helps me feel and work with my body boundaries and opens me up to inquire into where I am. It’s been incredibly supportive.” -Jared H

“The Diamond Body Practice has enrichened my life and my practice in a way, that I couldn`t ever imagine. It has given me the opportunity to be more in my body and be more my body. It provides a way to explore and to do an inquiry by aligning in and with the body. The bodysoul is invited to open up to feelings, sensations and patterns and to express itself, which can lead to deep understandings. The DBP has helped me to listen to my body and to ask myself, ‘What is here today in this moment?’ It is like opening a door and not knowing, what is inside. I feel that I learn to love and understand my body/soul. So much gratitude.” -Ellen B

“I find the [Diamond Body Practice] to stabilize and ground me in my body. It brings an openness and an attention to my breath and breathing. I feel and sense an expansive wholeness with it as well as a remembering of alignment…It brings me to listening to what is it my body needs or would like to express or is expressing. I feel greater attunement and a unity. This Practice has become one of the most important practices to and for me as a support in my life and as a support for and in the Diamond Path. For me its value has become priceless & immeasurable.” -Janice C

“The DBP practice has become very special to me. What I notice is a deeper sense of being in my body all the time. Having lived in this body for so many years as a highly trained dancer/yogi it is a relief and a blessing to have a practice that really asks nothing more than presence and landing in my felt sense in all its subtle dimensions. I experience myself as a fleshy, fluid, plumpness, moving and flowing and at home in this dear and miraculous vessel and the nuances of experience are more accessible because I am here.” -Christine F.

FAQ

What is the Ridhwan School?

“Ridhwan” is a Sufi word. It means “satisfied and satisfying.” Our school, home to more than 4,000 students across the globe, has the potential to both help you to be fulfilled and to help others be fulfilled. Students learn to ground, sensitize, recognize, and trust the inherent guidance of Being.

What is the Diamond Approach?

The Diamond Approach is the core teaching of the Ridhwan School, a spiritual path that approaches our ordinary experiences, emotions, and sensations in a friendly way of understanding. This radical acceptance of our situation allows something to come through that puts us in touch with our spirituality.

In the Diamond Approach, everything we experience is utilized as a doorway to our spiritual nature. Rather than negating or seeking to transcend parts of our humanness that are considered barriers to realization, we learn to approach each aspect of our physical, emotional, and mental experience with acceptance and open curiosity to discover its truth. We do meditation and other exercises, but the main method is Diamond Inquiry™: non-judgment of what we’re experiencing, which brings crisp clarity into one’s own truth.

What’s included in the program?

A recording of the online workshop where you’ll hear talks from Linda Krier and Greg Knight, participate in guided meditations and experiential exercises, and learn from other participants in the Q&C sessions.

Are the sessions live or pre-recorded?

This is a recording of an online workshop.

Will you be mailing anything to me or is everything digital?

Once payment is received you will receive an email with your login details, then you are officially in! You will receive everything in your email inbox, including instructions on how to access the program. Please be sure to check your spam folder if you can’t find the email and add us to your ‘safe sender’ list.

Do you offer financial assistance such as scholarships for online courses?

Yes! To apply for financial assistance for any of our courses, click here to complete a scholarship application.

What if I have questions?

We’re here to support you on your journey and help with any questions you may have about enrolling and accessing the course. For support please email daosupport@ridhwan.org. Be sure to add this address to your contact list so we don’t end up in your Junk/Spam/Promotions folder. But please check there just in case!

Is there a refund policy?

Yes. If you are dissatisfied with the course —for any reason—simply contact us within 30 days of course enrollment.

Are You Ready to Explore
the “Diamond Body Practice”?

To make online spiritual support more accessible to our global community, we offer two additional “Pay It Forward” payment options in addition to the regular fee. For those who need help, we offer a reduced tuition option, and for those who are able to help, we offer the chance to add a “Pay It Forward” addition to regular tuition, with those additions going directly to provide scholarship opportunities for others.