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OstadElahi-inPractice.com: a new tool for spiritual and ethical practice

By - Jul 6, 2014 - Category Articles - Print Print - Version française
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In all areas, real progress requires theory to be repeatedly put into practice. Ethics and spirituality are no exceptions. As often pointed out on e-ostadelahi.com, it is only through practicing ethical and spiritual principles and thus assimilating them that we can transform ourselves. But it isn’t always easy to move from theory to practice. Motivation is key, of course, but a good method and appropriate tools are also needed. This is what inspired the creation of a new website with a focus on spiritual practice: OstadElahi-inPractice.com. We have had the chance to test it for you and, let us say it upfront, it has been a very successful experience!

OstadElahi inPractice is meant to effectively assist anyone who wishes to undertake an ethical and spiritual practice. This user-friendly online platform provides an original tool to set up, organise and sustain a personal practice. Its goal is to enable anyone interested in this endeavour to best adjust their strategy and to improve the quality of their work over time.

Yet it is but a tool. No set formulas or magic solutions should be expected—there are no such things and nothing can replace a personal commitment and the genuine understanding that stems from practical experience. In this regard, what OstadElahi inPractice has to offer is an interface that could potentially intensify the effects of one’s personal practice. This organizational and decision-making tool allows each user to tailor their own curriculum in a way that is adapted to their situation and needs. While enrolling in the various labs available on the site, it remains up to each user to organize and truly take charge of their practice.

pré-évaluation réflexion diagnostic action validation

Each OstadElahi inPractice lab consists of a 5-phase program to be completed in a maximum of 60 days. Each phase involves a number of activities whose objectives are presented in detail on a “Methodology” page:

  1. to assess your understanding of an ethical and spiritual principle and review your current state of practicing this principle (pre-assessment);
  2. to improve your comprehension of an ethical and spiritual principle, both in theory and in practice (reflection);
  3. to conduct a self-diagnosis in order to determine practical exercises that are suitable for you (diagnosis);
  4. to monitor the implementation of these exercises on a daily basis (action);
  5. to assess and analyse the results of your practice (validation).

This video summarises the proposed curriculum:


As briefly presented in this video, OstadElahi inPractice also offers numerous tools to accompany you in your efforts:

  • personal statistics on the quality of your practice and how successful you have been, as well as data allowing you to compare your results with that of other users;
  • a notepad to record your daily experiences, personal reflections, favourite resources, etc.;
  • resources relating to each particular theme, in the form of book excerpts, videos, links;
  • “tips and tricks” relating to each theme of practice;
  • the possibility to share your experiences anonymously, if you think they could be enriching for other users, and to benefit from the experiences shared by others.

But enough said – it’s time to act: try out OstadElahi-inPractice.com for yourself! Leave a comment to share with us your user experience, and feel free to send us a detailed review of the website that we could publish, once you’ve completed one or more labs.

Getting started on OstadElahi-inPractice

  1. Connect to the following url: www.ostadelahi-inpractice.com
  2. Select the language you would like to use on the site.
  3. Sign up, and make sure to indicate your location, because the various phases of the curriculum have time limits and thus involve deadlines that will vary depending on your time zone.
  4. Watch the presentation video again, if you wish — it is always available on the website and provides an overview of the practical curriculum.
  5. Read the FAQs, which contain important information about little things to know to better benefit from the site, certain things to do or to avoid doing, your account security, etc.
  6. Select a lab on the “All Labs” page, and get started!
  7. Have a look at the page containing detailed information about the 5 phases of the curriculum, which will become available as soon as you enroll in a lab. You will also receive regular emails that will guide you through the curriculum.
  8. A contact form is available for any questions, difficulties, or suggestions you may have.
  9. Finally, make sure to keep an eye on the “news” section to stay informed of any new features.

Creative Commons License This work is offered under a Creative Commons licence

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25 comments

  1. anonymous Jul 06, 2014 9:24 pm 1

    WOW this is amazing! This is exactly what I was wishing for for such a long time! A tool to keep track of your spiritual practice/progress in a scientific way by collecting and representing data. This WAY more that what I imagined. Thank you so much!

  2. noel Jul 06, 2014 9:26 pm 2

    Thank you for this exciting opportunity!

