Come back to earth...
A gentle reminder from the horses today.
I watched the horses graze a few feet away as I type up an email response that had absorbed my near total attention.
They began to snort back and forth, in succession. Something horses do when managing their stress or shifting nervous system states.
The deep rumblings and vibrations of their sounds brought me back to the peripheral sight of green grass, and then back to these giant animals whom I could feel mirroring my own sense of urgency.
“Horses have a remarkable ability to understand and respond to human emotion.”
- Temple Grandin
"We feel you," they seemed to be saying.
"I know" I thought with a sigh back to them...
I was now more of the tension in my body and the unnecessary rushing I was doing while typing this message. They patiently wait on my attention's return, for me to inhabit my body and its senses again.
I put the phone down to watch them for a moment and was teleported back to the earth.
"We're always here," these words popped into my mind as l watched the horses return to calmly munching on grass. And I could feel the deeper truth… Like the earth, or awareness itself, they are always existing in the present moment, even when I am not.
Horses are direct, with a simple grounding wisdom which says gently to humans, “Come back to earth.”
My story from today offers a portal into the nature of our partnership with horses at my counseling practice, Anu Beginning Therapy, where we slow down to observe the horses in their natural state, and how they often reflect what is being processed within our therapy sessions.
There are two opportunities coming up to be with the horses in meaningful ways on the farm! Below you will find those event details:
July 19th, Saturday, 9:30am - 2:30pm
*Partnering with the More-Than-Human World: A Practitioner's Retreat*
This retreat is a unique collaboration with the nature of Fauna Forest Farm in Jonesborough, TN. This half-day retreat is a deep-dive in collaborating with the more-than-human world (including horses) to enhance your experience as a therapist - and as a whole human.
Learn more and register below: https://form.jotform.com/251573469359167
An organic lunch will be provided!
$95 registration (scholarships available)
August 9th, Saturday, 9:30am-12:30pm
*Healing with Horses: An Experiential Workshop*
This workshop is a unique collaboration between horses and humans. No previous horse experience needed. This workshop does not involve riding horses and all activities will take place on the ground.
Chelsea Green, MA, LPC, utilizes her clinical experience as a couples and family therapist, an equine professional trained in systemic constellations (also called family constellations), and 12+ years of mindfulness meditation and group facilitation to curate an engaging and grounded exploration of what it means to be in healthy relationship. "Horses healing humans healing horses." - Kim Hallin
Learn more and register below: https://form.jotform.com/251574296246161
$60.00 per person (please inquire for sliding scale rates)
“Horses can help us to develop greater self-awareness and emotional intelligence.” - Linda Parelli