John Provost: Going Deeper into Integral Life Practice
How is one to begin to sum up a week of Integral studies and practice with a small group of people from all over the world? The different phrases that come to mind all seem overused and trite. Was it life changing? No. Was it important? Yes. It might have been life changing for a person who just dropped in. But part of the wonder of the week in Colorado was the realization that most, if not all participants were people deeply committed already to their own Integral practice and lifestyle. So why go? Was there nothing to learn?
There was much to learn. But we learned it in an atmosphere of shared language and experience that made it seem not so new as much as it seemed deeper and more real. Suddenly you find that you are not alone and that you can actually find a group of people who want to talk about finding a way to live an all quadrant, all level (AQAL) existence. What a pleasure to meet a bodybuilder who meditates or a contemplative who runs a business. What a joy to meet couples who are trying to build their relationship around an Integral understanding of Eros as only Rabbi Marc Gafni can explain it. What a delight to be in the presence of Diane Hamilton and the other incredible teachers and presenters provided by Integral Institute! And how incredibly touched we all were that Ken Wilber came to be with us on one afternoon when he was in a great deal of pain from a series of health challenges. Many of us owe Ken so much for all that he has taught and for getting Integral Institute up and running. How do you begin to say thank you?
I showed up a day early for the pre-conference day of training on Integral Theory led by Terry Patten. I arrived with a pretty good understanding already, but I was still glad to go and would suggest that anyone who can spare one more day take advantage of this opportunity to learn more and bone up on the ideas. Terry was able to present to us the new color scheme Ken has started to use and I was reminded about what a privilege it is to study the ideas of a living philosopher who is constantly adding to his opus and keeping us all on our toes. I especially enjoyed some of the visual effects of the power point presentation. Some of the new graphics and charts really help the ideas come alive.
Interestingly enough, I took the most practical thing away from a presentation I enjoyed the least. There were rich offerings every day, but the ones on strength training I was not looking forward to. And yet that is one of the main things I have added to my practice since returning home. I learned the importance of not just jogging (my main form of exercise), but also the importance of strengthening muscles and stretching too. The Kata exercises in the morning were also something I didn’t enjoy, but immediately saw the benefit of including. And while I find it hard to do those particular exercises on my own, I have found myself involving more levels of energy and consciousness in my established exercise routine.
Ken stated that he was not sure whether he liked Diane Hamilton or the Big Mind process more. Joking aside, he made a point that most of us would agree with: The week in Colorado would have been infinitely less if Diane had not led the program and had not done so many of the presentations herself. She is a living example of Integral Life Practice, an inspiration to all of us, and a presence that was a teaching in itself.
The week was powerful because of so many little things. I was impressed with how hard the whole staff worked to keep things running smoothly, on time, and the multitude of uses and set ups they developed for the one room we used. It was wonderful to be at a workshop where you could just tell a lot of thought had been put into how to present each conference.
One of the nicest things about the week was finding pleasure in so many people. No one seemed to have his or her own agenda or the need to dominate the proceedings. People shared, cried, listened and helped one another in an extraordinary manner. I am sure that many people found the meal breaks just as important as the rest of the activities. We all left with a wish for an Integral community and a desire to see what we can do about it in each of the areas where we live.
It was great to meet many of the Integral Institute (I-I) staff who you hear about or see their names. Now we can put faces with their names and we could see that they are the main reason I-I is such a remarkable program. I left wishing I could get to know them all better and envious that they get to work full time in this field right now. Most impressive was the fact that there was always one I-I staff member sitting in meditation throughout the day. I know that whenever I saw them doing so I was again reminded of why I was there and the importance of presence and openness. It was beautiful to behold and inspiring to all of us.
There was so much more. Talks and practice with the 3-2-1 shadow process, communication issues of men and women, artwork, small group work and sharing, and laughter. There was a lot of laughter. Why is that Integral people are so funny? Perhaps the ability to take multiple perspectives helps us all see the humor of life.
But rather than say too much and give it all away (which I did not even begin to do) you must go yourself if you can find the time and funds. The week is well worth the expense and as someone who has attended now both an I-WET weekend and a week long workshop I can fully recommend the week long gathering as much more helpful, at least for me. But, alas, the week is expensive and as comfortable as the surroundings were I would like to see them hold the conference in a location not as expensive and exclusive as a Westin Resort and perhaps somewhere closer to the Rocky Mountains we could see in the distance.
Note: I completed this review a week ago and I have been trying to find a way to balance it with some more “critical” perspectives, but I have decided to leave it as it is. I don’t feel the need to find something wrong just for the sake of a preconceived format of reviewing an experience. Having said that, there were things I didn’t particularly like such as the art project we did one evening and the Thursday night celebration. But I don’t feel that these activities were wrong and I don’t have any alternative suggestions. Other participants seemed to enjoy and benefit from things I didn’t always like. I came away very happy with my experience and that seems quite remarkable to me. I can’t remember the last time I went to a conference and came away without some serious objection or two!