  3. Linda Jul 07, 2014 4:35 am 3

    This tool is a dream come true…! Stop Talking…Start Practicing! luved it…gotta go! THANK YOU!

  4. Anonymous Jul 07, 2014 5:13 am 4

    I’ve never been focus and active in summers so I am very grateful and happy for such amazing tool that is available all the time.
    Thank you

  5. h Jul 07, 2014 5:45 am 5

    This is excellent. Thank you so much for this website!!!

  6. Blake Jul 07, 2014 6:05 am 6

    WOW!! Thank you so much for this fantastic aid. It is not surprising that this program contains all the elements of “conditions for the practice of ethical principles” which were presented here in the most recent articles. I am planning to take full advantage of it.

    Thank you and God Bless

  7. lkb Jul 07, 2014 4:38 pm 7

    Thank you so much for this! It is exactly what I needed to both stick to and track my practice. Seeing everything prepared and outlined, like a university course, was the exact push I needed.

    Thank you again.

  8. Lisa Jul 07, 2014 4:52 pm 8

    Just a few days ago i was wishing for a new post and here it is. More than that, something which gives me a lot of feedback in practice. Thank you

  9. NN Jul 07, 2014 11:48 pm 9

    Thank you very much for this!!!! I am so happy to have a website that can help me with understanding the importance of practice!!! Thank you again, it is amazing!

  10. Sy Jul 07, 2014 11:50 pm 10

    Thank you! A perfect complementary tool to http://www.ostadelahi-indepth.com to help getting me from practicing in-vitro to in-vivo!

  11. M.A. Jul 09, 2014 6:18 am 11

    It doesn’t get better than this. Thank you very much for working so hard to put this comprehensive website together.

  12. run Jul 12, 2014 10:56 pm 12

    Many thanks for this entertaining and educational website.

    Thanks for the entertaining vidio. And the little funny pictures and colors. Very sweet
    It really motivates me to understand better.

  13. SM Jul 13, 2014 2:44 am 13

    This new tool is just the perfect tool to bring my practice objectively into the real world, instead of having it partitioned solely in my thoughts !!!

  14. TT Jul 13, 2014 5:14 am 14

    This is AWESOME! thank you. Genius and user friendly! Supper happy to have the opurtunity to take advantage of this amazing tool!

  15. holly Jul 14, 2014 1:09 am 15

    Thanks – seriously great – I certainly needed something to keep me on track during the summer holidays – as I’m sadly one of those people who has a weak will power and needs extra support and structure to become focus.

  16. DI Jul 26, 2014 10:05 pm 16

    BRILLIANT! Thank you for this great and perfekt opportunity!

  17. MS Jul 31, 2014 5:19 pm 17

    I could never have imagined that such a website would exist. It is so detailed and sophisticated in its way of helping us putting theory into practice. A few weeks into using it I keep being amazed over how thought through it is…such an asset in my daily practice! Thank you so much!

  18. holly Aug 01, 2014 6:07 pm 18

    once again thank you – this is one of the best summer practice I have ever had – its so structured , practical , focused and most importantly empowering.
    I always used to struggle during the summer holidays with my practice – as I lack will power and organisation.
    However, i now have reminders through my emails – a quick note pad to jot down things, and a score board.
    well , what can i say – its simply brilliant.
    thanks to all those who worked so hard to prepare and organise this .

  19. LA Aug 03, 2014 6:04 am 19

    This is really “a wish come true”!
    All comments mirror exactly my feelings about this fantastic tool that will help keeping me engaged, energized and spiritually fulfilled, allowing me to learn every day – ever more in depth- about my shortcomings.
    With much gratitude for the incredible amount of work this represents.

  20. k Aug 06, 2014 10:37 pm 20

    I was wondering that I have not seen any comments by other users on this new website:For example when I push “Exercises shared by users” in phase 3 it says “No results found.” Is it like this only for me or are you guys also seeing the same message?

