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.