 Day 18 of my 21-day meditation experience, “The Rewards of the Higher Self.” Through meditation, I have learned that I can choose to operate from ego and limit myself to the five senses and deprive myself of the deeper meaning to life. Or, I can access my higher self which unlocks the divinity of the Universe. When I am connected to my higher self, this is when my true self is filled with spirit, love, and grace. Gratitude is a portal to my higher self—it yields an intrinsic faith that allows me to trust that all will be well. I take one step and one day at a time.
The higher self and the true self are the same in essence because they go beyond the ego. The higher self and the ego behave differently but they are intimately connected. My ego dominates me when I believe in the material world. My higher self dominates me when I choose consciousness and am aware of what the ego is doing to me. When I focus on the demands of I, me, and mine, that is when I am in the place of ego. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means I am participating in the world. The current world is about surviving and wanting to get ahead in life. I am in my higher self when I focus on self- awareness and the expansion of my being. This is when my story shifts. Tapping into my higher self requires gratitude, love, and truth. This meditation experience on gratitude is liberating my awareness and now I am ready to shift to my higher self; away from the drama, victimization, depression, and self-pity of the everyday material world. One role of practicing gratitude is to keep me humble about the limitations of what I know and don’t know about the future. I really don’t know the long-term outcome of my life story. When I really stop to think about the future, it causes worry and anxiety. This is not for my highest good. The realization that came to me was that gratitude leads to surrender. Learning to surrender in an attitude of trust is my next step. It is a journey. A journey that can take me from doubt to certainty. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I am learning the wisdom to get myself where I need to be. As my vision becomes more clear, I will have a deeper sense of gratitude and trust. I love what Albert Einstein once said about the secret of life, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle and the other is as though everything is a miracle.” How are you living your life?
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 Day 17 of my 21-day meditation experience, “Making Grace a Way of Life.” Wow, that’s deep! My first thought was, “Is it possible to manifest the power of gratitude every single day?” I have gone from the feeling of gratitude to a way of being in the world. I know as this happens trust, authenticity, and openness will emerge and embody grace in all aspects of my life. The more I practice gratitude the more grace gets easier and flows into my life. I believe it is time to open my heart even wider …
Building a life around grace is very different from most people’s daily life where grace plays little or no part. I have had very few conversations at the local coffee shop or chatting with my friends about grace. As I implement this new way of life, I will no longer question the value of trust, love, surrender, or faith. To make this last, it requires me to establish new habits. My inner work now includes dealing with the conditioned negativity of my past which was based on struggle and criticism. I desire the freedom to feel who I am really. I achieve this when I am with horses and it brings me joy and happiness. When I feel like life isn’t going my way, it is really easy to blame others. This is when I go to the barn and let the horses bring me back to the place of gratitude and into the present moment. This is the place where I can change my personal reality. Some days, I feel like making gratitude part of all I do is like making sure I don’t ever eat junk food again. For me, meditation is like exercising my mental health. In the same way, I hike, ride, and do yoga for my physical health, I meditate for my mental health. That said, getting to the place of health that I desire and then staying there is challenging! However, through meditation experiences and creating daily practices, I have a foundation. I have tools in my toolbox that I can rely on when the going gets tough. And, I have the self-awareness to know that I am not perfect and I am not going to always feel like being “healthy” every day. I allow myself “junk food” when I crave it, but I make sure I come back to my foundation that I worked so hard to create. It’s okay to have cheat days or take a day off, but always come back to now. It is just like riding and training horses. When you do all of the foundation work and teach a horse the basics from the beginning, you can give them days, weeks, or even months off. Unless a bad experience has happened, nine times out of ten that horse will pick up right where you left off as soon as you put a foot in the stirrup. Horses don’t forget and neither will you! Just like I have to practice riding to get better, I have to practice gratitude to make it an everyday habit. My ultimate goal is to make the practice of gratitude a natural occurrence in my everyday life, which in turn becomes a life lived in the state of grace.  Day 16 of my 21-day meditation experience, “The Hidden Secret of Being.” To just be means to exist. When I am with the horses, doing even the simplest things like grooming or cleaning poop, puts me in that place of being. I find my deepest thoughts and “ah ha” moments arise from simplicity—watching the sunset, listening to the frogs croak in the distance, and feeling the breath of a horse on my back followed by a nuzzle. These “ah ha” moments I have with horses are always fresh and anew. Inside my existence with horses are the most amazing gifts of love, truth, and beauty.
I now know that those who have criticized my love and devotion to my equine lifestyle have a constricted and narrow awareness aka. They are stuck in their box. Awareness can only expand when we step into a place of gratitude. Whenever I am out in nature and with the horses (every day), my consciousness expands and opens. My time with horses creates awe and wonder. Horses bring me back to who I am really am. Horses take me out of the ego-self and I experience freedom. When I am with horses, there is no judgment. I feel expanded and open to what the world has in store for me. The hidden secret is that grace (which I receive through the horses) brings me back to who I really am. In order to truly experience this, I must be free within myself. I am centered and at peace when I am being with horses. From what horses teach me, I can apply into my daily life outside of horses. I am so thankful for the gift of horses. Horses fill my soul. Horses live in that moment of constant presence. I pay attention to that moment when my soul connects with the soul of a horse. I wouldn’t change those moments for anything. When I am with horses, I am home and my true self has no limits or boundaries.  Day 15 of my 21-day meditation experience “Seeing the Big Picture, Becoming the Big Picture.” This is the final stage of my journey where I begin to learn how to live every day in a state of grace. What I learned today is that the more complete I am, the more grace resides within me. I was taught that my heart opens when I am in a state of gratitude, which leads to grace and this is supposed to be a natural way of being. It is the interconnectedness of all that is—you, me, others, nature, animals, everything. I have been drawn to horses my entire life. This tie to horses is innate knowing that I am connected to something greater than myself. When I am present with horses, it just makes sense. It feels right. It feels good. Horses open my soul to a knowing that I don’t get from anything else.
Society has led me to believe that grace is only known and given to saints, holy men, and spiritual masters. This meditation experience taught me that grace permeates everywhere in every aspect of my life. This is natural for everyone—especially when living in gratitude. I know grace happens when I am a complete person. I know expressing gratitude is beneficial to becoming a complete person. I also know it is a work in progress. This meditation experience has allowed some of my personal stories to emerge and enlarge my perspective. It has also brought up some pains from my past. I know we are interconnected with nature, people, and I am definitely connected to horses. But in order for me to fully live in gratitude and grace, I have to change my attitude. I need to learn to show generosity to horses and people. This new role should come effortlessly, but I have to admit it’s not coming easy for me. Being an agent of grace consists of embodying grace in a fulfilling way of life. Right now, I have it totally down when it comes to horses and animals. My next step is to learn to apply this life to the people around me. Patience, practice, and perseverance … and one day at a time!  Day 14 of my 21-day meditation experience. Today I dove into “Gratitude brings Compassion.” This is what I learned: Compassion is supposed to link us together through our humanness. We as humans are more alike than we are different. And yet, from what I see in the world, we humans can’t seem to get along or see eye to eye. Judgment will deny us the connection that ties us together. Persons who practice compassion become a conduit for peace and understanding. Hearts soften and miracles can happen. I am learning to have more compassion for humans. I feel they are tainted from a very young age. Parents influence judgment by telling children what to believe and how to think. I know that is why I am drawn to animals. Animals are so connected to nature that they don’t judge us.
