We continue today with our list of strategies to meaningfully connect with your horse. This series of posts explores how mindfulness allows you to connect with the people and animals in your life. The first step, as we mentioned last week, is Step 1. Setting Intention, or consciously making a decision to connect with your horse in this present moment. Shifting your mental, emotional and physical focus in this way creates a space wherein a…
To honour the arrival of our horses at our farm this past weekend, we would like to embark on a series of posts on how mindfulness allows you to connect with the people and animals in your life. Our upcoming book project, Sharing The Now: Connecting With Your Horse through Mindfulness, explores just that topic. This blog has the broader purpose of inviting readers to learn more about being mindfully aware, dropping into awareness of…
We are delighted to introduce another guest author at the blog today, Diane Priebe. Shreyasi first met Diane through volunteering at the SAFE Team Rescue in Edmonton, an organization that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes unwanted cats who would otherwise be euthanized. Over the years, they discovered another common aspect – a love of horses. Diane is completing her certification to become an Equine Facilitated Wellness Mental Health Therapist, and is offering this expertise in her…
You may remember the poem we posted on Instagram a few weeks ago, The Guest House by the Sufi poet Rumi. This poem is often quoted in mindfulness based therapy programs and in other venues as a way to explain what it means to mindfully accept the present moment, even when it feels unacceptable or painful. In this poem, Rumi refers to different emotions as guests visiting the guesthouse and invites the reader to “welcome…
We have a lot to be thankful for this weekend. We moved into the acreage and are slowly transforming this space into our home. There is so much potential in the air, anchored by the serenity of the surroundings and the newness of each day. It is easier to be mindful when you are in a new setting, traveling to a new destination, or moving to a new home. It is when things are routine…
Nicole’s biography: Nicole contributed all of the watercolour designs and technical diagrams to our upcoming book project, Sharing The Now: Connecting With Your Horse through Mindfulness. We first met Nicole through her business, Tonic Equestrian, and purchasing items from the line, including amazing artwork from Hand Gallop Studio. She also completed a commissioned portrait of Stella for Shreyasi a few months prior. When we approached her about this project, she was excited to help and we are so…
With the autumn chill and leaves on the ground, there are some big changes ahead for us. We are making a move outside the city to an acreage. We hope that this will be a space to create and share SPIRIT and PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS with others, and to offer those interested a firsthand perspective of being in tune with things arising just as they are, perhaps with a herd of horses in the midst.…
We recently attended a retreat at Meghan Vornholt Yoga and Equine Facilitated Wellness in Cochrane, AB. The retreat, Finding Your Flow, was a wonderful example of mindful reflection, yoga and interaction with horses in a wellness context. We wanted to share our personal experiences of being in the present moment, and what that meant for each of us that afternoon. Shreyasi: I learned much about flow from Meghan. Flow is to do with being in…
In the spirit of illustrating the essence of being tuned in to the present moment with acceptance and openness to whatever arises, here is another poem that highlights the mindful attitudes of compassion and beginner’s mind. Notice what you see, hear, taste, smell and touch, as you navigate the world around you. Notice what you feel inside, however it may be, in terms of emotions, thoughts and body sensations. Rather than judging what you notice,…
One of the ways of being tuned in to the present moment, regardless of what it feels like, is by shifting your perspective towards emotions that are considered to be unpleasant. We use the words “emotions” and “feelings” interchangeably in this post. Unpleasant emotions might include feelings of shame, sadness, regret, disappointment, frustration, self-doubt, apprehension, and so on. Sometimes, these emotions can overwhelm with their intensity. It may seem like they are unbearable and one…