Focusing.Art.Prayer
NYC Workshops Schedule - February 2026
Prayer as a Journey between
states of consciousness
There is a kind of prayer that is not meant
to accompany our life but to transform it.
Step into inner landscapes mapped by early Kabbalists — a lived journey through distinct states of consciousness, where sacred text combined with Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing reveals prayer as an embodied path of transformation. In this work, prayer is not approached as recitation or belief, but as a process that transforms the one who prays, through a revelation encountered within The process of prayer. Guided by our teachers, participants are gently led through these inner states toward what is known as Prayer Consciousness — the state in which that revelation arises and re-orients one’s inner life and the way one moves through the world.
Rabbi Baruch Brenner
Kabbalistic teacher and guide in prayer-based consciousness work
Dana Ganihar
Pioneer of Focusing in Israel and world-renowned teacher
Step into the hidden worlds mapped by ancient Kabbalists, where silence and sacred texts reveal new dimensions of Consciousness.
Ancient cultures placed great importance on distinguishing between different states of consciousness and mapping the journeys between them, to help individuals grow along their life path. In modern times, foundational concepts from these traditions have become “public terms,” often detached from the deeper context in which they emerged. The maps became confused, or concealed—and now lead nowhere.
Through rare teachings from the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and oral transmissions, you’ll experience the unfolding of refined inner states that awaken deeper perception, of our inner life and the nature of the divine. Through these practices, the secret steps mystics once took to journey between states of consciousness are gently unveiled.
The path culminates in the state of prayer consciousness.
In this state a life-opening revelation arises, that can reorient both our inner world and the steps we take in the real world.
This workshop offers direct experience, guiding consciousness beyond the known into richer, more intricate ways of living and being. Participants receive tools to explore these states of consciousness on their own.
Come explore the process beyond silence, and the life beyond perception.
Meet the Teachers
workshops – schedule and registration
- Those who attend one of the foundational workshops may join the retreat on the second day (or do the whole retreat!)
- R. Baruch and Dana’s book is included in the price of (most) workshops
Foundational Workshops
Sounding the Soul: Exploring Prayer and Consciousness through Music & Kabbalah
Tuesday 17th, 6- 9 PM, Midtown East
17th Feb
Prayer, Consciousness, Movement
A Journey between clear states of consciousness
Wednesdays Feb 18th, 6pm-9pm, Midtown East
18th Feb
Prayer as a Journey Through States of Consciousness
Thursday 19th, 6-9 PM, Romemu- UWS
19th Feb
Join us for a Presidents’ Day of Jewish Mysticism and explore life beyond perception
February 15-16, 2026, at Woodstock Jewish Congregation, NYC
15-16th
Feb
Specialised Workshops
The Art of Focusing,
A Holy Commitment to the Unknown
Specialised workshop for therapysts, coaches, and those interested
Sunday Feb 22nd, 10am-1:00pm, Midtown, Ohmek Institute, Brooklyn
22nd Feb
The Art of Focusing,
A Holy Commitment to the Unknown
Specialised workshop for therapysts, coaches, and those interested
Sunday Feb 22nd, 4pm-7pm, Midtown, Manhattan
22nd Feb
Prayer as a Journey Through States of Consciousness- A deeper dive into Avodat Hashem
Monday 23rd, 6-9 PM, Brooklyn
23rd Feb
IMMERSION RETREATS
Kabalist Presidents Day
Sun- Monday Feb 15-16
Prayer as a Journey
Immersion Retreat, Woodstock, NY
15-16th Feb
Kabalist Shabbat
Friday- Saturday Feb 20-21
Prayer as a Journey
Immersive Weekend (& Shabbat)
NYC (Location TBD)
20-21th Feb
to learn more about the shakio institute, workshops and theachers: shakio-in.com
Hear from the workshop facilitators
For questions and registraition please contact tal siegel at: 602-334-5633 or at: tal.siegel@gmail.com
So how do we enter and navigate these inner landscapes?
About the work – The Art of Prayer
The Maps of Consciousness
Ancient cultures placed great importance on distinguishing between different states of consciousness and mapping the journeys between them, to help individuals grow along their life path.
In modern times, foundational concepts from these traditions have become “public terms,” often detached from the deeper context and lived experience in which they emerged. The maps became confused, concealed, or misunderstood, and no longer led anywhere; they gradually ceased to function as maps at all. This work returns to those maps, not as ideas, but as lived inner terrain.
