Take a few more breaths here on your own. As you move forward with your day, feel comforted that you have generously graced your loved ones and yourself with the loving kindness you each deserve to know. Breathing in life, breathing out love and light.
Loving-Kindness Meditation
Often, we find it easy to share compassion with those we love, whether horses or humans. We tend to speak to them with gentleness, readily sharing our kindness and accepting their imperfections. While, we may reserve the cruelest thoughts and feelings for our own mind and body. Thankfully, through practice, we may develop self-compassion that supports us in learning to give ourselves the same care we’d share with a good friend, two-legged or four-legged.
We invite you to pause for a guided meditation to offer your affirmations of loving-kindness to a special horse, person and finally, yourself. You are worthy of life, love, and light, just as the horse.
Three Equine Approaches to Optimize Mindfulness
A session on the farm today transformed into an impromptu mindfulness session when we discovered the herd laying for an afternoon interlude in their paddocks. Not wanting to disturb their naps, we met our horse where he was today--utterly relaxed with his hooves tucked under him, eyes gently closed and trusting of his environment. We sat together in a circle with the snoozing horse and guided the client through a meditation, grounded in the natural, bucolic environment.
Here are three equine techniques (no pony required!) to try as you delve into your next mindfulness practice, whether it’s taking a few minutes to focus on your breath or using a guided meditation on an app (Insight Timer, Calm, or Headspace).