The Way is Love

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="305"] ME, WE. What a powerful combination.[/caption] Focusing and Boxing? The Focusing Way Podcast - Helping you live in a focusing way. In this episode David brings together what might seems like a strange "combination" by looking at what in the world focusing and boxing might have in common. What does a boxer have to do with focusing?  How can we talk about a peaceful, gentle practice like focusing in the same breath as a brutal and barbaric sport like boxing. The key is not to judge. When Muhammad Ali uttered his now famous two word poem,  "me, we" it gave me pause to reflect and to contemplate the power in the short two words and how it maybe even relates to Focusing and Focusing process. It also made me think about boxing in a focusing way and to contemplate how much focusing any athlete at the top of their game must be doing naturally. Athletes are so in tune with their bodies that focusing can be a natural extension for them since they are already in the process of "listening" to their bodies daily and even hourly to be able to peak perform on a given time or day. Boxing is especially interesting because of the amount of physical duress the boxer trains their body for.   LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES

  Focusing , the body and Italy In this episode, David explores how living in a focusing way has helped him better understand Italians and helped him navigate life in a new country. Do Italians gravitate naturally toward focusing? I've been living in Italy since the year 2011 and observing Italians in a Focusing way and it has been an interesting experience. We often say in Focusing that slowing down is the fastest way there and perhaps nowhere is this more true than in Italy. The country, the Italians have a different pace and a different way of being.  One might dismiss this if one where looking at it from a purely cultural perspective, but I would like to consider it positively and in a Focusing way. In Italy, people speak with their hands. There is much that is communicated through the combination of the spoken word and the gesture or movement to accompany it.  While it might partially be because Italian has about 200,000 words compared to 600,000 in English, (which might explain the movement to make up for lost words) I believe it is due to a connectedness that Italians have to the body.  It is a physical culture.   LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Today on The Focusing Way Podcast I speak  with Karen Liebenguth of Green Space Life Coaching. Karen Liebenguth is an experienced life coach, certified Focusing practitioner, an accredited mindfulness teacher and a certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator facilitator. She works with private and corporate individuals and groups to foster personal growth and sustainable change. She set up Green Space Coaching in 2008  to offer coaching while walking in London’s parks and green space tapping into the benefits nature has on our psychological, emotional and physical well-being. She believes that it is in nature where reflection, insight and change can happen most naturally. Bringing Focusing into her coaching work has been delightful and powerful as she has witnessed over the past three years subtle and profound shifts in her clients. From feeling very stuck or stressed to considerably feeling very different, for example more open, spacious, able to have perspective, to have choices, possibilities, feeling more calm, grounded, soft, relaxed, expanded. Notable quote Eugene Gendlin, once said, when he spoke to hundreds of psychotherapists at an international congress: "I want to start with the most important thing I have to say: The essence of working with another person is to be present as a living being. And that is lucky, because if we had to be smart, or good, or mature, or wise, then we would probably be in trouble. But, what matters is not that. What matters is to be a human being with another human being..." (1990).   In this episode: -How Karen came to focusing -Understanding Karen's work -The role of the listener in Focusing     www:greenspacecoaching.com Twitter:@greenspacecoach facebook@greenspacelifecoaching   LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Today on The Focusing Way Podcast hear part two of the wonderful interview with Karen Liebenguth of Green Space Life Coaching. Karen Liebenguth is an experienced life coach, certified Focusing practitioner, an accredited mindfulness teacher and a certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator facilitator. She works with private and corporate individuals and groups to foster personal growth and sustainable change. She set up Green Space Coaching in 2008  to offer coaching while walking in London’s parks and green space tapping into the benefits nature has on our psychological, emotional and physical well-being. She believes that it is in nature where reflection, insight and change can happen most naturally. Bringing Focusing into her coaching work has been delightful and powerful as she has witnessed over the past three years subtle and