What is Integral Life Practice?
Since I’ve recently co-authored a book titled Integral Life Practice, I am often asked, “What is ILP?”
Integral Life Practice is best understood not as a new approach to personal growth, but as a clarifying, highly-efficient way of approaching (and understanding) every and any approach to personal growth.
At a certain point in the school of life, we spontaneously begin to want to evolve—we want to wake up, to see more clearly, to open up, to love more, to show up more completely in every moment of living. We want to “be all that we can be.” We want to grow in awareness, care, and presence. In various ways, we begin, sincerely, to cultivate personal excellence. Integral Life Practice (often referred to by its acronym, “ILP”) is simply smart, up-to-date way to understand and practice that universal matter. It is a way to more quickly and authentically wake up, show up, open up, and live fully.
Although personal growth always involves realizing greater wholeness, it is usually approached in a fragmented way. Implicit messages tell us that peak performance in business (or sports) is entirely distinct from getting a liberal education. And both are entirely separate from the matter of attaining wisdom or spiritual maturity. But they’re not.
In fact, a core principle of ILP is “Integral cross-training.” It’s based on a key insight. New meditators who take up strength training grow faster in meditation than those who do not. Why? Meditation and strength training have nothing to do with each other, right? Well, yes and no. Each human being is holistic and interconnected. So if you do shadow work, your meditation will not get stuck in ways that it otherwise might. If your mind becomes more flexible and open and clear, your spiritual growth will have smoother sailing.
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