“Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?”

POEM for April 20, 2026

“Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?”
VIII
Labour is blossoming or dancing where
The body is not bruised to pleasure soul,
Nor beauty born out of its own despair,
Nor blear-eyed wisdom out of midnight oil.
O chestnut tree, great rooted blossomer,
Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?

– W. B. Yeats, “Among School Children”
The Poems of W. B. Yeats: A New Edition, edited by Richard J. Finneran. Copyright 1933 by Macmillan Publishing Company, renewed © 1961 by Georgie Yeats. Reprinted with the permission of A. P. Watt, Ltd., on behalf of Michael Yeats.Source: The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats

Resources

Being and the Praxis of Mindfulness

2025, The Mystery of Being: Reconsidering the ‘Mystical Element’ in Heidegger’s Thought

sell
Mindfulness,
Phenomenology,
Mysticism,
Attention,
Martin Heidegger

Heidegger provides us with a philosophical mysticism that bears within it the living mystery that is at the heart of religious experience. I point to the importance of attention Heidegger’s thought, in particular acute and sustained attentiveness (or mindfulness), which is essential in virtually all contemplative practices where the intention is to enter in a relation with the divine. The claim is that attention is a most mysterious phenomenon, and that, moreover, its movement is situated within a hermeneutical circle of attention, language, and place, all three of which are most mysterious, which enigmatic nature is compounded by their intimate relationship. Thus Heidegger offers a philosophy that enables the openness to the mystery to remain front and center while providing us with the intellectual resources that can support the required effort of one’s whole being.  READ MORE

Dana Ganihar & Baruch Brenner (Help for Helpers with Lynn Preston & Greg Madison Living Process)

Dana Ganihar & Baruch Brenner on The Living Process with Greg Madison.
A holy commitment to the unknown. Episode 043 January 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJg98Aw4Lv8

Wisdom Beyond Steps in Kabbalah and Focusing. Dana Ganihar and Baruch Brenner Episode 47 of The Living Process with Greg Madison. April 27, 2026

Followup Episode with Dana Ganihar and Baruch Brenner. … Wisdom Beyond Steps. Episode 47 of The Living Process with Greg Madison. Delighted to invite Dana and Baruch back for a followup conversation discussing their rich crossing of the Kabbalistic wisdom tradition with Focusing and Gendlin’s philosophy in A Process Model. There was an alarm near the beginning so we had to pause the recording until it was safe to continue. Together we explore what we might be missing when we only use Focusing for a specific life situation. Dana and Baruch emphasise that Focusing also offers a pathway into something deeper about who we are as human beings, opening into the mystery of what life is. They say ‘You are the carrying forward of life’ and this offers Focusing practice that transcends the interpersonal and psychological sphere. You will hear some divergence in our views, which I hope to be able to explore further! Episode 47 – Kabbalah and Focusing wisdom beyond steps:    • Wisdom Beyond Steps in Kabbalah and Focusi…  
The Living Process – all episodes and podcast links: https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-li…
TLP YouTube video channel:    • The Living Process. Practices in Experienc…   Dana and Baruch run Shakio Institute. Check out their website for upcoming courses and resources in Hebrew and English: https://shakio.org/en/ Dana Ganihar, M.Sc. is a Focusing Coordinator since 2007. Over the last couple decades she has taught Gendlin’s work and initiated cooperative research exploring the impact of Focusing and TAE on diverse fields at various universities. Baruch Brenner is an Israeli theater director, actor, singer, teacher, focusing trainer and an ordained Orthodox Rabbi. He is a leading innovator integrating spiritual practices with experiential work in theater, movement and vocal arts. He facilitates workshops exploring religious and mystical traditions, with an emphasis on Jewish mysticism – Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy – making them accessible to the general public.

Living the Wonder with Dana Ganihar and Baruch Brenner Help for Helpers July 15 2024

In this workshop, we will explore how we can move from wonder as a reaction to wonder as wisdom and how Gendlin’s “order of steps” helps us live from the “never-ending” unfoldment of wonder. We will emphasize its crucial importance in healing life from splits and dichotomy. Baruch Brenner is an Israeli theater director, actor, singer, teacher, Focusing trainer and an ordained Orthodox Rabbi. Over the last 25 years, he has been a leading innovator in integrating spiritual practices with experiential work in theatre, movement and vocal arts. He was the artistic director of the Vertigo lab in the eco-art village and a research fellow and member of the Jerzy Grotowski theater ensemble. Baruch facilitates educational programs and workshops exploring religious and mystical traditions, with an emphasis on Jewish mysticism – Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy – making them accessible to the general public. Dana Ganihar, M.Sc., has been a Focusing Coordinator since 2007. Over the last couple of decades, she has led numerous workshops and seminars exploring the work of psychologist and philosopher Eugene Gendlin. Dana has initiated cooperative research exploring the potential impact of Focusing and TAE on diverse fields, such as biology, architecture, creative writing, and religion in institutions including the Technion, Bar Ilan University, and Tel Hai College. Dana has served as a board member of the International Focusing Institute for three years.

