What is The Work of Byron Katie
The Work website: www.thework.com
The Work is a simple yet powerful process of inquiry of our thoughts with four questions and turnarounds. This process allows us to stop our suffering in our world and live more happily and peacefully.
For me The Work is more than just process of four question and turnarounds. It is a way of living my life with more inner freedom and happiness, with more gratitude for each moment I have in this life, no matter what the circumstances are.
The work invites us to inquire into the gap between our stories (how it should be) and the reality of what is. This gap creates our suffering. It’s amazing for me to see how we move between realities during the inquiry although nothing has been changed in our life right now, except of our point of view. This gentle process enables us to become more humble and teaches us that we don’t know is the best place to be, we don’t know more than god.
We try to create changes in our life by trying to change the others- the people around us, and/or by trying to change ourselves. We think that if things had been different we would have been happier. The work helps us to realise how everything is perfect right here and right now. It is about starting from where we are and not from where we want to be. By accepting where we are, we can create the changes we want. The Work gives us the freedom to be happy without changing our circumstances. After we do The Work, our circumstances change by themselves.
We don’t have to change ourselves in order to love ourselves. It's the other way around-when we accept ourselves and the reality as it is, miracles start happening, we find the power of love. This process is about our willingess to meet reality they way it is. As a result of accepting ourselves at the moment - a beautiful and gentle process of change start to happen.
This beautiful process of The Work shows we have already everything we need to be happy. We just have to be open to see it. The universe is a kind place, and everything is not happening to us but for us. Every stressful thoughts we have is an alarm clock that shows us the way back home to ourselves, and help us to fins unconditional love inside us for ourselves and to the world.
How to do The Work?
The first step is to identify our stressful thoughts and write them on paper by filling Judge-Your-Neighbour Worksheet
http://www.thework.com/downloads/worksheets/JudgeYourNeighbor_Worksheet.pdf
We have been taught all our life not to judge, but we do it all the time. The Work invites us to judge and set ourselves free by these judgments.
When you write the JYN worksheet please don’t be spiritual. Be childish and don’t censor yourselves. Write short and simple sentences. I see any judgment that I have as a ticket for my freedom. Give yourself this gifts.
The second stage is to inquire-question your stressful thoughts with four questions and turnarounds. The inquiry connects us to our heart, to our kindness and to our natural nature-love. The Work can be a very deep process which allows you to connect to your heart and your wisdom, and your true nature-love. It enables you to find your truth.
During this process you will find again and again that you already have the answers in you; you just have to listen....
Fill the JYN worksheet. Take each judgment separately through the inquiry process.
The Work is a meditation. It’s about awareness; it’s not about trying to change your mind.
Let the mind ask the questions, and then contemplate.
Take your time, go inside, and wait for the deeper answers to surface.
The inquiry contains four questions and the turnarounds:
1. Is it true? (If the answer is “No,” move to #3.)
2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?
Turn the thought around.
Find genuine examples for the turnaround.
Inquiry for example:
Here’s an example of how the four questions might be applied to the statement,
“He should understand me”
1. Is it true?
Is it true that he should understand you? Be still. Wait for the heart’s response.
The work is mediation. It’s not about right or wrong. There are no right or wrong answer as long as you answer from your heart. Go inside you and contemplate.
2. Can you absolutely know it’s true?
Get still and present. Listen to your heart.
Ultimately, can you really know what he should or shouldn’t understand?
Can you absolutely know what’s in his best interest to understand?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
What happens when you believe “He should understand me” and he doesn’t?
Do you experience anger, stress, and frustration?
Do you give him “the look”? Do you try to change him in any way?
How do these reactions feel?
Does that thought bring stress or peace into your life? Be still as you listen.
4. Who would you be without this thought?
Close your eyes.
How do you feel without the thought?
What would your life look like without that thought?
This question doesn’t mean that I have to drop the thought but just imagine how I would be without this thought.
The Turnarounds
Next, turn your statement around.
The turnarounds are an opportunity to consider the opposite of what you believe to be true. You may find several turnarounds.
For example, “He should understand me” turns around to:
• Turned around to the opposite: He shouldn’t understand me. (Isn’t that reality sometimes?)
• Turned around to the other: I should understand him (Can I understand that he doesn’t understand me?)
• Turned around to you: I should understand me. (It’s my job, not his.)
Let yourself fully experience the turnarounds.
For each one, ask yourself, “Is that as true or truer?”
Can you find specific examples in your life where the turnaround is as true or truer?
There are many possible combinations for these three. The point is not to find the most turnarounds, but to open your mind to those turnarounds that are as true or truer for you.
