The Wisdom of Nature
In order to survive as animals that are preyed upon, they are keenly aware of the most subtle changes in other horses, people, and the environment. Therefore, they have an exquisite ability to teach and mirror to us the importance of being present and congruent in each moment.
Photoart ~ Jo McInnes
Horses teach you how to listen to your emotions; the voice of your inner guidance. By Carol Roush Medicine Horse Ranch, USA
Horses can teach us the art of being present and by being present we heal the past and free the future. Horses live in herds that are similar to human Equine Facilitated Experiential Learning is a leading edge personal development modality that is families.! Their individual survival as well as the quickly replacing traditional talk therapy all over the whole herd's survival is based on their relationships world; largely due to the work of author and clinician within the group. Clear communication is the cornerstone of their relationships. Horses live in the Linda Kohanov. here and now. Linda Kohanov brought this work into the main stream with her first book, published in 2001, The In order to survive as animals that are preyed upon, Tao of Equus they are keenly aware of the most subtle changes in Carol Roush is an advanced instructor of the Epona other horses, people, and the environment. Approach to Equine Experiential Learning. She Therefore, they have an exquisite ability to teach ownes and operates Medicine Horse Ranch in and mirror to us the importance of being present Tucson, Arizona USA. Carol has created a series of and congruent in each moment. introductory and advanced personal development Traditionally, riders have been told to never, ever, workshops called NOW as well as an show fear to a horse. Life at the barn would be so apprenticeship training program for those who are much simpler if only we could comply with this ageinterested in becoming Equine Experiential Learning old request. However, recent studies into the instructors. The NOW programs are based on the neurophysiology of emotion suggest that it’s Epona Approach. actually impossible to hide what you’re feeling from your horse. To make matters worse, it may actually HORSES AS GUIDES be dangerous to try. In today’s primarily urban society, horses are the voice of nature. Interactions with horses in their For centuries, people have struggled to suppress natural environment offer opportunities for insight negative emotions, to emphasize logic over and healing.! No previous horse experience is feeling---as if emotions were by-products of an necessary to learn from these gentle teachers.
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undisciplined mind or imagination run amok. Then scientists in the late-twentieth century discovered---much to their chagrin---that the human brain wasn’t actually in charge of this process, not by a long shot. Work by Candace Pert, Ph.D. and other researchers active in the field of psychoneuroimmunology proved that the molecules carrying emotional information (called neuropeptides) are not only generated by the brain, but by sites throughout the body, most dramatically in the heart and the gut. Physiologists now know that sixty percent of the heart’s cells are neural, and there are more neural cells in the gut than in the entire spinal column. As a result, both areas can act independently of the brain in gathering information and adapting to the environment. In this way, the body serves as a magnificent tuner, receiver and amplifier for all kinds of information. It feels, learns and has definite opinions that sometimes contradict the brain. Think of your body as the horse that your mind rides around on. Like any horse, you can form a mutually respectful partnership
with it, or you can rein it in and spur it on, refusing to listen to it, only to have it throw you during stressful situations and head for the hills when you need it’s cooperation most. What’s more, when you’re taught to focus exclusively on what an authority figure is saying, suppressing gut feelings and wildly fluttering heartbeats, your body’s intuitive wisdom and natural warning systems are muzzled, allowing others to corral you for any number of purposes against your better judgment.
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At the barn, your mount is paying attention to your body as if it were another horse. What you think you’re communicating is much less important than what you’re unconsciously conveying through heart rate, muscle tension, breathing, and the various emotions that cause those physiological responses to rise and fall. As animals possessing extremely large and sensitive guts---and hearts for that matter--- horses exhibit a prodigious talent for receiving and responding to emotional information. In order to survive, animals preyed upon in nature are highly sensitive to
Linda Kohanov Linda is an author, speaker, riding instructor and horse trainer who has become an internationally- recognized innovator in the field of Equine Experiential Learning and a respected writer on the subject of Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy. Her book The Tao of Equus: A Woman’s Journey of Healing and Transformation through the Way of the Horse was selected as one of the Top Ten Religion and Spirituality books of 2001 by Amazon.
Photoart ~ Jo McInnes
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changes in the stance, heart rate and blood pressure of herd mates and predators at a distance. In the wild, for instance, horses, zebras and deer will often graze unconcerned as a lion who has recently eaten a big meal walks right through their pasture. Yet when an agile carnivore is on the prowl, the herd will scatter long before the cat can get so close. The experience of living with human beings has given domesticated horses even more sophisticated skills. I’ve seen even the gentlest gelding become noticeably agitated when his handler wears a mask of confidence and well being to hide anxiety or impatience. It’s as if this person appears out of focus to the equine awareness system. The body language of someone “putting on a happy face” is incongruent with the rise in blood pressure, muscle tension and emotional intensity transmitted unconsciously by an individual who’s actually afraid, frustrated or angry. This person may be more of a danger to herself than others, but a skittish horse isn’t likely to wait around and find out. Mainstream trainers explain this phenomenon by saying “the horse can smell your fear,” but it’s more subtle and complicated than that. A secure, well-cared-for animal will often relax the moment his owner simply acknowledges a hidden feeling---even if it’s still there. Let me say it again: The emotion doesn’t have to change in order for the horse to show at least some improvement. The handler just has to acknowledge what he or she is really feeling. You wouldn’t put a happy face sticker over the fuel gauge in your car to hide the fact that you are on empty, attempting to hide your emotions can lead to the same disastrous results. ( some of the information in this article has been extrapolated, with permission, from works of Linda Kohanov)
Photoart ~ Jo McInnes
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