It is taught that gratitude and compassion are linked. The warm feeling of kindness in our hearts is compassion. For me, sometimes compassion feels impossible towards people. My judgment against those who have wronged me sets in and the desire to be right and validate my feelings takes over. I know this creates separation, but sometimes I can’t help how I feel. I am learning that gratitude is the opposite of judgment and one cannot judge and have compassion at the same time. At times, I feel the need to help and not condemn. However, my bruised ego takes over and I feel that the person who hurt me does not deserve my compassion. Forgiveness is the next step and I find it very much emotionally depleting—especially when I have to do my forgiveness practice over and over for the same person. Even though I know forgiveness loosens the grip of resentment and grudges, it is still a work in progress for me. When I do find forgiveness, I know my awareness becomes all-encompassing. Forgiveness expands beyond me, myself, and I. Forgiveness allows compassion to open up to an empathetic common ground with humanity. In order to purify my soul, I can only offer this without pride or self-regard. When I stop judging others, that is when I can stop judging myself. Once I get to that place, I will be in a state of grace. Getting there is the hard part ...  Only eight days left of my 21-day meditation experience—today is day 13 and I examined the concept of “success through gratitude.” It is taught that we can’t attract more into our lives until we are capable of being grateful for what we already have. I have learned from society that success only comes from hard work and sacrifice. Spirituality says this is not true. The Universe wants to fill my life with blessings. When I feel my life is blessed, my blessings multiply—that is a law of nature. When I believe I am worthy and recognize my worth, that is when I attract abundance in my life. It is a process, but I am learning to recognize my worth, radiate my gratitude, and give thanks from the depth of my being. As I get better and better at this, success shows up for me.
Success and grace are linked together. I don’t believe in evaluating success from my financials but rather what I achieve on the inside. The desire for more is natural and this is constantly changing. I am learning to accept every gift from the Universe with humility and gratitude. This doesn’t come easily from the ego, but I am learning from meditation how to express gratitude from my true self. Grace is the source of abundance—not the ego’s selfish struggle of wanting more. Ego gratification feels like triumph and grace feels warm to the heart. Ego gratification is only temporary because the ego feels empty and wants more. I addressed this ego-based “more and more” idea on day 11 of my meditation experience and how it applies to the horse world. The ego wants more to feel gratified. Gratitude aligns my intention to receive the support of nature through horses. I accept a deeper truth—especially when I am with horses. I have always been successful in my relationships with horses and animals. How do I know this? Because they fill my soul with a warmth of peace and satisfaction that I have never achieved from anything else. This sensation never came from a blue ribbon or a trophy. I was only able to experience this true connection with the horse on a spiritual level after I learned how to put my ego aside. Now, I am connected with horses on a level I never dreamed possible. And, it continues to get better and better every day as I practice gratitude and self-awareness. And in return, I receive grace.  Today is day 12 of my 21-day meditation experience and let me tell you this is not getting easier. Today’s meditation was themed “Loving with Gratitude.” It was about divine love, the spiritual grace that supports everyone and everything and this was a challenging topic for me in regards to human love.
My Bio-Energy Analysis mentor taught me that we have two choices—love and fear. I can’t have both at the same time. I either choose love or fear. One or the other. Love, from a place of gratitude, can erase fear and with love, I can overcome fear, anger, and rejection. This is really about connecting with the truest expression of myself. My life experiences have shaped me into who I am today. Loving fearlessly through gratitude is one of the hardest things for me to do ... In every wisdom tradition, grace is connected to divine love and it is something we can have even if we feel we don’t deserve it. Grace isn’t necessarily a choice, but love is. I can choose whether I give a little or a lot of love. I limit the amount of love I express to humans because humans have caused me more pain and rejection than any horse or animals. There is nothing more awful than allowing yourself to be vulnerable and love someone only to find that love is not reciprocated. However, the pain from my past does not stop me from giving and receiving love with horses. The more love I give to the horses the more I become who I am really am and my heart is gladdened. Gratitude assists in love through the removal of my ego … but I am not always successful. At this time in my life, the only way I feel supported by divine love and grace is through animals. My horses are a huge support system, but I also have some amazing felines in my life. Horses are amazing creatures, however, when you have a cat or dog that lives in your house and shares a bed with you, it changes the dynamic. For me, there are few things more gratifying than a snuggly, purring puddy cat on my lap. Active steps I take towards gratitude that are helping me overcome my inner obstacles and resistance to divine love with humans is learning the art of forgiveness. It is not easy for me. I know how to forgive and keep it in the past. I have yet to accomplish it in the present. I feel like if someone hurts or wrongs me over and over then I just have to do my forgiveness process over and over. It is emotionally exhausting. Thank goodness for the animals that rejuvenate me! I know as I continue to practice forgiveness (over and over) and keep practicing gratitude and receiving grace, one day the hurt and pain will stay away and I will be able to experience divine love on a whole different level. Today, that’s all I can do but practice makes perfect, right?  Today is day 11 of my 21-day meditation experience and the theme for today is “Nature’s Generosity is Waiting.” What does that mean? I have learned that in a moment of grace, I am supposed to feel safe and worthy. Love is all around me. Nature is infinitely generous and I am supported all the time. For most of my life, I have been criticized for my love and committed lifestyle to horses—mostly by non-horse people, but nonetheless criticized and judged. Over the years, I have learned to embrace my uniqueness and gift of being connected to horses. This inner growth has led me to my truth, understanding, and acceptance of myself. Something I believe I never would have learned to acknowledge and honor about myself without my gratitude for the horse.
