THE WORK WITH LAKSHMI
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Struggling with what’s happening in your life?
Life challenges can come in many forms;
Loss of a dear one, ending of relationships, health issues, low self-esteem, fear of change...
What if it was possible to use the very challenge or problem as a stepping stone to come back to peace, joy and love?
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Inner peace is possible!
It can feel overwhelming, hopeless,
exhausting and lead to despair.
But what if suffering was optional? When we look into the root cause of our struggles, things can shift fundamentally.
A simple but powerful process
What we are thinking impacts the way we behave and live.
Inquiring into (sometimes long-held) beliefs frees us up to live the life we want.
Sitting with the questions and turnarounds brings us back to peace, joy, and lightness of being. What felt like a painful situation can clear up and show up as opportunities.
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This inner work is for you if:
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You want clarity
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You want joy
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You want peace
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You want to have more energy
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You want life to be fun
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You want to be loving
No mud, no lotus.
Thich Nhat Hanh
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Why me?
Facilitator, trainer, mother, student
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Certified Facilitator for The Work of Byron Katie
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10+ years of hands on facilitations
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Multilingual: English, Dutch, French, Kannada & Hindi
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Experience working with parenting, grief, deep emotions, chronic pain, bullying, conflicts in relationships, stress at the workplace, racism...
I offer a safe, non-judgmental space that is
warm and friendly. I have a genuine love of working with people, irrespective of their background or age.
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What to expect
Stepping into peace
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A clear structure
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Guidance with identifying what to work on
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Step-by-step facilitation
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Deep questioning
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Releasing difficult emotions
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A safe space to meet and face whatever comes up in inquiry
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Experiential understanding
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Support for carrying insights into actions in daily life
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Tears, laughter, fun, emotions, stillness
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Years of personal experience with The Work
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How do we get to work?
1
Pick a problem/situation
Example:
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You are hurt by what someone said to you
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The loss of a job
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The loss a dear one
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Problems with health
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Fear of the future
2
Identify what you are thinking
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Stay in the situation when it happened
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Notice what you are thinking about that person/organsiation/thing
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Make a list of the thoughts
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Take one thought at a time to inquiry
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3
Do The Work
Deep dive by holding the thought to:
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Is it true?
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Can you absolutely know that it's true?
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How do you react (how do you treat that person/yourself, what images do you see...)
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Who would you be without that thought/story?
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Turn the thought around
Which issues can be worked on?
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Since it involves inquiring into thoughts, The Work can be applied to any situation (from the past, in the present or about the future) that is experienced as painful.
Some examples are:
Conflicts
If you are in conflict with somebody at home or in the workplace, and feel you are not able to be at peace.
Grief
Loss/death of a person or a relationship
Body & health issues
If you are unhappy about your body or are experiencing your health as problematic
Anger and hurt
If you are unable to forgive or move on from past injustice
Fear
Of losing your job, of public-speaking, of death, of disease, of taking on responsibility
Guilt
Of having wronged somebody or having made certain decisions
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WORKING WITH EMOTIONS
Discover the gift of emotions
Inquire into your emotions and discover a new way of being, of not running away or being dominated by old patterns of mental responses to difficult situations. Instead of the conditioned response to uncomfortable emotions which either suppress or aggrandize disturbances, make space for the stillness within.
The Work and Emotional Inquiry as developed by Elizabeth Lavine is a way of meeting what arises in a totally new way; not suppressing, not dramatising but in peace.
A few clear and simple steps in inquiry allow the space for emotions to arise so that they can be experienced without labels and in freedom.
When I understand myself, I understand you, and out of that understanding comes love.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
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TESTIMONIALS
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"Lakshmi is a skilled and experienced facilitator of The Work. I especially appreciate her patient and kind guidance. She will adapt to your pace and gently support you in your work, wherever you're at. She has a soft and kind presence, which gives you the safety to explore all area's of your life. "
T.V.O, France
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"I am a repeat client with Lakshmi. My mind already gets still when I see the love and kindness on her face. However shameful and embarrassing my thoughts are, I feel accepted and being taken care of. Lakshmi guides me through my jungle of thoughts and emotions with presence and skillfulness, with just the right questions, offering me the space that I need to find and feel my answers."
K.S, Germany
Byron Katie herself will tell you that even a stranger on the street can ask you the
Four Questions of The Work
It takes a skilled, compassionate, person who is open to listen with intent to your story. In my personal experience, Lak has facilitated me through my stories, my beliefs and stressful thoughts so beautifully and with such a deep knowledge of The Work of Byron Katie.
Every time Lak has worked with me, has been a time in my life where I’ve found a woman who is gentle and kind and willing to stay with me until freedom and peace come to me."
M.G, New Zealand
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"Working with Lakshmi has felt like a true gift. I love her softness, her clarity and the way she holds space for and greets whatever arises (and I really mean whatever). She has a very skilled and flexible way of following the mind and holding you with the sensations, that in my mind comes from pure feminine wisdom. I strongly recommend her."
