The authors have been leaders in the human potential area for many years: Michael Murphy is the founder of the Esalen Institute, and George Leonard is author of a number of books. In this collaborative work, they present an overview of a course they developed at Esalen, described as an exploration of the twelve aspects of human functioning outlined in Murphy's book "The Future of the Body..."

In the introduction to this book, they write, "Every person on this planet can join in the process of transformative practice that began with our ancient ancestors." Chapters include specific instruction in various forms of affirmation, Katz (a series of body movements), mental imaging, meditation and other structured practices, and the authors note "many fine practices, many paths exist... Many, many activities can be considered practice. Even something as commonplace as gardening can be a practice if done for the sheer love of it, as an expression of the gardener's soul." The authors obviously have a commitment to helping advance, as they say, "the realization of every citizen's positive potential... inherent in every aspect of our lives, from the most common to the most extraordinary."

Despite all of the respect I have for Leonard and Murphy with their theoretical work in various fields and their other books, I found "The Life We are Given" to be two things: a simple, and somewhat effective practice, and prematurely self-congratulatory.

Before reading on, if you are someone who is looking for a way to transform your life and to create new and healthy habits--if you don't already have a practice of your own--I DO recommend this book. The program is simple, logical and very encouraging. Not to mention it's simply a great place to start.

The book is basically a concoction of meditation, Yoga, fitness, affirmations, and a healthy diet. Obviously these are things you can practice on your own, seperately, but I suppose the ITP is a convenient way to combine these if you're unfamiliar with them otherwise.

Now for my problems with the book.

1) Despite having an acute interest in transpersonal practice, meditation, yoga, and other "spiritual" disciplines, my "New Age" radar goes off a few times during this book. Even though things like visualization and affirmations can be effective, they're just as effective in different mental forms...i.e., not so sugar-coated. I may be splitting hairs here, but I prefer my practice to be described to me in terms that will make sense beyond "your hand cares for your heart."

2) The other qualm is the self-congratulatory tone of the book. Murphy and Leonard are amazing men, who have contributed a lot, but they seem to stand on a pedestal here as if they've stumbled across something groundbreaking, when its not. The ITP is simply a recipe of practices that already exist on their own and that CAN be practiced on their own. And at the risk of sounding a bit pompous, it doesn't take a genius to decide they want to engage in healthy growth in mind, body and soul on their own.

So I reiterate, if you are looking for a positive change in your life (body, mind, and soul), and are not currently practicing anything and know very little about these practices, then this is a relevant book. Otherwise, the book says nothing that hasn't been said before. On top of that, the authors sound like they think it's never been said before, which is obnoxious.