The more I grow to appreciate horses the more I receive grace from the horses. When I am with horses, I lose all thoughts of being unworthy or symptoms of contracted awareness. When I recognize limitations in my life, I choose to come back to meditation and open my awareness. I do this when I am with horses. Some people think that meditating requires sitting cross-legged on a pillow chanting the word “om” over and over. Yes, this is one way to meditate, however, being in the present moment is achieved in many different ways. One can even meditate while doing the dishes. I meditate while I am cleaning poop, grooming, and sometimes just sitting and listening to them eat. The opposite of contracted awareness is expanded awareness and it isn’t passive. Expanded awareness opens me up to the generosity of nature. I see this in my connection with horses. I know in my heart that it is part of my birthright and my God-given destiny. Expanded awareness is normal to me when I am with the horses. It is said that contracted awareness is abnormal and stems from fear and doubt. I am sure we have all experienced that! Nature is always generous through constant replenishment. It is the flow of life. Even though it is very painful when I lose a horse, it doesn’t stop the Universe from bringing new ones to me. This flow of horses in my life is what keeps me growing and blooming. Horses inspire me and are my mentors for keeping in the present moment. When I am generous and give to the horses my time, energy, and love, I always get something positive in return from them—their energy renews me. Horses are truly a gift to me from the creator of the universe! There are two domains of life—the inner and the outer. Through my gratitude for horses and the world they live in, it effortlessly links me to my inner domain. I believe our culture and society only know how to link to the outer domain of life. We are taught that more material things are better and more leads to abundance. But what I observe in the horse world, is that more leads to extremes and extremes lead to unhealthy horses. From an inner perspective, I would like to see more love, respect, and appreciation for the health and well-being of the horse that yields longevity. This would require us to put aside the ego and release all attachments to blue ribbons and accolades. I gave up horse shows years ago. It is not to say that I will never show again or that I condemn horse shows. I say it all the time, “It’s not what we do, it’s how we do it.” The motive for doing things with horses should not be in a competitive nature. It needs to be about the nature of bonding and connecting with the horse. I desire to see a shift in the horse world. A shift in the mentality that believes the horse is a tool and a means of winning. For this to happen, it would require us to think differently. For example, we need to use the discipline of dressage for the horse and not the horse for dressage. Perhaps this begins with the awareness of gratitude and being in the present moment. When we stop thinking about the next show and the next ribbon, that is when we can truly be in the now and appreciate today’s ride and the love of our horse.  When I feel gratitude at the moment, I can cultivate a sense of acceptance and openness as is. I know that by dissolving differences it allows an opening to a way of deeper connection alignment and energy. That is true love and grace manifested. Heartfelt gratitude enables bonds to flourish and connect with what truly matters. Gratitude can bring us together. But first, we have to be open to it ...
I imagine gratitude is magical—it has the ability to dissolve resentment and remove obstacles. But, it comes down to have a fulfilling relationship and you have to be able to relate to each other. I have learned that what I give and receive is the life of my relationships. Giving is most powerful at the emotional level. I believe the horses are thankful I am in their life and I am thankful they are in my world. World traditions teach that the giver benefits as much as the receiver—I experience this every day I am with horses. I know this is supposed to soothe the heart and allows relationships to flourish, but sometimes I only experience it with horses. However, it is taught that we cannot achieve this without expanded awareness aka. gratitude. My true self knows that grace can accomplish what the ego cannot. My ego self isn’t always ready for it. I am learning to be grateful for the here and now and not the delusion of an old dream. The real potential is ready to be awakened when I allow gratitude and form a bond that allows two to become one. I totally get this from my relationships and bonds with horses. I am learning that grace can keep the flow open even when I am anxious and doubt the perfection of any relationship. I know my real potential is waiting to be awakened. However ... I am not going to lie, today’s meditation was a challenge. Perhaps life got in the way, a tax appointment, distractions, and just not enough hours in the day. But as I follow through on my commitment at the eleventh hour, I realize that today’s theme is probably not a coincidence after what I wrote yesterday. If gratitude expands every relationship, then why do I have a hard time finding gratitude in the ex-relationship I spoke of yesterday? Words are hurtful and you can’t take them back. It’s like putting toothpaste back in the tube … it does not work. Love is nothing without action. Trust is nothing without proof, and sorry is nothing without change. My current emotional state does not allow me to feel the good qualities I once thought I knew of this person. The qualities that used to make me feel good. I have no idea if it would be possible or how it would be possible to feel what I used to feel, but what I know for sure is this, “Right now, at this exact moment in time, horses are the only thing that makes me feel good. That and a cuddly, purring puddy cat sitting in my lap. That is my current present moment and the present moment is all that matters and for that I am grateful.  This meditation experience is assisting me in learning to be aware and appreciate the privilege of the ultimate connection to grace through gratitude. It is my connection to the divine. I am grateful for who I am. It has taken me many moons of being the black sheep of the family and learning about myself. But what I know now is that I am the author of my own story and I choose the chapter I want to write—day by day.
Reality is always personal based on each individual experience. Every one of my experiences is filtered through my core beliefs and attitudes. My emotions are always responding even when I am not aware of them. I know that I am unique in how I see the world and I have control over my individual reality. Only I can reassure myself. Only I can be the author of my own life story and my story can change. Every day is a new world with new possibilities. I am not the same person as I was yesterday and I will not be the same person tomorrow. Gratitude connects me to today’s reality. As part of my true self, the only constants in my life are existence, nature, grace, truth, and love. When I make this connection to gratitude, hours and days stop feeling like the same thing. Repetition makes life stale. It brings boredom, indifference, and fatigue. When I keep repeating the things I have no real interest in, I can grow numb. Instead, I choose to experience life through the nature of being with horses. The continuity of the freshness in every moment I experience with horses delivers me grace. This is why I do horses. Every day is a new day. Every ride is a new ride. Every moment is a new moment. I never stop learning or growing when I am with horses. Without them, I would be numb and stale. I have specific memories of an experience I had with an ex-boyfriend regarding my lifestyle with horses. On numerous occasions, he belittled my relationship and my love for horses by saying hurtful things like, “You repulse me because you wear cowboy boots to ride in.” Ultimately, I feel he blamed the horses and used it as an excuse to break up. It is very hard for me to find gratitude from that relationship. I know we had some good times and vibrated together in chemical attraction and at times on a spiritual level. But at the end of the day, I have strong physical sensations of pain and feelings of hurt and betrayal. It always made me question how someone could tell me they loved me, but then devalued the only unconditional love I have ever known from horses. As a result, I have gained an even stronger love and appreciation for the horses in my life. Horses are not just a hobby. They are the only constants in my life. Horses are my existence. They are my connection to nature, grace, truth, and love. And for that, I am eternally grateful that the Universe brought horses into my life as a small child and that I will leave this planet with horses in my heart and spirit.  Today, I started the second week of my meditation experience. This week explores a deeper facet of gratitude—my overall health and well-being. Science has proven that new pathways open in our brains and change when we practice thoughts of gratitude. The more I practice gratitude the more I want my neuropathways to open up and change for the better.
There are only two kinds of input our brains experience; negative and positive. Obviously, positive input increases our well-being and negative input decreases our well-being. Gratitude is a positive input and aids in the generating of new pathways in my brain. Gratitude also leads to compassion and empathy. When I focus my awareness on positive input, greater health and well-being come my way. But, it is something that I have to exercise—just like going to the gym to exercise the body we have to exercise our brains too! As I continue to exercise my brain with gratitude, compassion and empathy become a little easier. Gratitude is not a totally new concept for me. One of the first spiritual teachers that showed up in my life was Dr. Wayne Dyer. I have never forgotten how he shared the first thing he did every morning when he awoke was to say, “Thank you.” This is a practice I have incorporated into my everyday life except I say “thank you” one time for every horse and cat I have in my life. I also give my animals hugs and tell them they are loved. Because every time you give a hug, you receive a hug and love is one of the highest vibrating emotions. Three main factors that contribute to negative input in my brain are the negative voices in my head that stem from negative people in my life declaring things over me like, “You can’t do that” and “You will always be a failure as long as you have horses.” This negativity has led me down a path to insecurity, self-doubt, and fear of standing in my truth. Ways I am learning to eliminate these negative inputs are by eliminating people and things in my life that are not for my highest good. From now on, I only allow people in my life who love and accept me for me—this includes my love of animals along with my passion and lifestyle for horses. When I practice gratitude, it allows the awareness of what shows up in different areas of my life including health and wellness. The more I practice gratitude the more I can reroute old pathways in my brain and turn them into a positive pathway. From now on, I choose a healthy mind and body and I hope you do too!  I am still learning how to connect gratitude and grace through this 21-day meditation experience. What I have learned is that shifts towards grace open up from a place of gratitude. It is not uncommon for obstacles to show up during personal growth. Obstacles many times are messages from the Universe. I have to remind myself that when I start to feel struggle from life’s obstacles, it is time to pause. I can choose how I react to the obstacles. Do I react as a negative or as an opportunity to know that all will be well? There is always a blessing in every issue.
