Transform your life: find fitness, focus and a faster path to your goals with this easy, innovative program for mind, body and spirit

What's the best way to make a difference in the quality of your life? The answer lies not with one-time actions, which offer temporary results, but with embracing the concept of long-term practice. Any discipline (playing a sport, learning a new language, utilizing a meditation) becomes a tool for growth when it's performed daily. Starting out, hitting plateaus, sticking with it and pushing forward--these steps all lead toward personal transformation.

Nobody understands the benefits of practice better than George Leonard, co-author of The Life We Are Given. Leonard, along with Esalen Institute co-founder Michael Murphy, developed Integral Transformative Practice, a pioneering program that streamlines practice for people with busy schedules. Each 40-minute ITP session integrates elements of hatha yoga, martial arts, stretching, progressive relaxation, visualization, meditation and affirmation.

ITP, tested for three years by the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, provided measurable gains in reaction time, short- and long-term memory, reasoning ability and global cognitive processing. This allowed participants to become more focused and better able to manifest their goals.

Make a commitment to use this daily practice as your own stepping stone to a healthier, happier life. There's one catch: Learning a new skill takes time, and there's no such thing as "instant enlightenment." We must put into practice what we wish to be. ITP is based on the kata--a pre-determined sequence that is, in a sense, a moving meditation. So take a deep breath, slow down, and get ready to embark on a life-altering journey!

itp kata:

the water series

THE STRATEGY: Five times a week, do the s exercises on these pages in the order listed, followed by the Stretch-and-Strengthen moves (page 79) and the modified Sun Salutation (page 78), You can perform the workout barefoot, to feel more centered and grounded, or wearing shoes.

(1a) DRILL FOR WATER

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Place one fist on top of the other in front of you at chest height, elbows bent. Imagine you're holding the handle on a wheel, Bend your knees and shift side to side as you turn the wheel--

(1b)--extending your arms, then pulling them hack toward you, Perform the move 4 times clockwise. then reverse and repeat it 4 times counterclockwise.

for balance

Before you begin, take a few minutes to follow George Leonard's checklist for balancing and centering your body. The steps which spell out G.R.A.C.E., will expand your experience of the ITP kata.

GROUND. Imagine your feet and legs extending down deep into the earth, knees neither bent nor locked, connecting with the universe.

RELAX. Breathe deeply and release the tension from every muscle: feel a warming sensation throughout your entire body.

AWARE. Be keenly aware of your surroundings; tune in to sounds, smells and sensations.

CENTER. Place your fingertips about an inch below your navel. Focus your attention and breath on this point to reach a state of calmness.

ENERGIZE. Hold your arms out in front of you and imagine that high-voltage energy is shooting out from your fingertips. Then relax, arms by your sides, to begin the kata.

(2a) PUMP WATER

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Bend your knees and clasp your hands together. Inhale and lift your arms above your head, leaning back slightly to took up at your hands.

(2b) Exhale as you bend forward at the hips, letting gravity pull your body downward, Bring your hands between your legs; look back at your hands. Repeat 6 times.

(3a) FOUNTAIN Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, arms at your sides. Exhale as you bend your knees, bringing your hands toward each other in front of your feet.

(3b) Inhale as you straighten your legs, rotating your hands in until the backs touch as they pass your chest. Turn the palms together in front of your face, then open them back-to-back as your arms straighten overhead (shown). Sweep your arms down and out. making an imaginary fountain. Repeat the sequence 6 times. To finish, hold your arms out to your sides at shoulder height, and slowly clench and unclench your fists 4 times, as if spraying water from your fingertips (not shown).

(4a) HALF WINDMILL

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, knees slightly bent, Place your right hand on your hip. Inhale and sweep your left arm out to the side and overhead in an are, bending your body to the right with the movement.

(4b) Exhale as you lower your arm back down and across your body. Repeat continuously 4 times before switching arms.

(5a) ROWING Start with the feet together, then step back 2 feet with your right foot, turning the toes out slightly to align the left heel with the right arch. Hold your arms at your sides in loose fists. palms facing the rear.

(5b) Rock forward from your ankles, torso erect, bending your left knee and keeping your right leg straight; swing the arms forward. Rock hack, returning to the start position. Repeat 10 times; switch legs