ITP’s nine Core Practice Intentions form the structure of ITP and serve as the roadmap for the journey of transformation of body, mind, heart and soul. They provide constant encouragement to ground us in our daily life and can carry us through difficult times when our energy may waiver.
The first two ITP Core Practice Intentions focus on autonomy and community – two sides of one coin. While ITP stresses the importance of individuality and free choice, there is grounding power in the support of the ITP community.
The following text about Core Practice Intentions 1 and 2 comes from Living an Extraordinary Life by ITPI Mastery Teachers Christina Grote and Pamela Kramer.
Chapter 6
Balancing Me and We: Autonomy and Community
The first two ITP core practice intentions focus on autonomy and community. Autonomy, or the self-determination, of each individual is paramount, and at the same time, a supportive community is an important aid to your practice. Although we are unique beings with our own unique goals, this is not in conflict with coming together in practice with others to create a practice community. While ITP can certainly be done alone, over the years we have found that people benefit greatly from being part of a community that supports the transformations they are seeking. A safe environment can be created within the group setting in which we are radically accepting of each other just as we are, holding each other in evolutionary love, and at the same time, helping to visualize and uphold each other’s greater possibilities. Sometimes deeper insights and growth are enabled by this field of connection that would not be available otherwise. Autonomy in combination with community results in individual empowerment supported by a group of like-minded people. These first two intentions are interdependent and balance each other.
Autonomy
CORE PRACTICE INTENTION #1
I take responsibility for my practice and for all transformations of my body and being that flow from it. While respecting my teachers and fellow practitioners, I understand that in designing and engaging in my practice, I am my own authority.
Autonomy is the first of the nine core practice intentions because, in a sense, it is the most important. Autonomy is freedom, free will, free choice, self-determination. Each of us is unique, an individual with our unique vision and purpose in the world. No one else can be you. Often times, however, we don’t trust ourselves and haven’t figured out yet who we are, so we give over our authority to those we believe know more than we do. This was a serious problem as gurus from the East came West in the sixties and even earlier. Many people were so entranced by their exotic novelty and perceived spiritual realization that they handed over their own authority and uncritically accepted teachings and practices that were sometimes harmful to them.
Leonard and Murphy observed this firsthand, and the first core practice intention was born out of their observation. They sought to have practitioners honor their own wisdom and power by paying attention to the messages of their inner voices of body, mind, heart, and soul. Heeding these messages can help us to assert our own truth and keep us safe in challenging circumstances. It is too easy to discount our own inner knowing and rely on others who we assume know more or are more evolved or enlightened than we are, perhaps because they wear beautiful robes or have a title. Of course, there are people who know more than we do, but this commitment suggests that we respect their knowledge and experience while making up our own minds about what to accept and what to reject. In the end, you are the final authority. In addition, this practice intention reminds us to take responsibility for our practice and what comes out of it. It is our practice, and the responsibility for progress or lack of it is ours alone. Notice that the word authority contains the word author within it. Being our own authority can also be taken to mean that we are authoring our own lives, forging our own path rather than let others determine it for us. We are becoming truly ourselves.
Community
A transformative community is a nearly indispensable launching pad for transformation.
—George Leonard & Michael Murphy, The Life We Are Given
There is an almost sensual longing for communion with others who have a larger vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendship between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality almost impossible to describe.
—Teilhard de Chardin
CORE PRACTICE INTENTION #2
I join in community, in vision and practice. I may also choose to practice on my own, knowing that my practice supports and is sup‑ ported by the larger ITP community.
ITP can be practiced alone, and many of the day-to-day practices will likely be done by oneself, but it is most effective when done in connection with others who are witness to one another’s transformation, giving support and feedback as requested. Practice groups create a safe space for personal sharing, with guidelines for speaking and listening to others in a healthy way. In community we are journeying together, informing each other, inspiring each other, and receiving other perspectives that may enrich our own. There may be a sense that together we are heading into new territory, embarking on an adventure, as we explore the frontiers of human possibility as well as our own backyards. Does this focus on coming together with others conflict with the commitment to autonomy? We don’t think so. When people engage in community—whether it be with family, friends, or a dedicated ITP group—they do not have to give up their autonomy. We do not lose ourselves in community but rather we gift the community with our own unique expression, and in turn we are enriched by the uniqueness of others who share in this enterprise of transformation. Longtime practitioner and social entrepreneur Emanuel Kuntzelman noted that the most significant change in himself has come as a result of the examples set by members of the ITP community. When practicing in community, we provide support for each other’s transformational aspirations. George Leonard modeled ITP partly on the structure of Dean Ornish’s program for reversing heart disease, in which he participated. The program included group support as well as diet and exercise, and that community element was found to be a very important factor in the success of the program. The same is true for ITP.
