Kata

The practice of GRACE is the opening move of the ITP Kata: Ground, Relax, Aware, Center and Energize. These steps can be called into action any time we need to come into the present moment. Beyond the acronym, grace is a powerful energy, a transmission of divine love or a higher consciousness that is freely given, often unexpectedly, received but not directly earned. ITPI board member and co-author of Living an Extraordinary Life Christina Grote talks about how ITP practices open us up to grace.

The Kata begins with grounding – a powerful and profound place to begin. ITP practitioner Dusty Niles describes how grounding activates a source of energy alive within us all. It also activates imagination and so much more.

Relaxing during GRACE is not just about physical relaxation; it’s about letting go of tension and emotions. Armando Cardenas, of ITPI México, describes what RELAX feels like for him and how its effects ripple through his daily life.

ITP practitioner Matthew Steinbach takes what he’s gleaned about awareness for the Kata and endeavors to pass it on to his students of golf. He sees awareness in three dimensions: the inner self, the outer self, and the loss of self in the time-space continuum. “I have the honor and privilege to coach high performance student-athletes in a crucial/transitional time in their lives and while the journey begins with the game of golf, through an integral model focused on building awareness, I hope to guide them to a greater purpose in life’s journey.”

Lois Martin, member of Tulsa ITP, considers how centering creates a sense of balance and harmony. This is preparation for the Kata. It also is preparation for starting a new day. “My centering creates space to be who I am and to feel the energies of the present moment.”

The last step of GRACE at the beginning of the Kata is ENERGIZE. ITPI member Jill Robinson describes it as “a calm, yet alert sense of aliveness.” This energy sets up a readiness for the movements of the Kata. It can also nourish the activities in the rest of the day.

The practice of GRACE before the Kata sometimes runs through our minds automatically. But greater gifts come with closer examination. ITP Mastery teacher Charlotte Hatch takes us step-by-step through the best of her practice and reflects on how it affects her life.

Learn how ITP practices benefit daily life for ITPI board member Rudy Collins. He points out that transformation does not always come as a quantum change. “I have come to realize that transformation, for me, tends to occur from sustained and consistent practice of sometimes small acts.”

Our feelings of generosity toward others can be enhanced by cultivating Evolutionary Love. One way to develop evolutionary love is by sending blessings. Here is some helpful guidance.

The Ebb and Flow Rowing practice found in the Kata is a wonderful opportunity to visualize generously extending your gifts out to the world and lovingly receiving back. The back-and-forth motion evokes a sense of balance and a purification practice for one’s entire being. Generosity in action as a generous gift to oneself!

Learn more about Rachel Hamilton and the ways that a "bad boyfriend" experience opened her life to an ITP practice that enhances her life. Read what generosity means to her. “Generosity is the impulse to share what I have with others. I particularly love to share my spaces and my energy to create sweet gatherings. Vitamin C(onnection) is something we all need, and I love being the person to create the space for us to be with one another and be alive with one another, whether it be to share joy or to process grief.”

ITP honors the body as an amazing teacher and guide. Further, we believe that the body is capable of transformation in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. ITP includes several practices to enhance the health of the body, such as the ITP Kata, aerobic exercise, strength training, and conscious eating. The body is our foundation, our vehicle to express ourselves in the world, and it requires appropriate care to realize its fullest potential.

Josh Brahinsky is a Psychological Anthropologist, working over the past few years in Anthropology at Stanford University, Psychology at UC Berkeley, and now in Transcultural Psychiatry at McGill University. He joined a team of researchers to examine ITP and its effect on its practitioners. This project took him beyond academia.

An ITP practice can bring surprising and gratifying physical changes. Walking 10 to 15 miles a day sounds like a challenge to a body at any age. Lucy Piper took herself to northwestern Spain to commemorate her 80th birthday on an ancient trail.

Learn more about Matthew Steinbach and how ITP has brought new insights to his daily life and his role as a coach to student-athletes. “I firmly believe we are on the edge of cultural transition towards integral transformative practice. My work with the younger generations leaves me full of promise and optimism.”

Inspired at Esalen, built in Oklahoma – that’s the righteous road Bob Doenges describes in this interview with Annie Ellicott, ITP Tulsa and Integral Leadership Mastery member. Bob describes the beginnings of the ITP Tulsa community that he formed years ago; the two ITP Tulsa groups continue to flourish to this day.

A key component of ITP focuses on cultivating an ongoing practice. Regular practice is seen as essential for achieving lasting transformation and growth. Practice allows us to develop and refine our skills, acquire new knowledge, form healthy habits, achieve mastery, and build resilience. Through physical, mental or spiritual practice, consistency and intentionality have a transformative impact on our lives.

Hello! I’m Sally Isaacs, writing to you from Oradell, New Jersey. I’m stepping in to collaborate with the ITP team to produce the ITPI quarterly newsletters. I’m the reason that the theme of this Winter Newsletter is “ITP Essentials.” I have been a member of ITP for many years. But I’ve stayed on the periphery. I practice the Kata alone. I write, revise, and lean into my affirmations.

Sometimes everyday situations can throw us off balance – a long line at the supermarket, holding the phone for some tech support, the waiting room of the doctor’s office. A Balancing and Centering exercise can be just what we need to return to a calm and accepting state. At the February ITPI Open House (on Zoom), Lucy Piper led this nearly 11-minute exercise that will help you find your center during life’s challenges.

After over three years in development, ITP is proud to announce a new book that describes the genesis of ITP, its evolution and future aims. Living an Extraordinary Life: The Magic of Integral Transformative Practice, co-authored by Christina Grote and Pam Kramer, is scheduled for release in early March. Stay tuned for an official release email. Enjoy this interview with Pam Kramer as she answers some questions about the new book.

Learn more about Sally Isaacs and the experience and insight she's gained as a practitioner. She shares; "I am inspired by the concept of transformation. Through words and practice, I believe we can change how we feel and the course our life takes each day."

Bring your entire being into balance during this guided ITP exercise led by co-founder George Leonard. Using the foundational practices of ITP and Leonard Energy Training, you’ll gain an understanding of why being centered sets the course for a harmonious and balanced life, and how to return to your center during life’s challenges.

Get a deeper sense of the core practices that form the foundation of ITP in this 24-minute audio excerpt from the book, The Life We Are Given, read by co-authors and founders George Leonard and Michael Murphy.

Learn more about Michelle Fontaine and the experience and insight she's gained as a long-time practitioner and member of ITP San Rafael. "As a licensed psychotherapist I can say with certainty that my day-to-day work with clients has been improved by my experiences with ITP in major ways."

The powers of body, mind, heart and soul which, when balanced and integrated, awaken us to infinite possibilities for greater life. While the Kata is an extremely effective way to integrate and support body, mind, heart and soul evolution, I sought to bring these quadrants of being together through another passion – exercise.

Committing to an ITP Kata practice requires discipline and the rewards are truly life-changing. There is a reason long-time practitioners shine their beautiful light upon the transformative nature of a daily Kata practice.

This guided video on basic centering, from ITP's Leonard Energy Training, provides an easy path to somatic balance and awareness of center. In the ITP worldview, a change in the condition of the body, mind, heart, or soul affects the whole person and so it follows that a balanced body leads to a balanced life.

Ten-year ITP practitioner and ITP Tulsa group member, Ken Piper, shares his experience and unexpected ways he’s grown during these past few years, and how the Kata continues to be “brilliant by design” no matter the setting.