Obstacles are not my enemy. They are signals from my true self to look at the situation differently. When obstacles show up, many times I allow inner resistance to getting in the way of my gratitude. Looking at life’s dark side was taught to me by my family. I grew up hearing nothing except negative. Over time, these pessimistic beliefs became “normal.” When those old thought patterns show up for me, I can’t see or feel gratitude. My family never taught me to be grateful for anything. I was only taught to be what my father called a realist. Learning to shift my perception has helped make room for optimism to start in my life. This is where I am today. Learning to not resist opens me up to receive grace. One thing I struggle with that I am sure we can all relate to is stress. Stress from everyday life. Things don’t always go the way I plan or things show up in my life that I wasn’t expecting. I know I shouldn’t let it, but I allow it to stress me out. Through meditation, being with my horses, and learning the art of gratitude, it puts me in the present moment. I believe we can’t hear it enough, “When you are in the present moment, nothing else matters!” The past no longer exists, therefore, the past does not matter. The only thing we have control over is the here and now. As I learn to do this, I start to feel the joy of my true self and that feels good.  Eckhart Tolle taught me to say yes to the present moment and yes to life. This includes surrendering to what is. And the next step is to change yes to thank you. When I allow distractions to distance me from the here and now, that is when I feel I need more and don’t feel satisfied with my current life. Bringing myself back to a place of gratitude reminds me that the present moment of gratefulness creates abundance.
I realize that every moment has its own energy and unique feeling. It brings out grace in the here and now. Grace does not exist in the past or the future. When I awaken my gratitude, grace responds to me. When life is not enough, gratitude turns my attention away from what I don’t have to what I do have. When I spend time with the horses, I have sincere gratitude for their energy and presence around me. Horses are the epitome of being in the present moment. I love sitting with them when they eat. I love listening to their gentle munching noises and observe the softness in their eyes. The horses are not worried about what tomorrow will bring. The horses aren’t angry about something someone did to them in the past. Every moment I am with my horses is filled with grace. Things that distract me are text messages and Facebook notifications. When I hear my phone ding, I can’t help but see what or who it is. But when I check my phone, I am no longer in the present moment with my horses. I make it a habit to leave my phone in the house or tack room while I am with my horses. Horses are definitely what brings me into the present moment. How do your horses assist you in tapping into the here and now?  Gratitude awakens my true self. My true self is connected to everything in the Universe. Gratitude guides me to inner acceptance—a stillness, silence, and deep peace. The deeper I go within the more profoundly I connect with myself. A cultivated state of appreciation creates grace authentically and naturally.
The path of grace is unique and requires devotion. This path is possible by contacting my true self. I have many different selves. These selves include my work self, my horse self, my play self, etc. However, when I put all of those selves aside, my true self is left behind. My true self knows me better than anyone else—it knows my hopes, dreams, and disappointments. Gratitude is one part of my creative force. The awakened energy of gratitude leads me to my true self. The true self exists in silence and is the source of grace. I am in the process of learning to stand in my truth. One way I intend to live and speak my truth is through my writing. I am letting go of the fear of what people think and putting myself “out there.” Through meditation and being thankful for the present moment, I am more accepting of myself. Of my many selves, I know that my intimate self needs to come forward more. When intimate Pamela writes from the heart and a vulnerable place, that is when my readers connect with me the most. I committed to this mediation experience as a way to tap into a deeper level of my true self for my writing. It is no mystery that when I ride that is when I am fully aligned with my true, authentic self. When I am riding and being with horses, I am fully in the present moment and nothing else matters. This is why I will never stop riding and never give up horses. Without horses, nothing else matters. Every horse, every ride, every moment creates a new experience that aligns me with my true self. And that my friend is grace.  Everyone around me seems to be seeking the same things as me. I often feel invisible and just want to be seen. I wonder, “Do I matter? Does anyone hear me?” When the Universe responds to me, this is grace. Grace replies to me through knowledge and understanding that I belong and am part of something bigger than myself. Gratitude is my catalyst. When I express gratitude, grace responds. The little things and moments aren’t little. When I am present in gratitude, little things seem more important.
When I am present, everything flows more naturally. The Universe makes me feel like I am appreciated. This shows that I am in the flow of life. Signals from within me bring peace and calm and moments of joy. My perception shifts. The old mare is still beautiful in my eyes. The lame gelding still moves with grace and ease. Other signals come from external sources. Like the appreciation of a friend. Horses have become more and more enjoyable and vibrant to me. Grace is a nurturing force of nature that sustains all life. When I am aware of this, I can ask for it. Grace comes from a deep source within me. One way I renew my energy is by appreciating what’s around me. When I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed, I take a few moments to find something that will slow down my brain and make me feel better. Many times, leaving my computer and walking out to the barn does just the trick. Believe it or not, mucking manure always renews my energy—especially when the weather is nice. Other days, making a phone call and having a heart-to-heart talk with a like-minded friend allows me to feel rejuvenated. So, now it is your turn. What are the signals of grace in your life?  Gratitude is an energy that lifts and expands me. When I am aware of it, gratitude takes me to a deeper place in my heart. It turns what I have right now into enough. And it turns enough into more. Gratitude can turn a tiny house into a home and a strange person into a best friend.