The Lineage
Through rare teachings from the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and oral transmissions, you’ll experience the unfolding of refined inner states that awaken deeper perception of our inner life and the nature of the divine. Through these practices, the secret steps mystics once took to journey between states of consciousness are gently unveiled, allowing prayer to become an experiential path rather than a conceptual one, or a text that one recites.
Prayer Consciousness
The journey culminates in the state known as Prayer Consciousness.
In this state, a life-opening revelation may arise — not as belief or idea, but as a lived encounter, one capable of re-orienting both our inner life and the steps we take in the world. Prayer is no longer something one performs, but a living encounter from which new direction and action can be born.
Living the Work
Our workshops offers direct, embodied experience, guiding consciousness beyond the known into richer, more intricate ways of living and being. Participants receive tools to explore these states of consciousness on their own, carrying the work into daily life.
For Information specific to each workshop – Click on the workshop you’re interested in the schedule
Come explore the process beyond silence and the life beyond perception.
ABOUT US
The Shakio Institute is a space for collaborative exploration founded by Dana Ganihar, an experienced Focusing instructor and a teacher of the philosophy of Eugene Gendlin, and Baruch Brenner a multidisciplinary artist, rabbi and certified Focusing instructor who investigates and teaches performance art and Jewish mysticism.
Baruch Brenner is an Israeli Focusing facilitator, theater director, actor, singer, teacher and an ordained Orthodox Rabbi. Over the last 25 years, he has been a leading innovator in integrating Jewish and 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 Jerzy Grotowski theater ensemble.
Dana Ganihar, M.Sc. is a teacher and researcher certified as a Focusing Coordinator by the international focusing institute in New York. Over the last couple decades she has led numerous workshops and seminars exploring the work of psychologist and philosopher Eugene Gendlin: IBF – Instancing Based Focusing, PoI – Philosophy of the Implicit, and TAE – Thinking At the Edge.
Dana has initiated cooperative research exploring the potential impact of Focusing practices on diverse fields such as biology, architecture, creative writing and religion.
A heartfelt thank you to Baruch for sharing with us a glimpse of the hidden wisdom that has been revealed to him through years of dedication and spiritual labor.” Rabbi Dov Zinger, Head of Yeshivat Makor Chaim and Beit Midrash for Renewal.
We are excited to share with you our new book, available now on amazon:
The Art of Prayer: Prayer as a Journey between states of consciousness
Prayer as a Journey Between States of Consciousness
A Transformational Workshop with Dana Ganihar & Rabbi Baruch Brenner
February · NYC
“The person who prays is one who is willing to feel, to recognize, and to direct attention toward what reveals itself from the Infinite… and from that revelation, allow action to be born into the world.”
Prayer is not merely a ritual. It is a map—an unfolding journey through inner states of consciousness. Rooted in early Kabbalistic teachings, hidden oral traditions, and body-based spiritual practice, this experiential workshop invites you into the deeper, often-forgotten dimension of prayer: its power to awaken, to reorient, and to transform.
What to Expect:
* The Eight Gates of Prayer – A framework for navigating states of consciousness and inner awareness
* Embodied Practice – Drawing from somatic work and the Focusing method of Eugene Gendlin
* Prayer as Co-Creation – Engaging life not just as it is, but as it could become
* Sacred Texts as Portals – Accessing ancient prayers as tools for spiritual becoming, not performance
* Inner Listening – Discovering the difference between surface desire and the deeper “life-prayer” that moves through you
Prayer as Co-Creation & Becoming
This workshop teaches prayer not as passive speech, but as a living act of co-creation— A participatory process of rebirthing from the unknown into unfolding in the world.
To pray is to enter a space where the self meets the yet-to-be, and helps give it form.
Through this lens, becoming is not something we achieve but something we allow. It is what happens when we attune to that which is emerging, and make space for a ‘Sacred depth’ to take root—again and again.
For Whom?
This experience is open to:
* Those who pray but seek something more
* Those who were never taught to pray but feel an unspoken pull
* Meditators, seekers, educators, and those exploring spiritual states of consciousness beyond dogma or rote tradition
Join us in New York this February for a rare opportunity to learn with two master teachers whose work is transforming the field of Jewish spiritual practice.
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