I recently participated in Tao of Gratitude in Ireland. I want to share how transformational those 7 days were for me. Chetana has a beautiful gift of facilitating the simplifying of things. As the retreat started I felt like I had a blind spot in my self-development process. It felt like so much was entangled in this issue of my life and that I couldn’t see it properly. I felt overwhelmed and I powerless over it.

With her gentle but deep and powerful work, we detangled my process and I was blessed enough to get to some core limiting thoughts and core trauma. She gently guided me into seeing things I was unconsciously avoiding, things that were blocking my full expression and life. I felt safe, held and heard during the whole retreat.

Since it has finished, I see a reconnection between my upper and lower body has happened. I received my period after 6 months without it and a lifetime of inconsistency. I feel more conscious of my emotions and thoughts, braver to deal with whatever comes up and safer to hold my boundaries and express myself.

I am very much grateful for this experience. For Chetana’s love, patience and limitless dedication. And for the sisterhood bond that has been created amongst the women there. It was all way beyond any expectations I could have had.

Chetana is one of the most “real” people I know. She embodies honesty, compassion, mindfulness, creativity, honoring respect, and a commitment to personal growth. As a teacher, Chetana is clear in her instructions, pays attention to detail as well as the “big picture”, is very respectful of personal boundaries, and all the while, unabashedly laughs, dances, and has fun. I thoroughly enjoy working with her and appreciate the safe space she maintains, especially for women.

Chetana holds such a loving space for anyone wanting to delve deep into self inquiry and the inner peace we all hunger for. I can’t thank her enough for having the biggest of hearts and warm presence which really provided me the safety I needed for my own deep healing and personal growth. I feel more open, expressive and present in my body then I have been in my whole life and the ahhh-haaa moments just seem to be flowing. Plus she gives the best hugs ever!! This work has been truly life changing for me on so many levels and can’t I recommend it enough!

Chetana held a space that was warm and comforting which enabled me to drop into my deep held trauma and fears. The safe container in the group room, that was created, allowed me to explore this work on a level I had never touched on before. I received a beautifully intimate session with Chetana as the demonstration which worked around my pelvic region. I felt self empowerment and a strong sense of freedom after this session. This really assisted in dropping the shame and guilt around my body and opened me to new physical sensations throughout the body. Chetana’s touch, tone and simple presence was a true blessing throughout the process. I feel blessed to have received this gift from her.

Attending The Tao of Gratitude with Chetana and a beautifully brave and inspiring group of women was amazing for me. Having attended 3 days of Trauma release through breath work last year with Chetana and managing to de stabilize an intrenched set of symptoms from Lyme disease I was not sure where we would go with a whole 7 days…

Well…. having completed 7 days I feel I have given birth, literally physically to my commitment of allowing my body to be the channel towards change. My mind is present but not a dominant driving force. I catch myself several times a day teetering on the edge of a story that doesn’t need my attention and so I return to breath and I am freed …

I feel I belong in my body and my community more than before and am willing to trust into the moments where anxiety before would fill. I have a discipline which already feels somewhat familiar yet I am in awe of its simplistic and powerful presence. I pray not to become complacent or lazy as THIS is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Blessings on this profound work and more so on Chetana Barkan’s capacity to hold a group/individual in a vessel of absolute clarity and compassion, where all your weaknesses/ patterns will be highlighted and delivered alongside the total inspirational vision of what lies beyond, into the here and now.

Thank you all so much for this life changing experience

One of the reasons I continued to return to BBTRS is because of the support I received from Chetana as a facilitator. There are times when the work can be deep, powerful and genuinely life changing and during the breath work process there are often moments of uncertainty, realization and strong emotional & physical release. Chetana is always there in full presence offering support, guidance and reassurance which allows for a deeper opening and exploration. There is always a safe space to come back to by simply looking into her eyes or hearing her voice. Chetana has always been very available for conversation and support after the sessions and has a unique ability to bring new awareness to an old thought pattern.

I have also experienced Chetana’s women’s work which was an incredibly intimate and delicate area for me. I was a little nervous about this work to begin with, however, Chetana’s clear instruction and guidance made the experience empowering and liberating… and fun! She created an environment of trust, acceptance and female connection. I had many realizations from this work and it inspired me to explore further. I am really looking forward to more self inquiry and pelvic floor work with Chetana.

Through the use of meditation, movement, music, playfulness & creativity I was able to open & embark on a sacred & infinitely beautiful exploration into myself. Peeling my way through the layers of self-constructed ideas of ‘me’, encountering the boundaries, pain & resistance that have held me back in so many ways throughout my life. I ventured on a journey to the core, had meetings with truth, clarity, connectedness and ecstatic bliss.

I consider myself to be incredibly blessed to have experienced this amazing opportunity to work with this very special, authentic being – Chetana – who guided and fully supported me with sensitivity, wisdom, strength & professionalism allowing me to trust and surrender in a place where at times I felt incredibly vulnerable & afraid.

Chetana is an inspiration and a joy to be around. She holds space so softly, yet with a great female strength. Her clarity, truth and unshakable presence gave me the confidence to expand and grow in each of her workshops and move into a place of potential that I was never previously aware of. She provides a safe space for processing as well as the ability to bring light and fun to a space of celebration and gratitude.

…… and it doesn’t end when the workshop ends… the effects of this immense energetic flow really does unfold when you step back into ‘life’ and can be observed & felt on a physical, psychological and subtle level. I believe life will be very different for me from this day forward.

Chetana has been an immense presence on my healing journey. I met her just after a heavy-hitting trauma touched my life and on the cusp of feeling called into a life of service. Chetana holds space with integrity and strength and is lovingly known by many as the “Lightning Bolt” for striking right to the truth and the heart of the matter. She has supported and guided me through the muck of growth and the confusion of my undoing as I release, layer-by-layer, that which no longer serves me. She compassionately facilitates self-inquiry that has led me to notice the ways I play small or stay stuck in story and she invites me into deeper self-accountability. I am forever grateful to her for being a sacred teacher on my path and hope to continue working with her for years to come.