The Yoga of Inquiry
The Freedom to Love What Is: Where Yoga and The Work of Byron Katie Meet
At its heart, Yoga is a path of liberation. It awakens us to the habitual mental patterns that shape how we move through the world and relate to life. The Yoga of Inquiry offers another doorway into that same freedom, through the practice of self-inquiry.
The stories we tell ourselves about our circumstances not only name our experiences, they also shape them. This steady premise is the foundation of The Work of Byron Katie, a process of self-inquiry that questions the stressful thoughts that keep us stuck in our pain. The practice invites us to see reality with greater clarity, and freedom is a natural result that follows from that clarity.
Inquiry, like yoga, is a practice. Physical postures teach us to meet our bodies with awareness. The yoga of inquiry teaches us to meet our minds with curiosity. As we question our thoughts, greater space emerges for conflict to transform into understanding, and resistance into acceptance. A clearer mind brings a greater capacity to meet ourselves and others, and in turn, helps us make better behavioral choices.
This kind of inquiry asks us to look honestly at the beliefs that create stress. As in the teachings of yoga, an ever present natural peace lies beneath beneath the stories of fear and self-judgment. This process can support anyone navigating a difficult relationship, self-criticism, anxiety, or simply a longing for deeper peace. It offers tools that live in the fabric of everyday life, available with nothing more than an open mind and a curious heart.
To question the stories that separate us from reality is to awaken to the freedom to love what is. This is the heart of the practice, a way of meeting life as it actually is, again and again, with greater clarity and presence each time.
Jane’s House will be offering an immersive two-day journey into Byron Katie’s inquiry process. On August 8-9, join us for The Yoga of Inquiry: The Freedom to Love What Is with Bryan Wagner, a certified facilitator of The Work. This workshop will dive deeply into both understanding The Work and experiencing it. Through guided inquiries, partner exercises, and deep personal exploration, learn to identify and question the thoughts that create suffering in life and relationships, and practice turning painful stories into pathways to freedom.