    I am two and a half weeks in phase 4 and I am just starting to see the benefits of the notepad. I wish I had written more in it…

  21. yocto Aug 11, 2014 5:35 am 21

    I have a question. I am in phase 4 of this tool and one of my practices is: “Do one good deed a day”. It’s been a while I am working on this in an effort to develop empathy, however using the assessment in this phase made me question my approach so I decided to plan ahead. Every morning I plan toward whom and how I want to direct the good deed. For example one day I plan on calling a friend whom I have lost contact with (I hate calling people and talking on the phone). The other day I paid my aunt a visit (I don’t like doing that). Another day I say something nice to a co-worker whom I dislike (I definitely don’t like doing that either). But it just doesn’t feel right and real to me. I want it to come naturally, genuinely, not forced. I have also noticed there are days that I have missed a perfect opportunity to apply the practice, and had I applied, it would have been perfect, organic, honest, with no expectation, it would have been the real deal. Yet I either was not prepared, was too busy to pay attention, too selfish to see it or just too lazy to do the right thing.

    I was walking out after my exercise, coming down the stairs, a young boy, standing down the stairs by his bike, said hi to me looking up the stairs. I said hi, he smiled, I smiled, he walked away with his bike, then turned back. He seemed lost, a bit spacey, he had large hazel eyes, small bald head, wearing a baseball hat, he was slender and lanky. I was trying to change the music I was listening to on my cell phone, I reached down the stairs, heard him while fixing his cap asking how was your workout? He was slow, I was thinking maybe he is a bit intellectually challenged; he was smiling and looking at me with his innocent eyes begging for a conversation. At that point none of these crossed my mind. I didn’t see him period. I just wanted to get home, shower and rest after a long day. I stopped the music, didn’t take off my headset, and forced a response: It was great! He said I didn’t know there was a gym upstairs. I said well it’s a small gym. I forced myself again to ask how he was doing. I figured if he needs something, that will give him a chance to say it but it was more out of duty to try to be polite than anything else. He got excited and said I am good Baruch Hashem, and immediately realized I may not know the term, so he asked if I was Jewish. Without hesitation and like a robot, I said I don’t practice any religion. He quickly said but… I believe he wanted to ask but you must have been born into a family with some kind of religion, but he had the common sense not to take that route which was too heavy of a conversation for that casual encounter, so he continued yeah, they all say the same thing and believe in one God. I acknowledged of course, the One is the only One and that is all to it, the rest don’t matter… and walked away proudly thinking: I am so sharp, what a fine answer!

    You see what I am saying? Why in the world should our paths cross at that point? Now that I am looking back, I find myself senseless and indifferent, why did I just walk away without attempting to at least understand where he is coming from, if he needed something, maybe spend a bit more time to see if I can help him in one way or another, maybe just with talking to him a bit more. Deep down I didn’t want to get into hassle of asking, for the fear of having to go out of my way to do something for him. God forbid, if I had to take time off my precious schedule and give it to someone else. No, I had to get home and do my own thing, what I do everyday, work, gym, shower, eat, watch TV and sleep, and then next day the same thing. Have I ever asked myself if this routine has gotten me anywhere? I remember once hearing a bishop said: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve already been.”

    So yeah, I don’t know if I am doing this right. Should I plan and fake it. Or should I let it happen organically and be happy if I succeed one out of tens.

  22. adissam Aug 12, 2014 9:34 pm 22

    @k: same message with my account.
    I’ve actually submitted an experience that I now realize was not developed enough. I also had to update one of my practice and fine tune another one. So I guess, it’s a good thing that it hasn’t been published at that time.

  23. henry Aug 14, 2014 5:58 pm 23

    @yocto
    If a similar situation happens, what would you do differently ?

  24. peach Aug 14, 2014 11:35 pm 24

    yocto– thanks for sharing ! Practice wouldn’t be fun without trials and errors !
    I remember one day at school, a fellow student asked me if there is any fasting in my religion. I went on and on about the meaning of fasting, lecturing about it, and so on… well, you get the picture. End of the conversation.
    But it was actually a casual question. I was from a different country, a different culture,… it was a way of knowing about me more personally, and also if we could be compatible together, etc. That’s probably why I pushed on the “philosophical” button. A reaction lead by a protective impulse.
    Since then, I’ve developed a growing interest in this kind of topics and in engaging in a dialogue, there is really something interesting to learn out there…
    For your specific question, I’d say, I’ve tried both and the first one leads to the second. Years later though… and still working on it, and it’s still fun !

  25. mahnaz Jan 14, 2016 1:59 am 25

    It was very helpful thank you so much.
    Im going to start OstadElahi inPractice again.

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