32 Parts with Noah Levine

32 Parts with Noah Levine

Curious about how others relate to their bodies on a spiritual path? Noah Levine brings a mix of Buddhist teaching, raw honesty and dark humour to a detailed look at what he calls “this shit‑making hot bag of water that I live in.” The talk centres on mindfulness of the body, the first foundation of mindfulness and the seventh factor of the Eightfold Path.

Rather than treating the body as a fixed, solid “me”, Noah walks the group through the classic Buddhist practice of reflecting on the 32 parts of the body – hair, skin, flesh, bones, organs, blood, and all the less glamorous fluids. It’s anatomical, but the aim isn’t to pass a biology exam. It’s to loosen the tight identification with “my body” and see it more as a process unfolding in awareness.

You’ll hear a guided body scan, reflections on the four elements (earth, water, heat and air), and some vivid imagery: butchers, bags of rice and beans, and even mindfulness of pooping. Along the way, Noah addresses sexual desire, attraction to bodies, and how seeing “beneath the skin” can soften unhelpful lust without tipping into self‑hatred or despair. The style is relaxed, earthy and direct.

Questions from the room lead into side roads like meat‑eating, conditioning, and what might remain when the body dies. Noah keeps steering things back to practice: using every aspect of the body – from breath to sweat to bowel movements – as an opportunity for present‑time, non‑judgemental awareness. If you’ve ever struggled with your body image, attachment to pleasure, or fear of ageing and death, this talk offers a grounded Buddhist map and plenty of humour to keep it human.

How might your recovery and meditation deepen if you treated your body as a vehicle for loving awareness rather than a problem to fix?