Winter 2020

Integral Pragmatism: Living in an “And” World

by Adam Klein

“And” can be a powerful word. Using it opens the possibility of connecting things together. We’re familiar with and can easily hold simple examples of this: peanut butter and jelly, Calvin and Hobbes, simple and good, Jekyll and Hyde, shiny and new, cloudy and gray, etc. A central premise of improv comedy is “yes, and:” a phrase that opens world-building possibilities.

What seems more challenging for us is when two ideas, objects, people, policies are seemingly opposing. Our minds have more difficulty holding these together. This recently showed up for me in conversations about Integral Coaching. People were speaking appreciatively about the depth of the method, seeing the benefit of being connected to disciplines like philosophy, spirituality, neuroscience, etc. What I felt from some and was made explicit by others was a wondering about the practicality or pragmatism of it. The question I sensed was, “how can both depth and pragmatism live together?” It was as if depth negated pragmatism. This is a timely instance of where “and” is helpful. It led me to think about a concept I’ve begun calling “integral pragmatism.”

We recently asked for feedback from graduates of the Professional Coaching Course—all practitioners of the Integral Coaching method—and we were overwhelmed with stories of how they benefited from this approach. My own experience as an Integral Coach and witness to clients engaged with this method highlights its immense practicality. It is apparent in the shifts, openings, and transformations that occur for these individuals. 

One client, we’ll call her Joanne, was a professional at a large tech firm. She came to one of our coaches intent on figuring out what was next for her. She was nearing the threshold of tolerance at her current job and wondered what could be next, aside from the obvious move of finding another similar role at a different company: an approach she was aware was basically trading a twenty for two tens. The fusion of depth and pragmatism, what I’m calling integral pragmatism, called for a coach who could support her both in taking steps to resolve her situation and connect with the overall purpose and trajectory of her life.

This takes beholding her world, especially the suffering she was experiencing, and supporting her in imagining and—importantly—exploring what feels vital for her in whatever next step she takes. At the same time, the coaching needed to provide something tangible to do in the short term to help her take a stand in her current work environment—what we call practices and self-reflections. 

A response that allows for both to take place was possible because it came from a coach who had a way of holding both being practical (aid for the short-term) and integral (developing over time). This response meets a person exactly as they are at a particular moment in time. It is about what to do now and sees this instance as a particular manifestation of something larger. It is a way of coaching that feels doable for the client and provides long-term impact so that the client experiences richer, longer-lasting growth. 

In the coming months we will share more stories on our blog of how these two come together. 

The kind of practicality Integral Coaching offers is specific, tailored and crafted for each person, so it lacks the generic markers we’re used to. Today’s “Best of” lists and “Five steps to ___”, while efficient, can short change us from appreciating the kind of pragmatism that arises from depth and nuance. We can all benefit from noticing how we take what our culture offers to the masses, and then begin to attune more closely to a truer need. The practice of the quarter addresses this more fully.

Transformation occurs in Integral Coaching because the client is seen and is given a means to regain access to the unique qualities that only they embody. When this occurs, we start to flourish and collaborate with life. We are carried in a way that is often inexplicable and full of power. 

Our hope is that all of us can be met in a way that supports bringing our fullness forward. The practice and poems are offered in this spirit. 

Love,
Adam

Focus: Uncovering What Truly Matters

In keeping with the spirit of living in an “and” world, there are two practices this quarter. The first has us work with ourselves in the more immediate day-to-day. The second is about cultivating a capacity that will support us in the longer term. 

Practice 1: Seeing How I Navigate my Life (45 days)

The intention with this self-reflection is to bring awareness to the underlying principles by which we navigate our life.

For the first 14 days:

• Write out a list of all the values, considerations, criteria, people, and rules you use to navigate decisions in your life.
• At the end of each day, re-visit this list and see, given your day’s experiences, what needs to be added.  
• At the end of two weeks, review the list and ask yourself the following:
  • Which of these on the list did I intentionally choose?
  • Which are inherited from family, culture or some other external source? 
  • Which of these align with the values, criteria, considerations I want to be committed to? 
  • What is missing that I would add?
• Generate a new list that includes those aspects you intend to live by, and begin including them in decisions you make.

For the next 30 days:

• Continue reflecting dailly on how the decisions you make align with your new list—or not. 
• Ask yourself the following questions:
  • In this instance, what feelings, thoughts, sensations allowed for me to navigate the decision or situation in alignment with my guiding list?
  • What feelings, thoughts, sensations kept me from doing so?
  • What actions do I want to take as a result?
    

Practice 2: Cultivating Heart Awareness (30-45 Days)

The intention with this practice is to cultivate more capacity to live from our heart center. This is the place from which it is possible to experience the wholeness of ourselves and life. You can do this practice concurrently with Part 1 or on its own.

• Take 5-7 minutes each day and sit in a quiet space without distraction.
• Sit with a comfortable and upright posture. 
• Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Slowly adjust your breath so your inhale and exhale are even, and each around 2-4 seconds in length
• As you breathe, begin to imagine your heart as a lung, the air you breathe filling it and leaving it.
• Keep your awareness on your breathing and your physical heart. Placing a hand on your heart can help in bringing attention to it.

Poems by Yrsa Daley-Ward

what love isn’t

It is not a five star stay. It is not
compliments and it is never ever
flattery.
It is solid. Not sweet but always
nutritious
always herb, always salt. Sometimes
grit.
It is now and till the end. It is never a
slither, never a little
it is a full serving
it is much
too much and real
never pretty or clean. It stinks — you can
smell it coming
it is weight
it is weight and it is too heavy to feel
good sometimes. It is discomfort — it is
not what the films say. Only songs
get it right
it is irregular
it is difficult
and always, always
surprising.

what is now will soon be past

Just because you do it
doesn’t mean you always will.
Whether you’re dancing dust
or breathing light
you’re never exactly the same,
twice.

as you are | you are the prayer

Nayyirah Waheed

‘as you are.’ says the universe.
‘after…’ you answer.
‘as you are.’ says the universe.
‘before…’ you answer.
‘as you are.’ says the universe.
‘when…’ you answer.
‘as you are.’ says the universe.
‘how…’ you answer.
‘as you are.’ says the universe.
‘why…’ you answer.
‘because
you are happening now.
right now.
right this moment
and your happening
is beautiful.
the thing that both keeps me alive
and
brings me to my knees.
you don’t even know how breathtaking you
are.
as you are.’ says the universe through tears.

from My First Summer in the Sierra

John Muir

Contemplating the lace-like fabric of streams outspread over the mountains, we are reminded that everything is flowing-going somewhere, animals and so-called lifeless rocks as well as water. Thus the snow flows fast or slow in grand beauty-making glaciers and avalanches; the air in majestic floods carrying minerals, plant leaves, seeds, spores, with streams of music and fragrance; water streams carrying rocks both in solution and in the form of mud particles, sand, pebbles, and boulders. Rocks flow from volcanoes like water from springs, and animals flock together and flow in currents modified by stepping, leaping, gliding, flying, swimming, etc. While the stars go streaming through space pulsed on and on forever like blood globules in Nature’s warm heart.