Yesterday, I was able to acknowledge that I have indeed experienced grace. Today, I experienced the concept of gladdening the heart. When my heart is closed, I cannot feel gratitude. If I am stressed or tired, I don’t have the energy to practice gratitude. What does this idea of a gladdened heart feel like? To me, it feels safe and warm. I am accepted and supported by the Universe with no judgment. When I am in a space of recognizing the good things in my life, that is when I feel abundant. I can’t achieve this feeling unless I take the time to renew this energy and it only happens when I meditate. This isn’t accomplished by looking out a window and seeing a perfect life. I focus on the simple things like a ray of sunlight, a shadow on a mountain or listening to my horses munch on their hay. I know that I belong to the horses. My existence is woven into their existence. However, it is not the horse but the energy of joy that I receive from being with horses. Horses open me up to be able to look at the world with love and gratitude. So, what gladdens my heart? Of course horses, but when I am with the horses it is more than that. It is about being in nature and listening to the birds, feeling the sun on my face, and smelling the fresh air. One of the most heart-gladdening experiences I have ever had was with my mare Arabica. The night I had to put her down she held my hand. Her eyes were still bright while she talked to me the entire time we waited for the vet to arrive. It wasn’t that she was telling me everything was okay, she was simply living in the present moment and sharing her love. I fed her treats and she enjoyed eating them at that moment. Instead of crying, I cherished our last moments together as she made me smile and gladdened my heart. The most beautiful thing I saw today was a blackbird courting a female. He sang her the prettiest song while dancing to the beat of his own drum. He shook his booty and danced like no one watching. By watching him be in his present moment, it allowed me to be in my present moment and grateful for the sight I saw. Now that you know what gladdens my heart, I want to know what gladdens your heart?  Okay, I am on day two of my 21-day meditation experience where I am intending to experience the manifestation of grace through gratitude. Initially I questioned if I have ever really experienced grace. I wasn’t even sure how to describe it. I know that when I extend gratitude to nature it is returned as grace. Perhaps it is just a feeling?
How do you feel when you are grateful for someone or something? When you are present in that moment, do you feel more alive? Open? Connected? Aware? Do you feel warm and fuzzy? I activate gratitude by giving it not only my attention but also my intention. Gratitude takes on a new energy flow of goodness that changes me on the inside. I feel the warmth, light, and a transformational power that lightens my current state of being. For me, those feelings are grace. Grace has been around for centuries in many cultures. People thank God and in exchange they receive grace. It starts with gratitude. One of the ways I practice gratitude is by thinking of three good things in my life. Today what came to me are sunshine, mountains, and of course horses. I am grateful for the sun on my face that warms the earth and provides growth to plants and energy to life. I am grateful for the mountains that provide beauty and refuge for animals. I am grateful for horses because they provide me unconditional love and fill my soul. My heartfelt gratitude allows grace to flow to and from and I believe horses and nature are the conduits. I give and a response comes back to me. Paying attention to good things allows me to welcome grace into my existence. I incorporate gratitude into my everyday life as part of the mind-body connection. I visualize and honor how the Universe supports me. When I do this, gratitude brings me support from the Universe and what comes back to me from the Universe is love. Grace is love and I feel it every day when I am with my horses. What are the good things in your life? I committed myself to do a 21-day meditation experience called, “Manifesting Grace through Gratitude.” I believe it is no coincidence that when things show up in our lives over and over, it is the Universe telling us something. It is up to us whether we choose to listen or not. Recently, grace has been brought to my attention. Therefore, when this meditation experience was brought to my attention (with an emphasis on grace) I knew it was a sign.
Up until now, grace was only a concept to me. Religion defined grace as ‘divine love.’ I believe I experience divine love every time I am present with my horses (the keyword is present). Deepak Chopra expressed that we lack perception when it comes to grace, but somewhere in the middle of all that life throws at us, we can create a space to have appreciation/gratitude towards nature and creation. All it takes is a few moments to look away from your phone and notice what is all around you. I achieve this every time I am with the horses. Every morning I say, “Thank You” for each horse and animal that are present in my life. As a horse lover, if horses can’t connect me to nature and my higher self, then I don’t know what can. When I look into their soft eyes, listen to their neighs, and feel their breath on my face I experience pure gratitude. Spiritual teachers tell us that anger is living in the past and worry is living in the future. I have a mantra that I say to myself every time I start to worry or get pissed off. It goes like this, “Thank you that at this exact moment in time, everything is perfectly fine.” It brings me back to the present and reminds me that the only thing that matters is right now. And right now, everything is perfect when it comes to horses. My life is abundant because of my level of being with horses. Do you want to feel more abundant and fulfilled in your life? All it requires is that you start with awareness. Gratitude is the key that shifts awareness. Gratitude leads to grace and grace changes perception. Manifesting grace means to me to achieve gratitude and make a connection with my higher self. Today was the first day of my meditation experience and it was a reminder why I love horses. Being with horses means being outside. And being outside means connecting to creation. When I am connected to creation, I am connected to my horses. It is part of the circle of life and I can’t imagine my life with no horses. Because without horses, there would be no gratitude in my world. And without gratitude, there would be no light. 
Obviously yoga postures benefit riding with the stretching and strength building. However, some people are doing yoga on the horse's back. Why you ask? Because yoga helps us get grounded and centered. This is important when working around horses and riding because they are sensitive creatures that pick up on our emotions.
Also, there are yoga stretches for the horse to do too! So, this is about yoga for you, yoga for your horse, and yoga for you and your horse together! Yoga is great for overall health and better riding, yoga is for centering and grounding on and around horses, and yoga stretches are for the horse. Before I saddle one of my horses to ride, I do a brief yoga stretch sequence for the horse. First, I ask my horse for the Carrot Stretch. This stretch frees up the use of the front end of the horse and increases muscle development. The goal for the horse should be to bend his/her head and neck all the way back to the stifle. If they can’t bend that far, it tells us they are tight in the shoulders. The second horse stretch I do is the Front Leg Stretch. This stretches all the way up to the withers. This opens the scapula to the withers. The goal is to hold the ‘drunken horse pose’ for at least 60 seconds. Third is the Tail Pull. This stretch is a traction hold that stretches the hind end. This is a gentle pull of the tail and should ONLY be done if the horse is safe to stand behind. This stretches out the lower lumbar and psoas muscles. The fourth stretch in the horse sequence is the Bumm Tucks. This helps free up the lower back. The goal is the horse should be able to roll up all the way to their withers. This is NOT a speed event. Keep the spine straight and just ask for a little bit at a time. The last stretch is the Belly Lift. The horse’s back is like a suspension bridge. This stretch helps the ribs raise and expand to keep the horse’s topline from dropping and losing its development. The ribs need to come up in order for the hind end to engage. By doing a series of five belly lifts and holding for about 10 seconds each, your horse will start to develop a stronger topline and the goal is to expand through the withers. After I do my horse’s yoga stretches, I mount my horse and spend 10 minutes walking. Walking for the first 10 minutes is very important because horses have no muscles below their knee. It takes 10 minutes for all of the tendons and ligaments to warm-up. As I do the walk warm-up for my horse, I do my yoga stretches in the saddle. These include a mounted Reverse Warrior and Warrior II. The Warrior II pose has been modified for horseback, but still helps open the hips. This pose benefits the legs and arms, opens the chest and shoulders, and tones the abdomen. Reverse Warrior is obviously modified for horseback, but it is still a great side-bend that stretches the ribs, which are hard to get to but still important. This pose also strengthens the legs, opens the side of your body, and improves spinal mobility along with balance and core strength. I am a certified Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding Practitioner. In my bodywork training, we learned the importance of stretching horses. I also have over 25 years’ experience riding and training horses. Horses are athletes and require proper warm-up and cool down just like a runner, sports player, or swimmer. If one body part doesn’t work like the other body parts, the horse will compensate and that is when you will start to see soreness or even lameness issues. Stretching is about flexibility. A horse can’t engage his/her hind end, stride out in front, or carry the weight of a saddle and rider without being physically and emotionally sound and in shape. Take the time to stretch your horse and yourself. It will bring longevity to both of you!  What does it mean to empower yourself with your horse and where do you begin? When you’re empowered you feel more in tune to your horse which yields a better connection. You’re able to set a goal or intention you want to accomplish with your horse and believe that you have a really good possibility you will achieve it! When you are empowered, you will feel good about yourself and it will improve your self-esteem and self-confidence. It is not uncommon to experience difficulties and setbacks. It happens but you must learn to view them as learning experiences that in the end will make you stronger. You take each day as it comes and appreciate all that you have. You learn to be grateful whether it is for your health, your friends, a job or simply that inner peace and contentment you feel while being with your horse. Empowerment is also about being authentic, honest and true to yourself and your horse. It’s recognizing your gifts and talents and ability to connect with your horse and earn his/her trust. Is this something that interests you? The following are a few ideas on how to empower yourself with your horse.
