the art of integral being
A consciousness-centred education and community hub that invites us to remember who we are and why we are
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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Item description
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 1
Education is consciousness-centred, placing subjective awareness at the heart of all learning and inquiry.
CONSCIOUSNESS-CENTRED
adjective (adj.)
/ˈkɒn.ʃəs.nəs ˈsen.təd/
A perspective or practice that treats subjective awareness (or consciousness) as the fundamental starting point for understanding reality, rather than merely as a byproduct of the brain or the material world. It often emphasises an ontology of “experience-first”, in which all perceptions, objects, and thoughts are understood to occur within a field of awareness.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 2
Education embraces embodied knowledge, honouring the body as the primary site of knowledge, wisdom, and ethics.
Embodied Knowledge
adjective + noun (adj. + n.)
/ɪmˈbɒd.i.ɪd ˈnɒ.lɪdʒ/
A form of knowledge where the body knows what to do: the body is the knowing subject. It is not only knowledge that resides in the body, but also knowledge that is gained through the body: a constant flow of senses and actions that occur within the experience of every individual.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 3
Education cultivates heart-mind integration and qualities that foreground relationships such as compassion, empathy, and loving-kindness.
HEART-MIND
noun (n.) + noun (n.)
/ˈhɑːt maɪnd/
A philosophical and spiritual concept used in several East Asian traditions to describe the idea that thinking (mind) and feeling (heart) are not separate faculties, but one integrated whole. In Chinese philosophy—Confucianism, Taoism, and later Buddhism—the term is often translated from xin (心), which literally means ‘heart’ but also includes ‘mind’, ‘consciousness’, and ‘intention’. So rather than splitting cognition (mind) from emotion (heart), heart-mind refers to the unified field of awareness through which we think, feel, discern, and relate to the world.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 4
Education is grounded in contemplative education, which centralises reflection, introspection, meditation and other contemplative practices in teaching and learning.
Contemplative Education
adjective (adj.) + noun (n.)
/kənˈtem.plə.tɪv ˌed.jʊˈkeɪ.ʃən/
A philosophy of higher education that integrates experiential learning involving introspection, reflection and meditation into academic study to support academic and social engagement, develop self-understanding and self-awareness as well as analytical and critical capacities, and cultivate skills for engaging constructively with others.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 6
Education draws on the inclusivity of integral spirituality, which recognises the truths of modernity and postmodernity, as well as those of ancient wisdom traditions.
Integral Spirituality
adjective (adj.) + noun (n.)
/ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡrəl ˌspɪr.ɪ.tʃuˈæl.ə.ti/
A theory of spirituality that honours the truths of modernity and postmodernity, while incorporating the legacy of the world’s great philosophical, religious and indigenous traditions.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 7
Education adopts a practice-first approach, privileging experiential learning ahead of theoretical instruction.
PRACTICE-FIRST
adjective (adj.)
/ˈpræk.tɪs fɜːst/
A pedagogic approach that prioritises active, hands-on experience and rehearsal before in-depth theoretical instruction. Similar to experiential learning, it emphasises “doing” to embody understanding, fostering self-awareness, and building skills through intentional practice.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 5
Education supports soulful living, encouraging meaning, awe, creativity, and congruence in daily life.
SOULFUL LIVING
adjective + noun (adj. + n.)
/ˈsəʊlfʊl ˈlɪvɪŋ/
Refers to a quality of orientation towards life in which a person seeks to align their everyday actions, relationships, and choices with their deepest values, sense of meaning, and inner truth. It is less about external achievement and more about inner coherence—living in a way that feels authentic, meaningful, and connected to something larger than oneself. At its core, soulful living is living as if life has depth, and responding to it with care, presence, and integrity.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 8
Education is practice-led, where practice is not the application of theory but a primary way of knowing through doing, reflecting, and refining action in real-world contexts.
PRACTICE-LED
adjective (adj.)
/ˈpræk.tɪs lɛd/
Learning is based on lived experience, where practice is not the application of theory but a way of knowing. Knowledge emerges through doing, reflecting, and refining action in real-world contexts. This extends to research in which embodied and creative practice directly drives the research process and serves as the method of inquiry, rather than merely being the output.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE 9
Education facilitates the integral being of students, a felt sense of completeness and wholeness across all aspects of daily life.
INTEGRAL BEING
adjective (adj.) + noun (n.)
/ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡrəl ˈbiː.ɪŋ/
[1] The felt sense of, relating to, or belonging as a part of the whole (constituent or component); [2] The felt sense necessary for the completeness of the whole; [3] The felt sense of consisting or composed of parts that together constitute a whole; [4] The felt sense of entirety, completeness, wholeness.