profound shifts in her clients. From feeling very stuck or stressed to considerably feeling very different, for example more open, spacious, able to have perspective, to have choices, possibilities, feeling more calm, grounded, soft, relaxed, expanded. Notable quote Eugene Gendlin, once said, when he spoke to hundreds of psychotherapists at an international congress: "I want to start with the most important thing I have to say: The essence of working with another person is to be present as a living being. And that is lucky, because if we had to be smart, or good, or mature, or wise, then we would probably be in trouble. But, what matters is not that. What matters is to be a human being with another human being..." (1990). In this episode: -How Karen came to focusing -Understanding Karen's work -The role of the listener in Focusing www:greenspacecoaching.com Twitter:@greenspacecoach facebook@greenspacelifecoaching LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Download to listen later Managing Crisis by Focusing We can all close our eyes and imagine a moment when we have experienced or witnessed a highly stressful or crisis situation.  Maybe someone started screaming, perhaps there was an accident, or a loved one took ill in the middle of a big family event. In our work life, maybe we had a challenging client, maybe we didn’t make our number this month, or our boss is breathing down our neck.  Maybe as a boss you have been feeling the pressure of managing different people. All of these situations can take us our of ourselves, out of our normal way of being and make for unpleasantness in our lives.  It can detract from us performing and living at our own version of “our best”. There are these moments that happen in our lives that can create a kind of stress panic or anxiety which leave us and the people around us shocked or confused and not knowing what to do and how to fell.  Obviously Focusing can help with this. Our guest today is Vicky Peterson.  For 26 years Vicky has worked on the front lines in a 24/7 Psychiatric Crisis center in Boulder, Colorado.  Whether it is over the phone or in person, she goes into work on a daily basis without a clue of what a voice might tell her over the phone or who might walk through the door in a crisis situation. Over time Vicky learned Non Violent communication and Focusing as tools that help her be present to the situations she faces on a daily basis in both her work life and also by using focusing as a way to be present in her home life as well. In this Episode I invite you to listen in on our Focusing Oriented Conversation and hear some stories about how living in a focusing way has helped Vicky and her clients and co workers cope with the high stress of a crisis center.     LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Managing Crisis by Focusing - Part two We can all close our eyes and imagine a moment when we have experienced or witnessed a highly stressful or crisis situation.  Maybe someone started screaming, perhaps there was an accident, or a loved one took ill in the middle of a big family event. In our work life, maybe we had a challenging client, maybe we didn’t make our number this month, or our boss is breathing down our neck.  Maybe as a boss you have been feeling the pressure of managing different people. All of these situations can take us our of ourselves, out of our normal way of being and make for unpleasantness in our lives.  It can detract from us performing and living at our own version of “our best”. There are these moments that happen in our lives that can create a kind of stress panic or anxiety which leave us and the people around us shocked or confused and not knowing what to do and how to fell.  Obviously Focusing can help with this. Our guest today is Vicky Peterson.  For 26 years Vicky has worked on the front lines in a 24/7 Psychiatric Crisis center in Boulder, Colorado.  Whether it is over the phone or in person, she goes into work on a daily basis without a clue of what a voice might tell her over the phone or who might walk through the door in a crisis situation. Over time Vicky learned Non Violent communication and Focusing as tools that help her be present to the situations she faces on a daily basis in both her work life and also by using focusing as a way to be present in her home life as well. In this Episode I invite you to listen in on part two of our Focusing Oriented Conversation and hear some stories about how living in a focusing way has helped Vicky and her clients and co workers cope with the high stress of a crisis center. LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Highly Sensitive Introvert Emily Agnew in her own words I’m a certified Focusing teacher and guide, writer, and consultant working with highly sensitive introverts (read more about high sensitivity here).  I use Focusing to create the listening space they need to flourish. Why highly sensitive introverts? I happen to be one myself, and I’ve spent thirty years experimenting with ways to overcome the anxiety that often accompanies the trait. So I’ve been a natural fit for clients struggling with similar issues. And why Focusing? My own story is a poignant answer to that question. I didn’t have anything like Focusing as a child. I loved learning at school, but with the long hours, the crush of people, the noise, and even the smells, I’d come home dazed and exhausted.  