Equine insights

This is me on day three of a retreat at Intuitive Horse near Hastings a little over two years ago. As part of a creative practice development project that year, I decided to lean into the wisdom of Emma Ross - Somatic Experiencing coach, NLP practitioner and Facilitator in Equine Assisted Personal Development - and her herd. It was an exhilirating few days.

Image: Flora on the last day of the retreat, bonding with the donkeys she’d felt a slightly afraid of just the day before.

This was a beautiful moment where something really shifted between me and the donkey I'd had a slightly "sharky" - read "feary" - moment with in relation to an inner challenge I was exploring just the day before. A new openness, trust, proximity and even contact became possible and it was glorious.

Image: Flora taking the lead on day two. After a timid start in the paddock and some coaching from Emma, Flora decided to act more confident than she felt. This is ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ in action.

While I have not yet done a postgraduate course in equine craniosacral therapy, I did attend a fantastic webinar by Edwina Gray on Equine Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy in 2020 and it's very much part of my future visioning - human-animal kinship, nature connection, helping beings to live authentically. Connecting with Kinship Workshop post-pandemic has also helped kindled this flame.

It felt apt to share this equine experience with an ass during advent. I enjoy the lead up to the solstice on Saturday 21 December. This ancient celebration of the darkest day of the year in the northern hemisphere dates back a lot further than the Gregorian calendar. You might consider taking some time on this day to pause, if only for a few minutes, a few breaths, and consider any new years intentions you wish to plant.