Since most of us live in a culture that isn’t always conducive to long-term practice for personal growth and transformation, it is helpful to be connected to others in a like-minded practice group. One of our greatest strengths as human beings is our ability to support one another as well as to adapt to changing circumstances. Evolutionary science is now recognizing this. Our success does not come down to the survival of the selfish, as most of us were once taught. In fact, it turns out that communities that cooperate and share are the ones who fare best in the long run. Those who cooperate survive, as proposed by evolutionary biologist David Sloane Wilson in his book This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution. The challenges humanity faces today are daunting, however, and we believe that the way forward now leans toward the collective. We can see more and go further together than we can on our own.
Sharing the Highs and the Lows
As this is a transformative practice, you will most likely experience a shift in your being if you wholeheartedly engage with it. You may experience the joy of moments of pure presence or the fear of losing a part of yourself that you have long identified with. As you go through the process, these transformations can challenge the status quo of your life and you may feel uneasy as new vistas open up. During these times— the joyful and the difficult—it is extremely helpful to share your experiences with other practitioners. This is especially true when you are experiencing something that may be hard for you to understand or integrate in your life. ITP communities are meant to be safe spaces for sharing the transformations that may arise as a result of your practice. It is particularly important to be able to share any extraordinary experiences with other like-minded people. When something happens to you that is outside your normal range of experience, it can be easy to dismiss it, or to bury it away for fear of how others will react. The more we share such experiences in contexts where others are open to them, the more normalized they can become in our owns minds and eventually in our culture. Also, as not all transformations are positive, your community can act as a mirror for you, letting you know that it may be time for a course correction. For those who may not be comfortable sharing their experience in group settings, it can be helpful to have a practice buddy or a coach to check in with periodically who can keep you on track.
“The Long Body”
“The Long Body” is a term once used by the Iroquois Native Americans to describe the felt sense of connection between tribal members—a sense that their bodies extended beyond their own skin. They didn’t mean symbolic contact. They meant that they could actually experience each other’s state of being regardless of being separated by time and space.1 We use the term Long Body in ITP to signify the “field effect” that is generated when a group of people are in practice together. The Long Body can be thought of as a field of shared consciousness that nourishes and supports us all, holding our shared intentions for transformation. This field isn’t localized, so as you practice you can tune in to the community of ITP practitioners around the world. In Africa, the Zulus have a similar concept, captured in a word that signifies the interdependence and oneness of humanity: Ubuntu, meaning roughly, “I am because you are.” This may take the idea of the Long Body even further, indicating that in some sense, we cocreate each other through our relationships. In this view, it is only through relationship that we reach our full human potential and become truly ourselves.
In Our Own Words—Christina Grote
Many years ago, I had a powerful dream that illustrated the power of collective vision quite literally. In my dream I was sitting outdoors at an easel, painting. Although the dream was in color, the painting on the easel was black and white. A few people appeared behind me, out of sight but strongly present. Suddenly, the painting transformed from black and white to full color. For me, the message was clear—we cocreate our reality and we need each other to bring our visions to life. “I am because we are.”
A Little About ITP Groups
ITP groups have formed in the United States and in many countries around the world. Typically, groups meet continuously throughout the year, weekly or biweekly, either virtually or in person. Members practice the ITP Kata together and allow time for personal sharing of their experience of the practice. Often there are instructional programs on various aspects of the practice and on topics of interest to the community. These are not therapy groups, nor are they intended to replace professional help if you are struggling with issues of concern, whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. Their primary function is to provide support for individual practice. If you are interested in joining or starting an ITP group, please visit itp-international.org for more information.
1. Roll, “Psi and the Long Body.”