Take a moment to breathe with your horse. What does this mean? It is meant to be fairly natural and something you take for granted when spending time with horses. What we invite you to do here is to slow down and observe the moments as they happen in real time. The next time you’re with your horse, take a moment to pause and feel the bodily sensations of your breathing. How does it feel…
We reflected the other day on how important it can be to notice whatever is arising in the present moment, while staying gentle with yourself during the noticing. Sometimes it means taking a break and staying kind with yourself even during times of disappointment. Things happen unexpectedly and, despite best intentions, sometimes it isn’t realistic to spend the time with your horse that day. It could be due to a scheduling issue, change of weather,…
What does it mean when we practice being accepting and compassionate when we stay mindfully aware of what is happening in the present moment? Maintaining these two attitudes during mindfulness practices means that you aren’t fighting with the way things actually are. Acceptance and compassion will help you notice what is happening, note that it may not be ideal or what you had expected, but still decide to work with it anyway. Being attentive to…
One of the things we often explore on the blog is how the presence of horses has a calming and often healing influence on people. Here is some common research exploring this topic. An often-cited example of the tangible calming effects that horses have on humans’ autonomic nervous systems when they spend time together is the research completed by Dr. Gehrke, in collaboration with the Heart Math institute. The autonomic nervous system mediates a human…
We would like to reflect today on the Mindful Attitudes of Trust and Letting Go. Like the other Mindful Attitudes, including Compassion, Non-judgment and Beginner’s Mind, these attitudes are more than just ways in which to pay attention to the present moment. They are signposts for how to experience life. When you allow yourself to wholly absorb the events of “right now”, and embrace all life has to offer (i.e. the good and the bad),…
This blog is for anyone interested in learning how to be in the present moment with intention and curiosity; in other words, we hope that people can experience more moments of everyday mindful awareness by reading these posts and practicing the invitation to be PRESENT at more times of the day. Horses allow us to access such present moment awareness when we are in their presence. This is their gift to us, whether we realize…