What makes cooperation in a community different from cooperating with just one other person? The answer lies in the complexity. As the number of participants grows, so do the intricacies and challenges of maintaining effective cooperation.

Cooperation with another person can be challenging during a brief encounter or throughout a lifetime. And, in the spirit of our practice, these encounters can prove to be transformative. ITPI Mastery Teacher Charlotte Hatch shares her personal insights gained through the lens of her Aikido studies and ITP.

The Ki of Cooperation is vital in many situations. It is easy to understand the importance of cooperating with a partner, in a community and at a global level. But consider cooperation with yourself. This internal harmony is the foundation upon which all other forms of cooperation are built. But what exactly does "cooperation within" mean, and why is it so vital?

The Holomovement is a sociological and spiritual consciousness movement emerging around the world. While our senses take in the universe in separate segments, the Holomovement perceives the entire universe as instantaneously interconnected by unbounded flow. In an interview with two leaders of the Holomovement, ITPI Board member Emanuel Kuntzelman and Mariko Pitts, we focus on the importance of cooperation in the world today and how the Ki of Cooperation practice plays an important role in the growth of the movement.

The Ki of Cooperation Conversation series was created to provide a space for people to explore different aspects of cooperation and address issues that could create disharmony. Our goal is to foster creative conversations around difficult and complex topics, allowing participants to feel good about themselves even when faced with opposing viewpoints. By putting cooperation front and center, we aim to invite collaboration over competition and move away from a win-lose mindset.

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.”