Introduction

For more than 25 years The Body Electric School has been and continues to be a unique resource for people seeking to be more comfortable in their bodies and for those who are looking to connect on deeper levels with others. People register for classes for a variety of reasons and the results are usually surprising and often extremely satisfying.

Please take a look at our offerings. There are many opportunities for exploring your path as an erotic and spiritual being.

Please feel welcome to contact us if anything you see here stirs your imagination. Educating our erotic bodies is one of life's great adventures. At Body Electric we celebrate the body's capacity to serve as a truly valuable and authentic guide for wisdom and insight. We welcome your curiosity. We welcome your desire to learn more about yourself. We welcome your potential for joy and growth.

Mission statement

The work of Body Electric is to help people experience their potential as fully integrated, loving and self-aware beings through personal growth exercises, touch, conscious breath, and honoring the wisdom of the body. The individual’s work can then affect healthy and positive changes within many communities.

Welcome to The Body Electric School!

A message from the new Director

In 2011, the school under new ownership has a new energy as we work to create vibrant programs, invigorate our current offerings with new material and approaches, train new faculty, and aggressively promote Body Electric in new and different ways to let more people know of this transformative work. We look to 2012 with great excitement.

In 2012 we are instituting two new programs:

1) Referral credits - As a graduate of The Body Electric School’s programs, if you refer someone who has never experienced our work to an entry-level workshop (Celebrating the Body Erotic or Tantra 1), you will be eligible for a $50 credit once they have completed the workshop. There is no limit to how many credits you may receive. The referral must be noted at the time of initial registration. Credits will be applied to your account for future workshops or intensive programs once the individual completes the workshop.

2) Friends of Body Electric - To support the ongoing needs of development, we are creating this new program that, for an annual fee of $5000, covers tuition for as many workshops and intensive programs as desired throughout the calendar year. Room and board at residential programs is additional. Contact the Registrar if you are interested (info@b-e-school.com).

For many years the primary focus of our work has been on men and will continue to be so. This year, however, we saw expansion of our work and the creation of a new offering: Out of the Boxes - Celebrating the Queer Body Erotic. This workshop, while fraught with new challenges in gender inclusion, saw a large enrollment and tremendous work by staff and participants alike. As the world around us evolves, it is evident that the work of Body Electric is still important and necessary.

Workshops for women have existed at The Body Electric School since 1993. In 2012 we are expanding our offerings across the country to bring more women into this work. Our newest offering for women, Pulse, will return in 2012 at the Bodhi Retreat Center in New Mexico. It was an astounding program and we are excited to bring it back.

We also brought back two programs in 2011 combining men and women: Two Spirits and Tantra for Men & Women. Both were highly successful and participants have asked us for more. So in 2012 we have added a number of all-gender programs to meet this growing need. As Mark Fleming, one of our tantra instructors has said to us men, “Even if you’ve never had an experience with a woman, try these workshops. You will learn a great deal and experience a different kind of love.” And he is right.

The work of The Body Electric School began in 1984 to address the needs of men newly diagnosed with HIV. As we pondered what other groups would benefit from our work, we came up with two about which you will hear more as we progress. In 2012, we are going to explore these two populations with focus groups and trial programs to determine how our work can best assist them.

Last but not least, in 2012 we bring a new version of Celebrating the Body Erotic for Male Couples. In response to the demand for creating community we have created Celebrating the Body Erotic Reunions in two locations. Look for more on community building to come in 2012.

We have also created our first program in the Dominican Republic in cooperation with Source Events with our entry-level course, Celebrating the Body Erotic for Men at Caliente Caribe in March. Tied into Gay Men’s Week, it will be the perfect winter-getaway for those who enjoy this work and seek a sun-filled holiday in the middle of winter.

To assist those in need, we have instituted a new scholarship program that will be managed by an independent committee. Until The Body Electric School creates its own non-profit arm, the scholarship fund will be managed by our partner, Easton Mountain, creating the capability for tax-deductible donations. Donations may be made for general use, in memory of a loved one, for youth, or other specific purposes. For more information, please contact Bob Hampton (scholarships@b-e-school.com) who has graciously agreed to become Chair of the Scholarship Committee.

We believe that change is good and the generation of fresh ideas will result in new and exciting programming. We hope to see you in 2012.

Yours truly,

Tom Berry
Managing Director
The Body Electric School
tberry@b-e-school.com