The first call
The first worry most people have is a simple one: how will these sessions go, and what are they all about? The first twenty-minute call is for exactly that. I listen to what the problem may be, and I explain how I would shape the sessions to help. It gives you familiarity with me, a sense of whether we are compatible, and whether you want to move ahead in any form. That is all the first twenty minutes are for.
The first session
The first full session is about understanding. What are the issues you are facing? How are you feeling, and where are you in your life right now? What do you think the problem is, and how have you tackled it in the past? Your answers give the framework for everything that follows. Towards the end I tell you how we will move forward, and if you need something to steady you until we next meet, I teach you a simple breathing technique that same day.
How often we meet
Depending on the severity, the first few sessions come in quick succession, two to three days apart. After that we meet once a week, then once every two weeks, and then we taper off, depending on the kind of problem you have. Every session is based on the necessity of the individual alone, hence no two sessions are the same.
Breathing and meditation
People often tell me that meditation has never worked for them, and that breathing techniques have never worked for them. It is almost always because they were doing it wrong, or doing it impractically, without appropriate guidance. One has to find the appropriate method. Because I have studied yoga, prāṇāyāma and meditation as well as the Western techniques, I teach them categorically and systematically: specific prāṇāyāmas and specific meditative practices, chosen for the individual.
The ideas behind it
Eventually, for those who are interested, I teach the ideas themselves: what the śāstra and the Vedic paradigm say about the mind. For those who are not Hindu, there are other paradigms of thought which serve the same purpose.
The basis
The basis of all of this is simple. We all have the capacity to feel happy; eternally and internally, we already are. There are certain thoughts, feelings and ideas in our lives which do not allow us to feel it, and so we go looking for happiness in other parts of the world. But happiness is within. With certain practices, and a realignment of our value systems, we begin to see the bliss that is already there. That is the meaning of Anandoham: I am bliss.
Between sessions
Dev can be reached on WhatsApp through the week. It is not an emergency service. If you are in danger or cannot keep yourself safe, call your local emergency number; in India, Tele-MANAS is 14416.
Fees and hours
A 20-minute first call is ₹299, credited to your first full session. Sessions of 60, 90 or 120 minutes are from ₹2,000 in India and from ₹4,000 for clients based outside India, charged in Indian rupees. Sessions start between 4 and 8 PM India time every day, and between 6:30 and 9:30 AM India time on Fridays and Sundays. Those Friday and Sunday mornings are Thursday and Saturday evenings in the US and Canada. The booking page shows every time in your own time zone.
