George Leonard, co-founder (with Michael Murphy) of Integral Transformative Practice (ITP), was the author of numerous books on human possibilities and social change, including Education and Ecstasy, The Transformation, The Ultimate Athlete, The Silent Pulse, The End of Sex, Mastery, and The Way of Aikido. The 1995 book, The Life We Are Given, co-authored with Esalen founder Murphy, reports on a two-year experimental class in ITP created by the authors for realizing the potential of body, mind, heart, and soul. ITP Groups are now practicing not only throughout the U.S., but also in other countries as well.
From 1953 to 1970, Leonard served as a senior editor for Look magazine. He produced numerous essays and special issues on education, science, politics, the arts, the Civil Rights Movement, and foreign affairs. A collection of his Look essays was published in 1970 as “The Man & Woman Thing and Other Provocations”. His articles on education have won eleven national awards. Articles by George Leonard have also appeared in such magazines as Esquire, Harper’s, Atlantic, New York, Saturday Review, and The Nation. During the 1980’s, he wrote 42 pieces for Esquire, more than any other writer.
Leonard held a 5th-degree black belt in the martial art of aikido, and was the co-founder of an aikido school in Mill Valley, California. He was also the founder of Leonard Energy Training (LET), a practice inspired by aikido, which offers alternative ways of dealing with everyday life situations. Leonard introduced LET to more than 50,000 people in the U.S. and abroad.
George Leonard received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Noth Carolina (1948) and Doctor of Humanities degrees from Lewis and Clark College (1972), John F. Kennedy University (1985), and Saybrook Institute (2003). He was a past president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology; during his tenure, the Association’s membership reached its all-time high. He was President Emeritus of Esalen Institute. Leonard's adventures along with the human frontiers of the 1960's are described in his 1988 memoir, Walking on the Edge of the World.
Read more about George.
Pour yourself a cup of tea, relax, and read what our contributing writers have to say about the "power of the pivot," how they make their adjustments to stay connected to the energy flow, no matter what! Their stories may spark something new or familiar to try out or to simply enjoy.
Many things can startle you, causing you to become unbalanced and uncentered. At the same time, being startled by someone or something can also be viewed as a catalyst for becoming even more balanced and centered than before. For example, without denying the shock, a student who’s startled by the fact that he or she failed an exam can use the experience as an incentive to study more effectively for the next test.
Spring is in high bloom here in Northern California, prompting more time outdoors to stretch, garden, connect and soak in the beauty of the season. What awakens inside of you this time of year, wherever you are on our precious planet?
How can we honor the paradox of both being and becoming?
ITP encourages appreciation of who we are now and, at the same time, affirms the positive transformation we seek of our future selves. Both are true. What are you noticing about where you are now and where you want to be in 2023?
Learn how to open your mind and heart to stay current with both yourself and others. In this guided exercise led by co-founder George Leonard, you’ll experience how the Crystalline State can provide a means for temporarily setting aside expectations and judgements to offer clarity. This exercise will help you to move with intentionality in a balanced and centered state of being.
As we navigate life’s transition, positive outcomes await. But sometimes, something holds us back. Listen to George Leonard explain our natural inclination to resist change.
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.
The quick fix doesn’t work. Listen to ITP co-founder George Leonard as he shares his insight on how the key elements of lasting success and positive transformation require a commitment to a long-term, personal practice.
Personal, community and global evolution
This first issue of our 2022 quarterly newsletter touches on the theme of personal, community and global evolution. Our integral transformation inevitably inspires a ripple effect to include our relationships and beyond.
Experiencing the Extraordinary
Happy holidays! We wind down the year with our final issue of the ITP practice resources newsletter by focusing on the extraordinary in everyday life. These past weeks are so often a blur of to-do lists and year-end tasks. We hope that the content below offers a gentle reminder to slow down and inhabit a sense of awe in the life we are given.
The power of inquiry and research
In this issue, read about the spirit of possibility that launched ITP's first experimental class and the research our co-founders employed to verify ITP efficacy, along with subjective findings.
This month's newsletter features a number of resources to support a practice embodied in gratitude, for ourselves, each other and the gifts and "hits" we experience each day. We hope the tools below inspire you to approach this transformative journey with a sense of this heartfelt joy.
In our Summer issue, we honor ways community nurtures our ongoing growth and breathes new life into us. Enjoy viewing the videos and reading the articles about the riches found in our community. This may be an ideal moment to pause and reflect on what community means to you and to experience gratitude for the blessings of it in your life.
