Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for...

The following is a review for the new book, 'Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening' specifically about ILP. I just got my copy yesterday. I don't know when I'll have a chance to read it but I'm looking forward to it.

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I was pleasantly surprised by this book, considering I had low expectations going in. I'm a fan of Ken Wilber but have thought the previous attempts (A theory of everything and A integral vision) at presenting his theory for a broader audience were, frankly, horrible. This book which is basically written by three other writers (closely connected to Wilber) is probably the best introduction to why an integral approach to spirituality is important.

The book breaks down into important aspects of our selves that we can "work" on and explore. None of the content in itself is groundbreaking, if you're familiar with shadow work the section on it simply presents the basic, but it is lucidly written and well organized. The same goes for all the topics: body work, spiritual practices, mind (i.e. Wilber's integral theory)....though I was glad to see a nice section on devotional approaches or an integral theism, something that is often lacking in popular spiritual books.

The impact of the book was its overall scope, when I step back and really take in all the different practices and important aspect of our human life, its inclusive vision is beautiful and penetrating. The overall drift I got from the book: if you're transcending your limitations, be sure not to reject your simple and grounded humanity. If you're primarily working on psychological/physical improvement think about greater possibilities then simply improving your mortal identity.

If you take the book with a grain of salt, which I did, you will probably find a lot of useful and practical information (maybe even a little inspiration).The most annoying part of the book was that some of the language and design remind me of a computer course: technologies, modules, bubble notes: Am I studying for the SAT or what here?

http://www.amazon.com/Integral-Life-Practice-21st-Century-Blueprint/dp/1590304675