Either get comfy on your cushion or get a pen out… tune into the quiet around you for a moment and into the sensations of the lower half of your body… and either gently meditate on or journal about the situation asking yourself the the following Qs…
What happened (to trigger you) in this situation?
What are you believing about yourself and/or the other? If it’s an illness, perhaps use the body or painful sensations for this. Click here to use BK’s ‘Judge your neighbour’ form if it helps to do this. **If we haven’t gone through the Byron Katie resources yet, don’t worry, we’ll get to it shortly.
Who did what to whom and when?
Can you remember the law of causality (reversed cause + effect) and turn it all around?
Conventionally, we have been taught that there’s something out there, separate to me, that is causing/doing something to me, in here. Instead here, for this practice, we reverse this order as in reality, it’s actually the feeling/pain I have inside, that is creating the triggering situation out there. Eg. He didn’t text me = I feel insecure. Turned around: I feel insecure = he shows up as not texting me. This is excellent news! Remember all is in you, the source of pain and the source of all healing. In coming back to this painful energy inside, we can help to dissolve it and free ourselves of it forever, instead of getting forever lost, in blaming and thinking incessantly about the outside situation and it repeating all over again or it causing illness in the body. You are a channel of pure creative source energy, either creating through your positive aspects or the negative (aka false) and so come back to your practice and get yourself properly free.
How did this situation make you feel? Angry, sad, scared? Click here for BK’s emotions PDF sheet for help.
Imagine that this energy has arrived in you from an alien planet. Drop the story completely. All the meaning behind it, who did what to whom. Let all the thoughts go and come to simply experience the painful emotion or sensation directly in your body.
Can you feel into the sensation of that triggered emotion in your awareness? What does it feel like? What is the fabric of it? A sinking sensation, a jabbing, a prickle, moving or very tight energy? Get really close, touch it with your inner sense, get familiar with it like you’re stalking a beautiful wild animal. Ask it what it really is?
Can we allow, respect (imagine bowing to it), accept, welcome, be curious about this triggered energy? Can we receive the energy of it? If we can’t, feel into what’s resisting/blocking and put your awareness on that instead and repeat from No. 4
Can we listen to it deeply, tenderly? What is it saying? Does it want revenge or is it depressed and wanting to shut down somehow (sleep or addictive behaviours? Eg. eating, sleeping, alcohol etc. Agree with it, comfort it…”yes, yes, there, there, quite right to feel that way”, whatever feels right to you.
Let it live it’s full life. Picture it and really feel it, perhaps screaming on the side of a big cliff or dancing crazily. How does it want to express itself? What does it want to do? Let it get really big, invite it out of it’s contracted form. Ask it if it wants to uncontain/ to free itself.
If we’re finding it hard to be with something and lacking compassion for ourselves, perhaps picture the same feeling being felt by a little child, baby animal or plant even. Be respectful of it’s space, it’s needs and wants. Just simply be with it softly, gently and repeat No. 5 onwards.
The magic words of the ho’oponopono (ancient hawaiian healing prayer) can also be used as a key to unlock the pain energy.
I’m sorry
I love you
Please forgive me
Thank you