Be Calm. Carry On.

Painting by sue halstenberg

Horses saved my life and continue to do so.

I am not a calm person by nature, (less so now that I no longer run.) I blame my dad. He was the kindest, most generous person ever to live but he was NOT calm. Hard to hide from genetics.

I do believe that Yoga and Pilates are good for the body. I do Pilates to help my body continue to move and I TRY sometimes to do Yoga but *%*(%$*!!!! I find the relaxation of Yoga generates a desire in me to take up arms and head to war. Meditation while posing or lying on the floor is a big NO for me. I have made peace with this. I tried the “Calm” App to help me sleep or relax. It lasted on my phone for MAYBE half a day before I had to remove it as I felt my heart or head was likely to explode if I heard one more relaxing tone or story. No. No. No. I have made peace with this also.

Perhaps later on in life I will want to develop these skills enough to really try hard but right now I am more likely to flip out and stomp around than I am to breathe deeply.

Enter…the horse.

Over the course of many years and many fails, I have learned to place my palm on the neck of a frightened horse and give it comfort. Me!!  I have learned to lower my shoulders and deepen my breathing while walking a frantic horse through the perceived gates of Hell. I’ve learned to whisper gently and relax my seat and legs on a jiggy horse ready to explode away from anything that moves. I’ve learned to soothe away the fear of death just by being close and touching the horse with my hand or body or just a quiet heart.

I learned ALL of this from them. They are so much more evolved than the human in the workings of feeling and awareness of the NOW. Again, I am not a calm person by nature but I have learned. I watch these animals and I learn peace…the one thing I could never give to myself.

And as the years have gone by, I have slowly learned about love also. I was raised British and we are not generally known to be good in this area. But horses, as pragmatic as they seem, they get it. They understand that love is here, now, and in this moment of being together. Love is not presents and planning parties. Love is time and touch and breathing together. Love is peace.

So please, let them teach you. Learn to love and learn about the horse’s communication. TURN OFF YOUR HUMAN BRAIN for it has NO place in this perfect space between you and your horse. Rejoice that they DO NOT THINK LIKE YOU and find the inner peace to join their quiet. Learn to be the gentle force that they are comforted to follow. Throw away your tension and apprehension and give yourself the gift the horse tries every day to give to you.

Peace -n- love man…