Give Yourself a Period of Exploration You might be feeling disempowered because you’re stuck in a rut. You can’t pick up the right lead or sometimes post on the wrong diagonal and you don’t have a clear idea on how to correct it and move on to something else. Perhaps you’re just bored with your horse in general and need a new reason to ride. Give yourself permission to take a six to 12 month length of time and try some new things with your horse. These new things do not require being related to your area of unhappiness. You just want to get some energy moving in your life and challenge yourself a little. Ideas might include taking some lessons, riding in a clinic, experiment with a new discipline, or try trail riding and explore someplace new. Focus on What You Enjoy with Your Horse I have discussed many times how intuition is like our inner GPS. It’s always pointing us towards success, joy and greater happiness. There are many ways to hear its wisdom. One way is to pay attention when something feels draining, boring or uninteresting. That’s your intuition saying “do not do this.” On the other hand, when you feel drawn to something, energized or excited, that’s your inner wisdom telling you “This is the better way to go!” Again, just be open to what shows up for you right now. You don’t have to figure out a big new goal or how you’re going to achieve it through exploring this new interest. Just keep taking next steps in the right direction with your horse’s best interests in mind. Move Your Body-Not Just Your Horse’s Body Before you groan about the word EXERCISE, think about how it could make your ride better. Perhaps the idea of working out with a bunch of rugged, in-shape people at your local gym makes you want to crawl back under the covers. If that’s the case, what do you enjoy? You might like something simpler, like a leisurely stroll, a bike ride or a beginner yoga class. Start where you are. Getting stronger and having more stamina and energy is a great way to feel good about yourself and in return will make you a better and stronger rider. Think of Someone You Admire Imagination is a powerful tool in becoming more empowered. Think for a moment about someone you admire. Perhaps it’s someone in your group of friends and family. It could be a local horse trainer where you currently live, or an historical equestrian figure like someone who won the Olympics. Close your eyes for just a moment. Bring this person to mind and really feel those qualities you admire about them. Are they powerful, kind, full of vision and purpose? Do they have a great work ethic when it comes to horses? Use the power of your mind to imagine riding or training with that person. How do you feel in their presence? What would they say to you right now to encourage you? Psychologists say that using your mind in this way actually boosts our self-confidence. Have More Fun Sometimes life just sucks. You may be going through a tough time right now and have lost some confidence in your horse abilities. What could you do to make this time a little less difficult and a little more inspiring? Is there a friend you could invite over to hang out with and elevate your mood? Is there something fun and inexpensive in your local community like a horse fair, equine demonstration, a clinic or convention that you could plan to attend? What’s “fun” is different for each individual. You may be the creative type who gravitates to horse art and crafts. Or you may be the person who loves all things techie. Honor yourself and your interests, but sometimes it is okay to do something non-horsey. Or perhaps you might want to do something different with your horse. If you are a dressage rider, you could try taking trail ride. If you are a trail rider, you could try learning a training level test. No matter what your fancy, sometimes we need to step away from what we know, learn something new or experience something different. In the end, it will ultimately make us better partners with our horse. I challenge you today to try something new, but most of all don’t forget to enjoy your horse!  As a horse owner, it is only natural that I have a lot of friends with horses. Interesting enough, I have a friend that I met through horses, but he doesn’t have a horse and rarely rides. However, he does work in the horse industry. We were talking the other night and I asked him, “Don’t you miss having a horse of your own?” He responded that he really didn’t miss it. This concept was extremely hard for me to understand, so I pondered this thought and this is what I came up with: Horses nourish my mind, body and soul in ways I find impossible to replicate elsewhere. It is inconceivable to try and fathom my life without them. The following are six reasons horses are good for my mind, body, and soul:
1. Horses keep me present and grounded. According to the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca, to be truly happy is to enjoy the present moment, and I have to admit he knew what he was talking about. It's hard for me not be present and grounded when I am with my horses. I don’t play a radio when I am in the barn. I am always aware of what my horses are doing and communicating with me whether this is the four beat gait of the walk, the increase or decrease in stride, the sound of their neighs, or the rhythm of their breath. As I am aware of them, I can just be … present. Additionally, walking meditation is a common Buddhist practice wherein the goal is simply to walk and be present with every step we take. While more traditional seated forms of meditation aren't for everyone, a long hike helps still a mind that is always thinking about what we have to do next. It's one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your horse. Frequently, I take one of my horses with me as I go on my daily walk. Not only is it a bonding experience, but it allows us to be present together. 2. Horses elevate my senses. I have observed people in the city walking down the streets, in the airport, or on a bus or train attached to their smart phones. Their eyes are fixed straight down, listening to music on their earbuds, texting or talking on the phone. They are blocking out traffic noise and avoiding physical contact with strangers at all cost. Unlike a crowded city center, being with horses makes me WANT to engage in all of my senses. Once I enter the space of my horses, that internal dialogue fades away and I begin to take more notice of my surroundings. I notice the breeze against my skin … the sun on my face … and the birds chirping in the background. It makes me feel connected to myself, my horses and to the earth. What do you hear or feel when you are at the barn with your horse? 3. Horses put nature into perspective for me. Up mountains, over hills, along plains, through forests, riding is a great opportunity to get in touch with nature. It's a pertinent reminder of how small we are and how beautiful (and vast) the world is. Studies have shown that being among nature is a great stress reliever and can help lower incidences of depression. The findings of a particular 2014 study suggested that group outdoor walks "may not only improve someone's daily positive emotions but may also contribute a non-pharmacological approach to serious conditions like depression." So why not be in nature with your horse! 4. Horses invite a sense of adventure. Riding can be a unique way to explore a new place. I am fortunate to have a summer home in the upper Midwest with hundreds of acres to explore. Don't get me wrong. I like spending weekends binge-watching Netflix as much as the next person, but that's not very exciting is it? Riding is a way to tap into your adventurous spirit in a healthy way that doesn't involve whiskey and picking bar fights with bikers. 5. Horses give me space. Physical space, of course, but more importantly the emotional and mental distance needed to momentarily place aside the pressures of balancing work, relationships, friendships, finances and health. I've come to important realizations about myself and my life while being with horses. Alternatively, I've gone riding and let my thoughts dance from the ordinary to the outrageous. And that's OK too; both are necessary. But both require space. 6. Horses have fostered my relationships. I come from a family where spending quality time with individuals just doesn’t happen. Being with horses taught me how to be in a relationship and this has transferred into my human relationships. I have learned compassion, empathy, love and how to be in a partnership thanks to horses. An important someone or horse allows you to check in with them on a deeper level and be part of a support system in your life. This special one-on-one time affords you the opportunity to be of service to those who are more important to you. After all, there's nothing like hours of winding paths to the inner work so that you can show up for others in life. Do you feel ready to start “being” with your horse and experience the present moment? Here are a few tips for getting started:
So many people have a challenge with meditating because they can’t sit still for very long without their mind wondering into some thoughts. However, meditation does not have to always be sitting on a cushion with your legs crossed chanting “om.” Meditation can easily take place while washing the dishes, cleaning horse pens, and yes even while riding! Through the establishment of your body, breath, and mind in the practice of meditation, a new connection can take place between you and your horse. You can try to sit for around ten minutes per day and meditate or you can utilize your time and learn to meditate on the back of your horse-think of it as part of your warm up. Of course, consistency is more important than length. It is better to practice for five minutes a day, five days a week, than for thirty minutes, once a week.