I craved my classmates’ company and mutual understanding, but I was wounded to the core by criticism or disapproval so I kept myself apart for fear of being judged and focused on being a good student. I had no idea how to manage all these strong feelings and reactions. As a result, I suffered daily from anxiety. I hid it fairly well through high school, but part way into my five-year stint as an oboist with the Honolulu Symphony, it got bad enough that I started looking for help. I became a student of Zen meditation and established a yoga practice. I studied Nonviolent Communication, Inner Bonding, and The Work of Byron Katie. As I began to share my insights with others, all these modalities were helpful. But Focusing has turned out to be the most powerful tool for me and for my sensitive, introverted clients. To us, Focusing is like a Swiss Army knife sprinkled with catnip. It is not just pragmatic and elegant: it is irresistible. It is irresistible because we sensitive introverts need meaning, depth, and authenticity the way plants need water and sunlight—and Focusing takes you directly there. As you encounter meaning, depth, and authenticity within yourself, you find clarity where there was murk, and next steps where there was confusion. Even better, you find that meaningful connection I so craved since my school days. It arises naturally when you focus with a partner or with a trained guide. To a highly sensitive introvert, Focusing is simply a life-saver. We flourish when we get all the listening space we need. We wilt and lose courage without it. That’s why I want to get Focusing skills to as many sensitive introverts as I can.  I write a Focusing-oriented weekly e-zine and blog, The Listening Post, for sensitive introverts. I work with clients by phone and Skype, and I create programs and communities to serve sensitive introverts with relationship issues, decision-making, self-care, creativity, happiness and more. You can read more at my website, www.luminoslistening.com. I live with my partner in Rochester, New York, where a butterfly occasionally lands on my shoulder in the form of a text from my daughter at college. LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Part two of our Focusing Oriented Conversation with Emily Agnew Highly Sensitive Introvert Emily Agnew in her own words I’m a certified Focusing teacher and guide, writer, and consultant working with highly sensitive introverts (read more about high sensitivity here).  I use Focusing to create the listening space they need to flourish. Why highly sensitive introverts? I happen to be one myself, and I’ve spent thirty years experimenting with ways to overcome the anxiety that often accompanies the trait. So I’ve been a natural fit for clients struggling with similar issues. And why Focusing? My own story is a poignant answer to that question. I didn’t have anything like Focusing as a child. I loved learning at school, but with the long hours, the crush of people, the noise, and even the smells, I’d come home dazed and exhausted.  I craved my classmates’ company and mutual understanding, but I was wounded to the core by criticism or disapproval so I kept myself apart for fear of being judged and focused on being a good student. I had no idea how to manage all these strong feelings and reactions. As a result, I suffered daily from anxiety. I hid it fairly well through high school, but part way into my five-year stint as an oboist with the Honolulu Symphony, it got bad enough that I started looking for help. I became a student of Zen meditation and established a yoga practice. I studied Nonviolent Communication, Inner Bonding, and The Work of Byron Katie. As I began to share my insights with others, all these modalities were helpful. But Focusing has turned out to be the most powerful tool for me and for my sensitive, introverted clients. To us, Focusing is like a Swiss Army knife sprinkled with catnip. It is not just pragmatic and elegant: it is irresistible. It is irresistible because we sensitive introverts need meaning, depth, and authenticity the way plants need water and sunlight—and Focusing takes you directly there. As you encounter meaning, depth, and authenticity within yourself, you find clarity where there was murk, and next steps where there was confusion. Even better, you find that meaningful connection I so craved since my school days. It arises naturally when you focus with a partner or with a trained guide. To a highly sensitive introvert, Focusing is simply a life-saver. We flourish when we get all the listening space we need. We wilt and lose courage without it. That’s why I want to get Focusing skills to as many sensitive introverts as I can.  