I have the good fortune of having at least a few moments almost every day for mindfulness with horses.  At times it is just a few moments of intentional mindfulness while they finish their feed or it is moments of mindful task oriented intention while tending to hoof care or simply grooming.  Other times the mindfulness is reserved for periods of intentional meditation.  All of these times bring meaning in their own way.

There are others times when I have the fortune to share these mindfulness experiences, not just with horses, but also with fellow human beings.  Each of these mindfulness moments bring their own variances colored by the personal histories and presence of the participants.  The horses bring an intuitive understanding of each individual present and their responses to the situation offer to enlighten our human understanding.

The language of the horse is subtle and often silent but when we are attune, it is always enlightening.  Horses speak plainly but often we humans miss the subtleties until the moment is past and thus lose the opportunity to understand ourselves and the horse better in the moment of the exchange.  Sometimes we miss the silent language all together and have no awareness of the communication.  Sometimes we hear but choose not to listen and continue to coerce our human ego upon the horse and the environment oblivious to the connection that could have been.

The lesson for me is, listen with awareness.  Absorb the meaning.  Respond genuinely.  Sounds very much like the ago old advice of Carl Rogers Person Centered Therapy: unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding, genuineness.  The theory seems so simplistic but the perfection of the application is a complex and ever evolving art.

   

May we be safe.  May we be peaceful.  May we be in harmony.  May we release all traumatic fixations and trust in the creative nurturance of the universe.