Amongst my herd, the minutes and hours slip by without me even noticing them. Almost as if I have stepped into a different dimension of time. I stop noticing very much at all, apart from the beauty of the creatures around me, the sights, sounds and smells of nature, and how I feel in that particular moment. All this happens without me even making much effort. I think of it as mindfulness in flow.
Horses are great allies to us as we engage in mindfulness. They only respond to us when we are genuinely present and thus teach us how to inhabit our bodies. By engaging mindfully with them we can truly absorb ourselves in the moment and fully receive the gift of the wisdom they offer.
Developing a practise of mindfulness is widely accepted as an effective way of reducing anxiety, managing stress and improving our overall well-being. Learning how to live in the moment this way has many other benefits, from honing our problem solving and creative ability, sharpening our mental focus, becoming more emotionally aware, to nurturing a positive mind-set and successful relationships.
If you would like to begin, or deepen your mindfulness practise, with the support of horses, and immersed in the beauty of the Wiltshire countryside this is available on a one-to-one basis and also through workshops.
‘Soothed by the sound of Coop’s rhythmic grazing and his grounding presence, I came to know a new kind of peacefulness. The kind that soaked into my bones. Here, with him, my anxieties were subsiding; the layers of which had built up over the years without me even noticing’
Pam Billinge, The Spell of the Horse