I write a Focusing-oriented weekly e-zine and blog, The Listening Post, for sensitive introverts. I work with clients by phone and Skype, and I create programs and communities to serve sensitive introverts with relationship issues, decision-making, self-care, creativity, happiness and more. You can read more at my website, www.luminoslistening.com. I live with my partner in Rochester, New York, where a butterfly occasionally lands on my shoulder in the form of a text from my daughter at college. LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Honor the Body In focusing we like to honor the body, or you might hear people talking about honoring the body.  As we become empowered focusers this process becomes easier and easier.  As you deepen your focusing process, It's easy to end a focusing session with gratitude, to be grateful to thank the body because we are constantly discovering with focusing that our sense of rightness lies directly within us. By entering into a focusing state and coming into relationship with the wisdom of our own body we change how we are in the world and that means we change how we carry forward and how we can be. Focusing gives us the time to check in with what is going on within ourselves and how we feel about what is going on with life situations or relationships.  It's also a way to get inside and ask, to wander and explore and as a creative person this has been a real treat for me. Focusing can allow you to be the artist or the conductor of your own life in a way you might not think possible. But just back to how to honor the body for a moment. When we move from the slowing down and usefulness of focusing in a controlled setting to moving into living in a focusing way the concept of honoring the body begins to become one of several key aspects to living in a focusing way. The first and simplest way to live in a focusing way is to hone the body through what you put into it. Yes, I mean how you feed yourself and what you eat.  The very food we eat and the three meals a day are great moments to pause and reflect. It's the moment to ask questions. I s this right for me right now? Is this what I want right now? How hungry am I really? what would be the right food and the right amount?  All of these questions lead you right into a "focusing way of being" and it also means you are taking an important step toward honoring the body. Why? Because you are respecting your body enough to ask it's opinion. The body, in the end is you.  You in the end are the body and there is a communion we can feel with our bodies when we are honoring it moment to moment.  The body responds and listens and the body will tell you what to do, how to do it.  It's all coming from within you and the feeling and sensations you are feeling in the body are the ones that carry that wisdom.  You can imagine it as an organic super computer jammed into every cell and fiber. Everything is in relationship. All kinds of miraculous systems are in place to give YOU life, to let YOU walk through experiences. To let you live. So is it hard to honor the body? This body you have been given regulates so much for you it takes in air, move blood around and in your greatest stillness your body is moving millions of pieces around every second.  When we step back and really sense into what the body provides along with the wisdom focusing helps you access, the "job" of listening to the body and honoring  the body becomes more a joy than a chore, more gratitude sets in, deeper understanding. That's all housed in this wonderful living, breathing system that produces our experiences. How can we not honor that?   LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS

Download to listen later Wholebody Focusing founder Kevin McEvenue This episode takes us into the world of wholebody focusing with founder Kevin McEvenue.  Kevin lives and works in Toronto's Cabbagetown district in the city's east end.  Kevin's personal story of using focusing as a way to overcome physical challenges are a testament to how powerful a process focusing is. Kevin is a wholebody Focusing teacher What is most striking about Kevin McEvenue’s approach to teaching is that it comes directly from his own embodied experience; so that what he shares is from his own authentic place of bodily knowing. Kevin loves sharing what he knows with others, and derives great joy in watching others grow and expand upon their own sense of knowing of who they are. In addition, he is a very intuitive and compassionate listener conveying strength of presence and heartfelt connection with anyone with whom he interacts. Kevin brings 35 years of experience having taught Wholebody Focusing globally including Canada, the United States, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan.     For more see: wholebodyfocusing.com  Wholebody Focusing Wholebody Focusing is a very natural process that invites the power of human consciousness to awaken the body’s innate wisdom, a knowing that is at the heart of every one of us.   Being physically grounded and connected to something beyond ourselves seems to offer the safety and containment we need to deepen that experience of ourselves that Focusing invites. [caption id="attachment_485" align="alignnone" width="960"] Kevin McEvenue[/caption] LISTEN ON STITCHER SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES LEARN FOCUSING TAKE A LEVEL ONE FOCUSING CLASS LISTEN TO RADICAL GENTLENESS