Deep down we are all Warriors

Beirut, Lebanon.

Yesterday was the big day. Approximately 23 people showed op for “The Quest for the Noble Warrior” Workshop in Beirut. I feel very happy and grateful. I feel that we, the participants and me, did a very good job. I have the feeling the message came across. At least, I hope so.

Of course, when the work was done and everybody went home, the insecurity and the doubt came up. Did I do good enough? Did everybody get the attention they deserved? Did I overlook somebody? But hey, that’s me. On the other hand I can trust what I feel and saw. To begin with, a lot of people showed up. Furthermore, the group was concentrated for nearly 5 hours with only one short break, which is amazing. Many people shared beautiful insights. And finally, my body still feels open and spacious.

As the facilitator I have open up to all the feelings and emotions of all the participants in the room. Nothing and nobody should feel left out or unheard. This means that my heart really gets stretched during my work. That’s why I always feel amazing after a workshop. And in case of a good one, like yesterday, the feeling stays with me for 24 hours or more.

I realize I don’t have much to say. I somehow feel the obligation to share what it was like or what happened but any kind of explaining will not cover the experience. I can only say that I always feel lots of love and appreciation for my participants. It is just beautiful to see how people dive into new and unknown terrain, facing what ever needs to be faced. I love the look in their eyes after they have done the work. Their eyes are so much brighter.

So what have I learned? I have learned that human beings are very much the same. It doesn’t matter if they are Dutch, Greek, Israeli or Lebanese. It doesn’t matter if they are wealthy or less wealthy. We all experience loneliness, separation, suffering, doubt and sadness. And we all have the potential to embrace ourselves.

Another lesson is that it seems that the weight of every day life is heavier in a small community with quite a few social restrictions. That sounds like an open door when I write it down but it felt humbling when really being present with it. I saw quite a few caged people here, locked up in palaces, literally and metaphorically.

As I come almost to the end of this post I realize that I hope that people don’t see me or my journey as somebody or something exceptional but as something within their reach too. We can all identify our fears and then do the work to overcome them. Deep down we are all warriors. The only thing we need to do is start acting accordingly.

Edit: I received a testimonial from one of my participants. He got it. I am happy:

I met Atalwin randomly in a martial arts class, at the end of the class, he made us a small collective training, these ten minutes of training were sufficient to awake me of the power that Atalwin is sharing.
At the very end of the class, he said that as Humans, we train our brain by education, our body by practicing martial arts, but there is another practice that most of the people forget, crucial for the integrity of our person, the spirit.
I’ll never forget that particular moment.

When I knew he is sharing a session, I surely attended.
These four hours of awakening were filled with love and authenticity.
I qualify Atalwin as a genius of our time, overwhelmed with an infinite love for others, and a truly gifted mind.
Thank you for waking me up.

– Michael Najjar, Beirut.

I always forget to have pictures taken when I work. Perhaps I will receive some and then I will add them. For now let me conclude with a beautiful taken picture I received from the talented young photographer Gabriel Gersch when we were at Mleeta:

UPDATE: Hussam Hawwa took some pictures during the workshop! Thank you, Hussam!

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