1. Start Slowly Don’t say to yourself: “I am going to meditate every single day for the rest of my life.” This is a huge mistake - first, because realistically you’re not going to do it, and second, because it’s just too much pressure on yourself. That is like beginning a running practice by starting with a half marathon. Instead, establish a routine that is very, very doable. For example, you could decide to meditate Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the first ten minutes of your ride. If you could do this for one month, that would be great! At the end of that month, decide whether you want to continue with ten-minute sessions, slow down, or increase the time. If you want to increase, do so by small increments – for example, five minutes. Then, after a month of meditating at the walk, during your warm up for fifteen minutes, you can make a decision for the next time period. 2. Establish Your Seat Meditation doesn’t require creating anything fancy or spending a lot of money, but choose a time and place for your practice - either a quiet morning at the barn, or out on the trail where you don’t run into anyone else for miles. Choose a time that you know you won’t be interrupted. If you like, you could do something special for you and your horse like treats or extra grooming time. It needs to be something that inspires you and gets you in the mood-if you will. Don’t get carried away here, though. Keep it simple. 3. Choose Your Time Try to practice at the same time every day. Most people find that the morning works out best, but you may have a dozen kids to get off to school or a job that requires you to start at 6 a.m. Or you may simply be a night owl and find it better to practice when you get to the barn after work or on the weekend. You can experiment with times of day, but whatever seems best, stick with it. There is nothing magical about this; it just seems that habits thrive on routine. 4. Declare Your Intention As you sit down into the saddle to practice, say to yourself something like this, “Now is my time to practice with myself and my horse.” or “Everything else can wait until I am done with my horse.” Commit yourself from the start. By declaring your intention out loud, it gives it more power and more probability of you following through and sticking to your routine. 5. Follow the 12 Second Rule This rule states that when you screw up (i.e., miss a day or a week or a month), you must feel awful, guilty, and ashamed - but only for twelve seconds!! Then you have just got to cut that B.S. out and get back to your routine!! It’s thoroughly not useful. The only thing worse than slacking off in your practice, is feeling like crap for slacking off in your practice. So please, don’t do that. 6. Sit with Others Meditation is most often a solitary pursuit, a time for you to simply be with yourself. However, if it becomes unrelentingly solitary, which is why you may not feel as lost in space or even lonely while doing it with your horse. While the ability to rest in both spaciousness and solitude are actually quite important, instituting some simple checks and balances prevents confusion as your practice develops. A great way to keep your practice real is to ask a horsey friend to join you from time to time. Or, invite a few friends to practice with you and establish a riding meditation group. It can be as small as two or three people or as large as you like (although I recommend keeping it small). You could get together once a week or once a month and simply sit on your horses for a mutually agreed time, followed by a conversation about how the practice is going for each of you. And this last tip is optional …Obtain a dharma book and read a paragraph, page, or chapter before or after your practice. When we incorporate even the slightest bit of study to our practice, our realization deepens. These are simply tools of suggestion. Don’t spend too much time trying to establish the perfect get-up. When in doubt, practice. Whether you’re sitting on a special cushion or on your horse, the important thing is to practice. But even more importantly … enjoy your horse! Some say Happiness is a matter of personal discipline. I say, Happiness is a matter of personal discipline with your horse. It is a stance that we choose. We must build and reinforce it on a daily basis whether we are in the mood or not. Many people are sensitive to the term discipline, perhaps because it is associated with punishment. In truth, the practice of personal discipline is an act of self-love. It is the way we turn our backs on a long, bleak history of abandonment and come home to ourselves. The following are ten steps to practicing and achieving discipline with your horse:
Break Free From Denial Acknowledge the need to become more disciplined in your equine practice. Break through any denial you have about your relationship with your horse. Make the distinction between discipline and punishment—discipline is an act of love. Deal with the mixed emotions you may have and acknowledge them and yourself. InspirationSearch for what inspires you with your horse. Some of the world’s greatest leaders and performers have had great personal discipline. What great horses and/or riders inspire you and your riding? Hang up their pictures. Let their excellence call you forward to realize your own goals and purpose. Repeat the Phrase - I WILL... Make the decision to become disciplined. Choose an area where there is a need for discipline with your horse. State your intention to make a change with the help of your Higher Self. Say it aloud as a statement of your spiritual will: “I will become a better rider.” “I will become honest with myself and my capabilities and the capabilities of my horse.” “I will finish what I start.” “I will … “fill in whatever it is for you.” SupportEstablish a support system. Choose friends who demonstrate personal discipline with their own horse and learn from them. Inform your current friends and family that you are making some difficult changes and that you want their quiet, nonjudgmental support for your effort. Talk to your Higher Self about it often. Rid Yourself of NegativityRelease feelings of impossibility. Impossibility will come up when you attempt to change old patterns. Feel it, cry or rage about it, but don’t believe it anymore. Declare that you will keep moving forward in your discipline with your horse. FocusStay on track. Remind yourself every morning what your discipline is and your goals for the day. Remember that it isn’t optional. You must just do it even when you don’t feel like it. Post a copy of your spiritual will statement where you can see it. Each evening, evaluate how your day went and what you can do better of different tomorrow. Did you do what you needed to do today to produce long-term happiness and discipline with your horse? Check in with a horse friend from your support circle at least once a week. Pat Yourself on the BackAcknowledge your progress and the progress of your horse. Celebrate even the smallest of successes. Acknowledge yourself and your horse. Honor yourself and your horse. Be aware of your overall health and well-being and accomplishment in your chosen areas of discipline. RepetitionPersevere, persist, and continue to press forward! Horses learn by repetition and you can choose to learn right alongside your horse. Attain a sampling for repetition and good habits. It will take you and your horse far! Get With the Flow Steady yourself into your new way of being with your horse. Give yourself time to get used to new behaviors. Remember that they’re still new for you as well as your horse. It can take years to stabilize, but your effort will pay off in the long run. You are building a new foundation for your relationship with your horse. RememberBe observant! Notice if you’re getting too relaxed your equine practice and slacking off. Notice what happens to you and your horse when you do. Recall the power of repetition. Try not to be compulsive or rigid, but remember that too much relaxation isn’t good for you or your horse. It is easily considered self-abandonment. And when you abandon yourself, you abandon your horse too! Incorporate these steps into your equine practice and honor yourself for choosing self-love and love for your horse! Transmission is the flow of consciousness between guru and disciple. Do you believe your equine friend is like a guru in your life? I believe that my horses are the teachers and guides in my life that I can trust. This trust is mutual and has been earned through building a relationship with each other.