Help for Helpers -Lynn Preston Excerpt TAE and the Art of Living with Dana Ganihar and Baruch Brenner May 22 2023

Help for Helpers; Focusing and the Field of Prayer with Dana Ganihar and Baruch Brenner June 13 2022

April 20, 2026 Marvin Manève & Katarina Halm — Faith the Unbreakable Fibre

DESCRIPTION
Doubt and Faith as interweaving variables
Sincerity in search of more profound understanding.

INSPIRATION
“The Edge of Humanity” — Dana Ganihar

BIO Marvin Manève: Facilitator and researcher with 25+ years of experience. Main area of interest : self-leadership & phenomenology
linkedin.com/in/marvin-maneve
Website: https://co-scripto.com/

BIO Katarina Halm: Teacher and writer with 25+ years of experience. Main area of interest : ethics, autonomy & fostering peace
Events at TIFI focusing.org/search/node/Katarina%20Halm
Websites: thinkinginmovement.ca
feldenkraisinclusioninitiative.org
Writings: https://independent.academia.edu/KatarinaHalm

REFERENCE:
Dana Ganihar & Baruch Brenner on The Living Process with Greg Madison.
A holy commitment to the unknown. Episode 043 January 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJg98Aw4Lv8

PREVIOUS VIDEO: with HELP for HELPERS
The Gift with Marvin Manève ~ Help for Helpers Oct 13, 2025 

ZOOM LINK

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/91630143362?pwd=OUNQaDQ0NnVCcG92dkp0TkwzUExldz09

Meeting ID:  916 3014 3362
Passcode: FOCUS

TIME LINK

About Help for Helpers

HELP FOR HELPERS is an online weekly gathering that was originally created as a response to the overwhelming stresses of pandemic life, especially for those in the helping professions. It developed into a flourishing, ever-growing wellspring of learning and connectedness.

WE ARE:

1.       INTERNATIONAL, INCLUSIVE, WELCOMING
We prize the contributions of all those who attend.

2.       FREE!
All the organizing and facilitating is donated.

3.       COMMUNITY-ORIENTED
We are developing and expanding our project together.

4.       DIVERSE
We encourage varied points of view and approaches woven together with respect, openness, and embodied listening.

5.       ENRICHING
Each week, we have a reflection drawn from a wide variety of speakers and a broad spectrum of approaches (meditative, academic, personal, social/political, therapeutic) given by experienced teachers and those presenting their ideas for the first time.

6.       PARTICIPATORY
‘The group focuses on and responds spontaneously to what is offered in the reflection. Focusing conversations are facilitated by the large group discussion and small breakout-room sharing.’

VIDEO CHANNELS & PLAYLIST
Help for Helper’s YouTube channel with recordings of the meetings:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRc14k8fFbFCdrbrPzjLwOg
Playlist
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIFGjfFRNXb_6Uj8UHeRq1azCjvffW-nw
Lynn Preston’s YouTube channel, where recordings continue to be published:
https://www.youtube.com/c/FocusingRelationalPsychotherapy

Focusing Oriented Therapy Association (FOTA)’s You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@FocusingOrientedTherapies

Prospectus

April 2026

  • April 6 — Robert Axel — Talking About Sex (Part Two)
  • April 13 — Lynn Preston — Reflections on Leadership 
  • April 20 — Marvin Manéve & Katarina Halm —  Faith the Unbreakable Fibre 
  • April 27 — Lip Ong — Touching at the Edge: Easeful Wellness Touch

May 2026

  • May 4 — PANEL —  Talking and Not Talking 
  • May 11 — Jessé Neri — Constraint and Coherence (Part Two)  (draft title)  
  • May 18 —   Lynn Preston — Reflections on the word “Triggered”
  • May 25 —   Doris Brothers — The Embodied Self   // or Reflections on Uncertainty (Part Two)  (draft title)  

___________

JUNE 2026

  • June 1 — √  Banu Ibaoglu Vaughn:— Unspoken experiences sustain us and frame our lives. (draft title)  “a facilitated conversation around nonordinary experiences (sometimes called altered states of consciousness) with a spectrum ranging from mystical or psychedelic experiences on one end to peak experiences and to everyday moments of magic, connectedness, and aliveness on the other. I’m not coming to this as an “expert” but as a facilitator who’s curious about how these mostly unspoken experiences actually sustain us and frame our lives.” (draft description)
  • Noting The International Focusing Institute 30th International Focusing Conference Vienna June 3 – 7, 2026  (Link) 
  • June 8 —  Open Date 
  • June 15 — √ Tony Winiski Remembering & Forgetting
  • June 22 — OPEN DATE
  • June 29 — OPEN DATE

___________

JULY 2026

☆ July 6, 2026 …

☆ July 13, 2026 …

☆ July 20, 2026 …

☆ July 27, 2026 …

___________

AUGUST 2026 ~ (Help for Helpers) Theme Writing

☆ August 3 , 2026 — Ela Antoniak-Zawadzka — Writing as Resolution and Healing 

☆ August 10 , 2026 Sondra Perl —

☆ August 17 , 2026 …( Karin Horowitz) 

☆ August 24 , 2026  Yaotunde Obiora — Haiku and Focusing with Helpers

☆ August 31 , 2026 … **

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