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…
Here is an exercise you can try whenever approaching a horse. Horses, being prey animals, are extremely sensitive to the non-verbal signals and body language that you project when you are in their vicinity. Being aware of your state of mind and emotions, or even your “state of energy” if that is a term to which you can relate, can help you tune in to what you are relaying to your horse. This exercise, suggested…
This is the start of an ongoing series, in which we describe simple exercises to incorporate moments of mindful awareness into your everyday activities. Some of the series’ exercises will offer opportunities to incorporate mindful moments at the barn, and they will be differentiated by the subheading, A Mindfulness Moment at the Barn. The exercises may feel similar to guided exercises you’ve encountered in other sources of mindfulness teachings. When applicable, we will identify excerpts…
Thank you for joining us as we share our impressions and experiences of being in the mindful moment with our horses. We are Shreyasi and Frank Brodhecker. We started this blog as a forum for horse lovers seeking ways to be in the present moment and practice everyday mindfulness at their favourite place- in the barn or out in the pasture. Mindfulness has evolved into its own movement and, although there are several definitions, we…