Spiritual transmission is the transfer of spiritual information from one point (the horse guru) to another point (you the disciple/student) or too many points (students) simultaneously. One context to examine this is someone on a spiritual path who approaches the guru/teacher, or in this case the horse, with an open mind and heart who is ready and willing to learn. Some people might have a negative implication when they think of disciple because it is often implied with submission, coercion or punishment. However, a true disciple is one who is prepared to study a prescribed discipline in order to gain the knowledge and skill to master that discipline. Something I believe we horse people can identify with being most of our goals or intentions are to master some sort of discipline with our horse. This can range from English, western, dressage of even natural horsemanship. A student engages in a chosen discipline for the joy that comes from undertaking a path of learning that brings knowledge, wisdom, and the means to live a healthier and more meaningful life. For those of us who are serious students of a horse discipline, we understand that to master our art of horsemanship we must follow a prescribed discipline. It doesn’t matter what equine discipline that you fancy too, you have to consider how much you are willing to invest into that discipline and what you can give up to become accomplished. It is a good idea to consider developing the following attributes if you want to become a student and hopefully someday a master of your chosen discipline. First, you need a relaxed attitude and an open mind along with patience and self-responsibility; the capacity to listen; sincerity and industriousness. In the beginning, it is vital that you know your horse teacher and have a relationship, bond, and trust with him or her. You must feel confident that your equine teacher holds the authentic knowledge that you seek. As you engage in the teachings with your equine partner, it is essential to have faith in your horse as well as yourself. You need to develop commitment and a resolve to stay on course. This may consist of taking one step forward and two steps back, but commit to maintaining a forward momentum. Your horse teacher will only transfer their knowledge if you are receptive, keen and enduring. Only then can the horse pass his or her gifts to you and truly have a significant impact on your life. Transmission is something that occurs naturally in life. However, it is not always in an easily, recognizable form. Every time you meet someone there is an energy exchange. We exchange information, feelings, and emotions in some way, shape or form. An example of this is when your horse picks up on how you are feeling on a particular day. If you had a bad day at work and are really stressed, chances are your horse will sense your mood and not give you the best ride. This is an opportunity to learn from your horse. Listen and take a deep breathe. Get yourself grounded and centered-this will along for you to flip your emotions around, release the unwanted stress and proceed with a better ride. We all know that horses are the great mirrors of our emotions, so listen to them! We as horse and animal owners have most likely heard one story or another of how closely linked animals are with people. For example, the service dog who senses when a person is going to have a seizure. Or perhaps the story of when a twin sibling sensed from the other side of the country when something was wrong with his/her sister or brother. These close bonds are all forms of transmission. My understanding is that in a spiritual life, when one meets a great master, they hold spiritual knowledge and their consciousness and energy is vibrating at an extremely powerful level. If you are open to this relationship and energy, then you can allow yourself to resonate with this master (or in our case the horse teacher). When the student meditates on the relationship with the master and intends to awaken their inner guru, the higher awareness that lies dormant in all of us will come alive. At the same time the awareness takes place, the transmitting energy and knowledge that is guiding and unfolding the student. When this happens, the out guru and the inner guru merge into one. Provided the student continues to engage in this effort of meditation the state of self-realization will occur. Through the exercise of developing a meditation practice with your horse a deeper awareness will occur along with the transmissions and interchange of energy, feelings, and information that take place between all beings. The more your consciousness unfolds you will be able to differentiate which energy is coming from you and which is coming from your horse. Many people block themselves from having a connection on a spiritual level with a horse because they have a fixed image in their mind that spiritual may mean religious or of a doctrine. It is said that transmissions from spiritual masters occur constantly and is available to all if we can tune into it. So today, I encourage you to open your mind and seek that spiritual connection with your horse and see what he has to teach you! As I continue to study and learn more and more about mindfulness, I can’t help but consider how mindfulness in my life is directly in alignment with my horses. Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. All of which is required while being with horses and riding horses—Provided you want to have the most authentic relationship possible with your horse(s).
This idea of mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging. This includes believing that there isn’t always a right or wrong way to think of feel in the moment. I can relate to this through my experience over the years with horse trainers. Many times I have seen a trainer abuse or send a horse away when that horse doesn’t fit into their training program. I have witnessed the “my way or the highway” mentality instead of the trainer changing his or her training program. Thus, accepting the horse for his or her individuality and being malleable and flexible enough to adjust the training program for the individual horse. Our thoughts tune into what we are sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or the future. When we learn to practice mindfulness with our horse, it translates into other areas of our life and reflects in other relationships. Author and professor emeritus, Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, simply explained that mindfulness is really about paying attention in a systematic way and for no reason other than to be awake. If you pay attention to where your mind is at, it usually isn’t in the present moment. It’s off someplace else worrying, planning, being upset about something that did or didn’t happen. We are blasting through our present moments. The conditions are never perfect for the present moment, which is why we don’t want to be there. We watch Netflix, play video games, and scroll through Facebook never-ending avoiding the present moment … but why? Why would you want to practice mindfulness with your horse? Greater Good, the science-based magazine published at the University of California-Berkeley, explained that studies have shown that the practice of mindfulness, for as little as a few weeks, can bring an array of physical, psychological, and social benefits. The following included some of these benefits, which encompass a variety of diverse scenarios:
The present moment is the only time we can be in a place to be creative, love, or be in a relationship. Mindfulness in Chinese characters translates to presence of heart. Even though mindfulness is rooted in the Buddhist meditation tradition, a secular practice of mindfulness has recently entered the US and noticed in Jon-Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Thousands of research studies document the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness. This research has motivated places such as schools, prisons, hospitals, veteran’s centers, and more to incorporate the MBSR model. I want to encourage you to include mindfulness in your everyday practice with your horse(s). It doesn’t happen overnight, but can begin with one simple step: Start to breathe, become more grounded and pay attention to your horse. He or she is always reliable to guide you in the right direction toward mindfulness-based riding. And most of all … you will enjoy the ride! |
