Meditative Practices
During a meditative practice as a group or one-to-one in a private session we can do any or a combination of below:
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Meditation
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Healing
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Bırak
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The Work of Byron Katie
If it's a private session, you can tell me in advance which one you would like to do or allow it to unfold during the session depending on the need of that moment. In a typical private session we start with a few minutes of talk to clarify what we are doing, then do the practice and at the end leave a couple of minutes for questions or feedback.
Arrange a time of the day where you will be relaxed before and after the session and a place where you will not be disturbed during the practice.
1. Meditation
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.
Jelaluddin Rumi
In the beginning of the session you can share what you expect from that session and then we can continue with a guided meditation which can bring relaxation, insight, inspiration, understanding. Alternatively we can go on a meditative journey and see what comes up. In some sessions there may be more verbal guidance and in some sessions more silence, but generally meditation includes significant silent parts.
2. Healing
The type of healing may change depending on the type: group/private, in-person/online, duration. As an example an online 30 minutes private healing session usually follows this structure:
- A few minutes of talking to identify the need and clarify the process
- 15-20 minutes of healing where we both observe the flow of energy silently. Sometimes this section may include a guided meditation to help you move into a healing space
- Sharing observations and feedback, and answering any questions
There are no guaranteed results in a healing session, the aim is to be in a healing, non-judgemental space. We can observe changes in the physical, emotional, mental or energetic aspects of ourselves or we may observe nothing. Sometimes there might be stronger feelings and sometimes we may feel just relaxed, or even sleepy.
I do not try to guide the energy to a specific organ/chakra/meridian but trust the overall intelligence of you heal itself by being in a healing space. It is not an analytical problem solving approach but the collective field that is created when we sit together that heals whatever aspect is ready to be healed.
3. Bırak
You want peace, trust, freedom, love.
The weapon you use is hard work, protecting what you have achieved, adding new achievements, taking care of yourself, defending yourself, repeating, being strong, not making mistakes, not breaking away from the agenda, investing, looking good, struggle, stubbornness, discipline, effort…
Put your weapon down. Take a deep breath. Just today, just this moment, do something different, allow.
Bırak means “allow, let go, let be” in Turkish. In a Bırak session through conversation, silence and meditation you can explore:
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How you resist yourself, life?
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How this resistance affects your body, breath, energy, and relationships?
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Why you resist, and if it serves your purpose.
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What if you meet this resistance, yourself, life?
Let Go – Meet Yourself
Do I hold my breath? What if I allow the breath exhale itself?
Is my body relaxed? Are there places I tense up?
What if I stop clinging to identity, belief, thought, posession, memory, consumption, struggle, expectation?
Let Be – Meet Life
Do I let the breath in? What if I allow the breath inhale itself?
What are the emotions and feelings I resist? In what part of my body are they? What if I let them be?
What if I drop blame, denial, exclusion, unforgiving, forcing, escape, hostility, role-play, being right, rigidity?
4. The Work of Byron Katie
The Work of Byron Katie, or simply "The Work" is a powerful method of inquiry into stressful thoughts about people or situations. In this way you can understand what it is that really hurts you and the cause of your problems. People who do The Work of Byron Katie as an ongoing practice commonly report;
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Alleviation of depression: Find resolution, even happiness, in situations that were once debilitating.
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Decreased stress: Learn how to live with less anxiety or fear.
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Improved relationships: Experience deeper connection and intimacy with your partner, your parents, your children, your friends, and yourself.
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Reduced anger: Understand what makes you angry and resentful, and become less reactive, less often, with less intensity.
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Increased mental clarity: Live and work more intelligently and effectively, with integrity.
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More energy: Experience a new sense of ongoing vigour and well-being.
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More peace: Discover how to become “a lover of what is.”
(from thework.com)
Tarık Tekman is a graduate of The School For The Work of Byron Katie and facilitates The Work in person in Cyprus or online on Zoom.
“Byron Katie’s Work is a great blessing for our planet. The root cause of suffering is the identification with our thoughts, the “stories” that are continuously running through our minds. The Work acts like a razor-sharp sword that cuts through that illusion and enables you to know for yourself the timeless essence of your being.”