Initiated by the question Why do we need to have a body to do spiritual work?, this collection of ideas and hypotheses, which grew from a conversation in a coffee-shop, discusses the body's essential role in personal transformation and spiritual development. The crucial observation that the "body-mind" must act as an ally and collaborator in human consciousness—or essence growth—is rounded out by actual experiments meant to demonstrate the highlighted concepts. This new edition includes chapter commentaries by students and practitioners who have used the suggested techniques, and features a new introduction by the author.