There is a wonderful line in A Thousand Names for Joy where Byron Katie asks, who would you be without your story? “There is no story that is you or leads to you,” she writes. “Every story leads away from you. You are what exists before all stories. You are what remains when the story is understood.”

Katie’s books and workshops have helped people the world over understand how their attachment to stories about themselves stand in the way of their own joy and freedom. I discovered her work about ten years ago and delved deep into her teachings.

Given the influence she has had on me, I was thrilled to be invited to her ranch in Ojai, California, for a photoshoot. We spent an afternoon making pictures for the cover of one of her books.

Many people are uncomfortable in front of big lenses and studio strobes. Not Katie. I found her to be completely present, open to ideas, and even playful in front of the camera.

I was reminded of another line from her book: “A mature mind can entertain any idea,” she says. “It is never threatened by opposition or conflict, because it knows that it can’t be hindered. When it has no position to defend or identity to protect, it can go anywhere. There’s never anything to lose… Laughter pours out of it.”

Beautiful words, ones which Katie herself seems to teach by example.

After the shoot, we sat down for tea, talked about our favorite books and teachers, took in the beauty of the Ojai Valley. The afternoon flew by in an instant.

A portrait of mine appears on the cover of the Spanish edition of A Thousand Names for Joy.