Are You Practicing In Flatland? In a recent dialogue with Zen teacher and Kung Fu Sifu Keith Martin-Smith and Integral consultant and karateka Charles Crutchfield, we explored a question that cuts to the heart of both spiritual AND martial arts practice: Are we training in a way that includes the full depth of our humanity—or are we inadvertently practicing in flatland? Flatland is the collapse of complexity: reducing practice to technique without presence, spirituality without embodiment, or meditation without shadow work. Our conversation opened up the multidimensional nature of Integral Budo as a path beyond that flattening.

We dove into the 3 S’s of Integral Practice—States, Stages, and Shadow—and examined how each dimension shapes the way we show up in conflict, leadership, and relationships. Together we looked at how connection is the real through-line: how martial practices deepen intimacy, how sitting practice expands presence, and how fierce authenticity can turn even conflict into a space of resolution. Rather than avoiding the hard edges of life, Integral Budo trains us to lean in with clarity, compassion, and skill.

This discussion ultimately points toward a path of multidimensional integration—one where our physical training, emotional maturity, contemplative insight, and interpersonal skill all come online together. If you’ve ever felt that your practice was missing something, too narrow, too cerebral, or too isolated from real-world challenges, this conversation is an invitation to expand. To leave Flatland behind. To step into the full terrain of practice.

I hope you enjoy the discussion as much as I did. Leave your comments and questions below!

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What does it mean to meet conflict—not with reactivity or avoidance—but with presence, clarity, and a willingness to go deeper? In a recent episode of the RAW podcast, my colleague Dr. Gary Reiss and I sat down with host Anouk Louri to explore these questions and share our experiences in trauma healing, martial arts, and group facilitation.

Gary shared his insights from his work in Israel and the Palestinian territories, including collaborations with trauma experts on both sides. Drawing from Process-Oriented Psychology, he explores how we can access the wisdom hidden within personal and collective tension—even, and especially, in heartbreaking times.

I shared the perspective of Aikido, a martial art rooted in harmony and non-resistance, and how its philosophy can help us engage conflict with grounded strength rather than force. Recorded during Gary’s recent visit to Tel Aviv, where we co-facilitated “healing the healers” events, this conversation invites you to reflect on what it means to respond—not react—amid profoundly uncertain times.

The post Aikido, Process Work, & Deeper Currents of Conflict appeared first on The Integral Dojo.

What does it mean to heal our wounds? What does it mean to resolve conflict with others? How are these questions related, and if that was a process, what would it look and feel like? These are the questions I recently explored with therapist and fellow Aikido practitioner Dr. Gary Reiss.

Some of the topics we explore are:

• What is the nature of conflict?
• Aikido’s role in self-regulation and co-regulation.
• How unresolved trauma leads to retraumatization and the perpetuation of conflict.
• How traumatizing others requires numbness, and the process of healing requires awareness.
• What is the nature of “trauma-informed process work.

To hear more, check out the video above.

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The Riviera Seminar 2024 | “UNITY IN DIVERSITY”

w/ Patrick Cassidy, Bruno Gonzales, & Miles Kessler

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!

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In the past 48 hours, I’ve had a heated “cancel culture” experience in a Facebook post I made. In the 130+ comments that ensued, here’s a taste of what my liberal brothers and sisters have been calling me:

The Name-Calling

I have been called; reactive, dismissive, pedantic, patronizing, tone deaf, too “wise” to learn, a fragile white man, an old white man, a middle-aged white man, a white man, an economically privileged white man, a privileged man, a man, a claimer of victimhood, a reverse victim, an oppressor, an abuser, a name-caller, an intentional misspeller of names, an intentional fomenter of controversy, a user of teachers as pawns, a misuser of grammar, a recruiter of warriors against diversity, a jailer of queers, a jailer of kids, a MAGA-ist, Ron DeSantis, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, a DARVO enactor, a denier, and an attacker (…to be fair, I’m at least a few of these).

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A Spiritual Warrior is a man or woman who organizes their lives around a set of universal principles. They walk a higher path of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual discipline. This means that every step on this path is a step of self-awareness and self-realization. With an unwavering commitment to universal principles, every relative contradiction, incongruence, and conflict in their life then becomes the territory their path leads them through. By committing to these universal principles, the relative parts of themselves are challenged to grow. These challenges become the practice that leads them forward on the path.

Throughout history, warrior cultures elevated brute fighting to a higher spiritual path. This created warrior classes who lived by higher ethical codes. No culture exemplified this more than the Samurai of Japan. They lived and died by the “Bushido Code”. The Way Of The Spiritual Warrior.

The Samurai of medieval Japan walked a higher path of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual discipline. With unwavering commitment, these Spiritual Warriors saw every step on their higher path as a step of self-realization. They strove to be the very embodiment of the Bushido Code – “The 7 Principles Of The Spiritual Warrior.”

THE BUSHIDŌ CODE: 7 PRINCIPLES OF LIVING AND DYING FOR THE JAPANESE SAMURAI

1. Righteousness (義 gi): Justice is the primary virtue for the Samurai. Living their lives committed to serving the greater good, Samurai would only wield their power in the name of moral justice.
2. Loyalty (忠義 chūgi): The Samurai’s loyalty is first and foremost to the greater good. From this, all other loyalties flow – to their family, to their fellow warriors, to society, to their master or lord.
3. Honor (名誉 meiyo): A Samurai is accountable for their actions and speech. They guard themselves against any transgressions in word or deed that would bring them, or their clan dishonor. Should they transgress in any way, they strove to make amends.
4. Respect (礼 rei):  For a Samurai the highest respect is to the Bushido Code. From there, respect extends to family, clan, their lord, and even to adversaries. In both gain and loss, a Samurai shows respect to all people.
5. Honesty ( 誠 sei):  A Samurai strives to be forthright, straightforward, and true. Vigilant to stay pure in their speech, they strive to never speak falsely, or misrepresent the truth. Honest and intentional in their speech, the Samurai communicate only when deemed appropriate, or beneficial.
6. Courage (勇 yū): A Samurai’s courage lies in their unwavering commitment to serve to the greater good. Not controlled by their own fear, they are always ready to courageously sacrifice themselves for the greater good in every encounter. Even in the face of their own death.
7. Sincerity (誠 makoto ): A Samurai is devoted to a higher path of service. Total surrender to this higher path allows them to be true to themselves at all times, in all places, and through all circumstances. Sincerity allows the Spiritual Warrior to be authentic and straightforward in their relations with others

In conclusion, the Bushido code was considered by the Samurai to be the highest standard of being human. Putting the Bushido code foremost in their lives allowed the Samurai to commit to deep service of the greater Goodness, Truth, and Beauty… without regard for themselves. This is the Samurai’s way… and it is the way of the Spiritual Warrior.

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Shu Ha Ri (etc) with Miles Kessler
GO HERE TO LISTEN!

The post My Journey Through The “Shu Ha Ri” Path Of Mastery appeared first on The Integral Dojo.