Hi Reader
I love LOVE January for its sense of space, the quiet and the looking forward. As we near February and the Chinese New Year I can feel my own horse starting to bolt. Woooah boy. Steady there!
Does anyone else find that the nearer they get to actually doing something, the more crazy ideas trot in and try to grab the attention?!
Goodness. Fortunately, there are so many opportunities in life for calming the nervous system and sensing a more graceful way forwards. And business is more like dressage sometimes! Learning to stand still, or even go backwards. When all you want to do is canter along a vast open beach. Well, this year I’d like to do both.
I’m no equestrian (although I’ve worked with many - enough to know that they can be brave, and nuts! A la “Adam can you help? I’ve been a little nervous doing jumps ever since I smashed my pelvis is seven places.”) Tommy Cooper would have said “Don’t go to those places". But equestrians are brave!
And one thing I have learned is what every equestrian knows - the best way to calm the horse is... to calm the rider.
But how?
Intention is powerful. Awareness allows choice. Visualisation helps. But even simpler than that is: remembering that it’s ok to walk. Or just stand. Beside the horse. To sense. To feel. Breathe. Ground. Connect.
Calm.
There are so many ways of doing this. And you know what works for you. Don’t you?
Right now I’m tending to the tack. Appreciating the textures. The quality. The smooth, strength of the reins, even as they rest, patiently. Conditioning the leather, securing stitches and buffing buckles.
Many people who actually ride horses (unlike me!) have described to me that it’s the smell that they most cherish. The deep, evocative scent of a horse you know. Being with horses is a multisensory, profound and natural experience. Forming bonds and memories that extend way beyond words.
So you can stand. Walk. Or gallop. And whenever you choose, you can open your senses and enjoy the journey - feeling calm, connected, and at ease. This week. This weekend. Into the New Year, and into your future.
With very best wishes, especially to my equestrian friends who are still calming their horses and fixing up their yards after the storm.
See you next week.
Adam