E.R, Sweden
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"Lakshmi Chayapathi is a sensitive and kind individual with a heart that embraces everyone. It is especially easy for one to open up to her because of her deep inner goodness and magnanimous and unjudgmental nature. I am not a person who shares traumatic experiences with others but she made me feel completely comfortable and as a guide in the Byron Katie sessions that she did with me.
The sessions helped me deal with difficult past memories and allowed me to feel less blocked by anger and hurt. She is an amazing soul and pours her energy sincerely into this work. If you have a chance to work with her, I fully recommend you take it."
P.V, USA
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"With thanks to Lakshmi, a loving and dedicated facilitator, I experienced how light-hearted my life is with acknowledging reality. And how painful it is to be in a state of mind of wanting or needing something I don't have. I felt supported by her way in holding me in The Work to find my own truth."
J.K, The Netherlands
"During my session Lakshmi explained the process of The Work. Her soft voice, calm, reassuring and professional manner helped me quickly understand what was involved. We filled in a worksheet together and she facilitated me. I went home with a light heart, and importantly having understood how to work through my suffering. Thank you Lak!"
P.K.J, Belgium
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"I highly recommend Lakshmi! I find she is a great guide on this lifejourney! She has a special ability to listen closely and to extract the essence of what troubles a heart and to help find easier ways of coping.
Lakshmi has a soft and nonjudgmental approach that makes it easy to open up and feel safe. She is flexible and generous with her contributions in the sessions, giving as much space as is needed. I always look forward to our wonderful sessions and to the love and freedom I feel after each one. "
M.B, Norway
"Lakshmi facilitated me with dedication.
She helped me get in touch with my sensations and my emotions, in new ways.
I got to do so without the judging mind, and without the ego, taking over what surfaced.
My Work went deeper with such guidance and encouragement to follow what was surfacing in me.
Lakshmi held a space for my grief and my anger to be felt and vocalized. It felt freeing to be witnessed in my process. I was releasing and letting the intense suppressed emotions to come up and out. It felt safe to be raw and know that I have room for my realness.
Lakshmi practiced humbleness with me and my reactions. That helped me heal wounds around attachments and learn authenticity.
Thank you!"
N. L, USA
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"This is God's work your upto. Your non judgmental presence while walking me through heavy emotions has given me another beautiful reference of peace.
May you continue emanating to assist many more!
Deeply Grateful"
M. B, USA
QUALIFICATIONS
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Certified Facilitator for the Work of Byron Katie.
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Member of the French association for the Work of Byron Katie (Association le Travail en Francophonie)
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Member of the Dutch-speaking network of the Facilitators of The Work of Byron Katie (TW!N)
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Graduate of the immersion course on The Work and Emotional Intelligence, which enables me to work with emotions fearlessly during self-inquiry.
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Experience with Empathy Groups and interest in Nonviolent Communication.
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Having been to two J.Krishnamurti schools (in India and in the UK), inquiry was a big part of my education.
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Bachelor in Earth Sciences and a Master in Human Ecology, and in the past have worked in environmental consulting, in research on risk perception and risk communication.
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Native English speaker, fluent in Dutch, French, Kannada and Hindi.
MY OFFERINGS
ONLINE SESSIONS
Learn how to identify what is causing you stress, and get facilitated in inquiry.
We can meet through a video call or by phone at a mutually convenient date & time.
FACE TO FACE SESSIONS
Whether you are new to The Work inquiry or need facilitation on ongoing stressful thoughts, you can choose to book a trial session or more.
If you would like an introduction to 'The Work', I offer workshops for small or large groups.
If you would like to deepen your experience of 'The Work' and explore inquiry into emotions and thoughts, I am happy to organise retreats with a combination of guided inquiry, walks and meditation.
RETREATS
Are you interested in taking some time out from your daily routine to delve into inquiry?
I offer customized retreats in Belgium and abroad with specific themes such as 'Working through conflicts', ' Health and the body', 'Making friends with grief'...
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FAQs
What duration of sessions are available?
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30 minutes session
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1 hour session
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1.5 hour session
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2 hour session
Do I need any previous knowledge?
No, you don't need to know anything more than you already do.
Are sessions for only one person?
Couples can have a session together, or parent & child, or any other relationships where both individuals want to do The Work on each other.
DISCLAIMER
Doing inquiry does not involve psychotherapy or analysis. Advice is not given as the client's own wisdom is equal to the facilitator's, whose job is only to create a space that is conducive to deeply question and experience what comes up.
While it might feel therapeutic to meet one's emotions and thoughts with openness, it would be a secondary result of not fighting reality, and sitting in stillness.
"To inquire fully into anything is to discover this vast, simple, presence of being - yourself as you are. Being is not a practice. A practice involves some technique, a right way and a wrong way, a belief in getting someplace, and a reward or attainment. In the truth of absolute stillness, none of that applies.”
Gangaji
Upcoming Events
Do The Work with Lakshmi at the Bloom FairSun 04 OctBrabanthal
