Live Your Gift: The Power of Equine-Guided Retreats
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculpture to reveal it." -Michelangelo My partner's nervous smile flashed at me from across Zip’s withers. The smell of horse and grass, the southern comfort of Ezra’s voice, the intensity of spring weather, these were the waves that filled my senses on that exquisite day in May. The day we launched our Live Your Gift series of retreats. This was another moment along the equine-guided path where the Divine sculpture carved me into BEING, changing me in ways as permanent and artful as the chisel crafts in marble. Today it was my way of moving through the world that would be chipped away. What remains is my sculpted heart. The exercise was simple. Focus attention at your heart chakra, become rooted there, and when ready reach out from your heart to touch the horse. If the horse moves out of the way, you’ve lost your center. Stop, breathe, try again. If the horse remains still, enjoying the feeling of connection heart to heart, advance the exercise by reaching across to your human partner on the opposite side of the horse. Three hearts, threaded together by love, yet absolutely centered in themselves. Sounds like an easy task for a lifelong yogi. I mean, c’mon, I’ve been at this since birth, right? Nope. Zip refused to stand still. Each time we attempted the exercise, Zip rejected us flatly. I know this horse, he and I have been working together for many months now. We’ve worked with dozens of clients and co-facilitated enormous breakthroughs for people. Zip thrives standing stoically still in the name of love and healing for those in need. What was going on? Why wouldn’t he stand still long enough to receive love from my heart, let alone allow me to reach across to my partner? My partner and I had to try more times than I can count. I felt frustrated, embarrassed, and impatient. Somehow though, just before the exercise was complete, we managed to keep Zip still by our own ability to center in our hearts. That feeling, the deep and profound sense of centeredness, was something that I had craved my whole life. I’m an empath who is easily affected by the feelings of others. The years had taught me to manage this somewhat, but the struggle to know which feelings are mine and which belong to another still plagued me. In five short minutes, a horse taught me how to live in my own heart space and how to move from there into an authentic connection with another being. Those five minutes have changed my life, again. Here’s a simple heart centering practice that I use as a reminder of what Zip taught me that day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fl4H5gMu9I Days working with horses, with trainers, and clients have steadily chiseled away at the woman I once was. The old me lived [...]