Exploring the Power of the ITP Kata – This month's newsletter features a number of resources to explore the power within our ITP Kata practice. We hope the tools below offer ways to deepen your connection to the Kata in its entirety, the physical movements and the imaging and meditation segments. For so many of us that have not been able to enjoy being guided through the Kata this past year, you'll also enjoy a video from ITP president and Mastery Teacher, Pam Kramer, leading us through the Kata in its entirety.
Transformative Power of Affirmations – This month's newsletter features a number of resources to support you throughout your own affirmation process and ways to keep your affirmations alive in your daily life. We hope the tools below can empower you in your practice and purpose. As always, thank you for your wholehearted participation in this community. Your own journey has a profound ripple effect on our ever-evolving global family.
Extending Our Practice Outward in Service – This month's newsletter features a number of resources to inspire you to find your own unique way to extend your practice outward into the world. Whether it is stepping on a path of Mastery in deepening your relationships or nurturing a collaborative community endeavor, we hope the tools below can empower you in your practice and purpose. As always, thank you for your wholehearted participation in this community. Your own journey has a profound ripple effect on our ever-evolving global family.
This Quarterly issue focuses on the power of vision and the worldview that informs our practice. The stories below honor our roots and illustrate how the four legs of ITP - Vision, Practice, Community and Research - continue to inform and evolve our pioneering endeavor.
A Journey of Mastery – ITP co-founder George Leonard offers us the wisdom that mastery is not about reaching perfection, but staying on the course through the peaks and plateaus.
Moments of Stillness and Peace – This month's practice resource hopes to inspire you to "open yourself to the magic of grace, that mysterious, seemingly unearned mediation that often comes when least expected." In a time of year that can often be a frenzy of to-do lists and obligations, we encourage you to lean in to your practice and enjoy the extraordinary that comes from exercises like Focused Surrender, transformational imaging and immersing yourself in the beauty of nature.
The miracle of the human body in motion – We hope this month's newsletter offers motivation in a renewed commitment, not just to exercise itself, but to also experience the sense of awe that comes with inhabiting our body in motion.
Stepping into GRACE – In this month's practice resources newsletter we honor the core of our practice, the ITP Kata. Enjoy a guided video segment on stepping into GRACE, revisit George Leonard's guidelines for the practice and listen to an ITP original song inspired by this powerful series of movements.
Our extraordinary potential – In this month's practice resources newsletter, we share an article written by our Stanford University partners on the significance of affirmations in realizing our personal evolution. We also explore the emergence of supernormal capacities in history and ways we can notice and embody our extraordinary potential.
Changing The World By Changing Your Own Heart – In this month's newsletter, we share inspiration for integrating this service element into your daily practice and offer a sense of hope in what feels like very dark times. Each of us has the potential to create a positive ripple effect, often by just being present and listening deeply to each other. As an anonymous, but very wise person reminds us, "In a world where you can be anything, be kind."
"Expect nothing. Be ready for anything." – This month we honor the soul and our extraordinary capacities waiting to be realized on this exciting path of practice. As ITP co-founder, George Leonard said; "Expect nothing. Be ready for anything." In honor of the 10th year since his passing, the resources below are inspired by his belief in the human potential. We hope that this season surprises you with a sense of awe as we walk this path of practice together.
This newsletter features the mental aspects of the integral, with our contributors sharing personal takeaways from their recent learning experiences at ITP events. Enjoy soaking up gems for your practice.
Your integral nature through mindful movement – Step on the path and enjoy your practice! This month's theme focuses on the body and your integral nature through mindful movement. We hope you find the information below helpful and inspiring.
Your integral body and ongoing transformation – The summer season is an ideal time to enjoy a deeper focus on your integral body and ongoing transformation. This month's issue of resources puts this awareness into action with tips for moving past any resistance to change, key questions for reflecting on your integral fitness and an LET exercise to go deeper in your practice.
Your integral nature through mindful movement – Step on the path and enjoy your practice! This month's theme focuses on the body and your integral nature through mindful movement. We hope you find the information below helpful and inspiring.
This newsletter showcases the physical aspect of the integral and ways to explore body-based fitness through our practice. Enjoy reading articles from our contributors on the power of Aikido, strength training, aerobics and ways to nourish the body.
The body - "a handy model of the universe" – This month's theme focuses on the body - what George Leonard calls "a handy model of the universe." We hope you enjoy this first issue that highlights the physical aspects of your practice and that the information below is both helpful and inspiring.
This issue shines light on the Heart aspect of the integral and the vast power of love - the central impulse of our practice. Our contributors take us on a journey to explore the meaning of love and the challenges we may face opening our hearts.
In this winter issue, we focus on "the budding limbs and organs of our supernature," as Michael Murphy describes our supernormal capacities in
The Future of the Body and other works. Enjoy what our writers have to say about our evolving nature.