Just follow these simple directions and let The Work works you…(-:
With love,
Sarit
The Work is a simple yet powerful process of inquiry of our thoughts with four questions and turnarounds. This process allows us to stop our suffering in our world and live more happily and peacefully.
For me The Work is more than just process of four question and turnarounds. It is a way of living my life with more inner freedom and happiness, with more gratitude for each moment I have in this life, no matter what the circumstances are.
The work invites us to inquire into the gap between our stories (how it should be) and the reality of what is. This gap creates our suffering. It’s amazing for me to see how we move between realities during the inquiry although nothing has been changed in our life right now, except of our point of view. This gentle process enables us to become more humble and teaches us that we don’t know is the best place to be, we don’t know more than god.
We try to create changes in our life by trying to change the others- the people around us, and/or by trying to change ourselves. We think that if things had been different we would have been happier. The work helps us to realise how everything is perfect right here and right now. It is about starting from where we are and not from where we want to be. By accepting where we are, we can create the changes we want. The Work gives us the freedom to be happy without changing our circumstances. After we do The Work, our circumstances change by themselves.
We don’t have to change ourselves in order to love ourselves. It's the other way around-when we accept ourselves and the reality as it is, miracles start happening, we find the power of love. This process is about our willingess to meet reality they way it is. As a result of accepting ourselves at the moment - a beautiful and gentle process of change start to happen.
This beautiful process of The Work shows we have already everything we need to be happy. We just have to be open to see it. The universe is a kind place, and everything is not happening to us but for us. Every stressful thoughts we have is an alarm clock that shows us the way back home to ourselves, and help us to fins unconditional love inside us for ourselves and to the world.
How to do The Work?
The first step is to identify our stressful thoughts and write them on paper by filling Judge-Your-Neighbour Worksheet
http://www.thework.com/downloads/worksheets/JudgeYourNeighbor_Worksheet.pdf
We have been taught all our life not to judge, but we do it all the time. The Work invites us to judge and set ourselves free by these judgments.
When you write the JYN worksheet please don’t be spiritual. Be childish and don’t censor yourselves. Write short and simple sentences. I see any judgment that I have as a ticket for my freedom. Give yourself this gifts.
The second stage is to inquire-question your stressful thoughts with four questions and turnarounds. The inquiry connects us to our heart, to our kindness and to our natural nature-love. The Work can be a very deep process which allows you to connect to your heart and your wisdom, and your true nature-love. It enables you to find your truth.
During this process you will find again and again that you already have the answers in you; you just have to listen....
Fill the JYN worksheet. Take each judgment separately through the inquiry process.
The Work is a meditation. It’s about awareness; it’s not about trying to change your mind.
Let the mind ask the questions, and then contemplate.
Take your time, go inside, and wait for the deeper answers to surface.
The inquiry contains four questions and the turnarounds:
1. Is it true? (If the answer is “No,” move to #3.)
2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?
Turn the thought around.
Find genuine examples for the turnaround.
Inquiry for example:
Here’s an example of how the four questions might be applied to the statement,
“He should understand me”
1. Is it true?
Is it true that he should understand you? Be still. Wait for the heart’s response.
The work is mediation. It’s not about right or wrong. There are no right or wrong answer as long as you answer from your heart. Go inside you and contemplate.
2. Can you absolutely know it’s true?
Get still and present. Listen to your heart.
Ultimately, can you really know what he should or shouldn’t understand?
Can you absolutely know what’s in his best interest to understand?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
What happens when you believe “He should understand me” and he doesn’t?
Do you experience anger, stress, and frustration?
Do you give him “the look”? Do you try to change him in any way?
How do these reactions feel?
Does that thought bring stress or peace into your life? Be still as you listen.
4. Who would you be without this thought?
Close your eyes.
How do you feel without the thought?
What would your life look like without that thought?
This question doesn’t mean that I have to drop the thought but just imagine how I would be without this thought.
The Turnarounds
Next, turn your statement around.
The turnarounds are an opportunity to consider the opposite of what you believe to be true. You may find several turnarounds.
For example, “He should understand me” turns around to:
• Turned around to the opposite: He shouldn’t understand me. (Isn’t that reality sometimes?)
• Turned around to the other: I should understand him (Can I understand that he doesn’t understand me?)
• Turned around to you: I should understand me. (It’s my job, not his.)
Let yourself fully experience the turnarounds.
For each one, ask yourself, “Is that as true or truer?”
Can you find specific examples in your life where the turnaround is as true or truer?
There are many possible combinations for these three. The point is not to find the most turnarounds, but to open your mind to those turnarounds that are as true or truer for you.
Just follow these simple directions and let The Work works you…(-:
With love,
Sarit
