I continue to receive feedback from my participants who have experienced wonderful changes. I am very happy for them and continue to share their experiences with you.

M.K.

I had a very fulfilling 8 weeks. My awareness of being present in the moment has increased significantly. Now, when I get caught in thought spirals, I notice it and try to focus on my breath or my body.

I’m a very light sleeper. I’ve woken up at the slightest sound. If I wake up, it can be difficult for me to fall back asleep. In these 8 weeks, I realized that one of the biggest reasons I couldn’t fall back asleep was that my brain, now awake, would get lost in thoughts and get overwhelmed by them. Before, I would grab my phone and spend time on the internet trying to escape this. Recently, instead of reaching for my phone when I noticed these thought spirals in the middle of the night, I tried closing my eyes and focusing on my breath, and I realized I had fallen asleep on my own. It had an incredible impact on my life.

Also, I realized that gratitude, which we emphasized in the last broadcast, doesn’t have much of a place in my life. Like that participant, I decided to write down something that made me happy and something I’m grateful for every day. It’s a very inspiring routine.

N.E.

Thank you so much for all the beauty you’ve given me.
Eliminations, detox, and meditation. You’ve always been a source of healing for me. You healed my body with eliminations and detox, and my heart with meditation. The only danger of starting a program with you is becoming a habit. You always motivated me.
The biggest gift these 8 weeks brought me, I think, is that I’ve become a calmer, more peaceful person. I confronted myself. I learned to be grateful and to make peace with myself, even to forgive. Your audio meditation recordings are always there when I need them. I learned to create time for myself. How good those 10 minutes feel.
I love you very much. I’m sure our paths will cross again soon. Until then, I’m a follower on Instagram.

S.E.
After the program, a general sense of calm and serenity emerged. When something challenging happens, I immediately turn to my toolkit and ask, ‘Which meditation should I do?’ Returning to my breath feels really good. Life goes on in that moment, and whether I’m writhing in anxiety or not, it will continue. Taking 5 minutes there to focus on my breath is good for me at that moment, and it also reduces my stress for the rest of the day. Even my decisions seem to be affected; I don’t react impulsively to events. Thank you so much!

B.S.

It was a wonderful 8-week journey. I participated in 6 of the live broadcasts as they were happening online, and I watched the other 2 later from recordings without missing a single one. I was already curious about the world of mindfulness and had been reading about it, but I couldn’t quite make sense of it. Above all, I think your incredibly simple way of explaining things, as if you were talking to a child, was very effective. And finally, I understood 🙂 As you explained, the program definitely requires effort to set aside time for individual practice in addition to the instruction. Sometimes I found myself meditating every day, whether I wanted to or not, and sometimes I couldn’t, to be honest, but I never gave up. I always took a few days off and came back. And believe me, I found my extremely scattered brain, unable to focus on anything, anchoring itself in the direction I wanted a few times, and I really enjoyed it. Even if I couldn’t do anything from the program, the in-2-3-4, ex-2-3-4 breath equation, which I personally practice at least 20 times a day, created an incredible change in my daily life with just a small movement. The second simplest thing is that surfing on waves never leaves my mind. From now on, send me the waves, thanks to Sema Hanım, I can surf!!

Heartfelt thanks!

Z.Y.

What changes have you observed in yourself after the program?

Before the program, I frequently experienced constant self-talk, an inability to silence my thoughts, and a tendency to get lost in various scenarios and thoughts. This frequency has significantly decreased. I can now recognize when I’m having such a moment, understand that it’s not real, and break free from the thought spiral. Another observation is that I can remain calmer in the face of situations and events in my life that I’m unhappy with because I’ve developed an acceptance that they are temporary.

How did the program help you?

It helped me at least question the difference between what my mind produces and reality, to reflect on it, to become aware of it. It helped me to pause and breathe during moments of boredom or simply during the day, to become more self-aware. It allows me to break free from the thought spirals surrounding my pain and difficulties—the very questions like “Why is this happening?” and “Why isn’t it going away?”—and allows me to remain more gentle. One of my most important realizations is that, alongside the challenges we face in life, we tend to see and feel the ease and sources of happiness we already possess. I had rarely thought about this before.

How did you apply what you learned in the program to your life when you were struggling?

I started asking myself questions like, “Is there a difference between what I feel and what is actually happening?”, “How difficult is this challenge?”, “Is this a situation that requires me to stress?” I’m trying to gain the perspective of, “How significant is this challenge in my life?” I’m trying to remind myself of the truth: “Yes, there are challenges, but like everything else, this is temporary.”

B.A.

What changes have you observed in yourself after the program?

My goal in participating was to add something regular and routine to my life. I struggled, I struggled a lot, but despite that, I created a space for myself in my study. Every day I would sit in that corner, fighting with myself and my thoughts. Now I meditate routinely every weekday, but I can’t include it on weekends when my routine is disrupted. I’m not bothered by that for now, I’m not fighting with myself about it. We encounter many problems during the day, and every time I encounter a problem, I breathe in and out; it certainly provides momentary relief. But I don’t think it’s very logical to get feedback on this training right now because I’m sure that after a few months, when I practice regularly, I will be able to provide accurate feedback. For now, it’s an exercise that I’m trying to incorporate into my daily routine, and it allows me to use my breath to return to the present moment when I encounter problems during the day.

How has the program helped you?

I’m establishing routines, and I’m experiencing how to approach problems when I encounter them, especially when my anxieties begin.

How did you apply what you learned from the program to your life when you were struggling?

I have a dog, and unfortunately, there are a lot of stray dogs in our neighborhood. I get stressed before every walk. When I leave, I think, “What if a Sivas Kangal dog is in the neighborhood?”, “What if the neighbor’s unleashed Dogo Argentino escapes from the yard and attacks ‘Ice’ again before I get to the park?”, “What if the dogs are sleeping in the park when I get there?” I leave the house with all sorts of scenarios in mind. Now, I don’t create these scenarios anymore. I calmly count to four as I leave the house, inhale, and then count to four again as I exhale. After repeating this, we go for a walk, and if I encounter a dog outside, I try to move on calmly. In the worst-case scenario, I just say, “There’s water in a plastic bottle with you, Burçin, calm down,” and move on. Unfortunately, we’ve experienced many attacks from dogs in our neighborhood, which is why I have this anxiety.