Why yoga and horses?

I consider myself an amateur horsewoman. And an amateur yogi, for that matter. Not that there’s such a thing, but I think you get the idea. 

At this point in my journey, I’m just so acutely aware of how much I don’t know. I’m a mom, and I own a dance studio, and my first priority when it comes to my animals is their physical needs. They’re kind of like kids - you have to feed and water them every day to keep them alive. 😜

Basically, my life is really full (probably a lot like yours!) So when it comes to sadhana, or practice, I’m always pining for more - painfully aware of how small my efforts feel to get on my mat or grab a halter and head for the pasture. 

So as much as I’m creating this space for you (and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun!), I’m also creating it for me. To integrate more fully into my life two of the things I cherish so deeply: horses and yoga. 

I realized pretty early on with my mustang, Takota, that what was going on within me, internally, was reflected in him. It affected him deeply. My fear and anxiety and self-judgement - he sensed it all. Our training sessions with my friend, farrier, and horsewoman extraordinaire, Kristin (who’s here in this group! 👋🏼), often felt more like therapy. 

When things weren’t going well, if I could become more present to myself… deep breaths, acknowledgement of how I was truly feeling (vs pretending I was just fine)... When I could consciously shift what was happening in my internal world, my horse shifted right along with me. Where there was frustration, fear, and discord only minutes before, there was now connection, flow, and harmony. The feelings every horsewoman dreams of having with her horse. Sigh.

And yoga... I’ve practiced on and off for almost 15 years now, but it wasn’t until I went through teacher training that I felt like I really “got” it. There’s so much to say, but yoga’s interest in presence is most relevant here, I think.

Moving, breathing, sensing deeply. Finding peace within even as you feel confused about what the teacher is directing you to do. Or frustrated that your body doesn’t feel as capable as you want it to… That practice of finding presence anyway is priceless.

Most of the time, what we’re looking for as humans is a feeling of home and safety inside ourselves. Of facing whatever is going on around us without losing our center. Both yoga and hanging out with horses have helped me do just that. Maybe just in moments, but those moments are satisfying enough that I keep coming back. And I hope you will, too! 

For Northwest Arkansas locals, I’m offering a couple in-person yoga classes in the next month. You can use the code YAYFORYOGA for $5 off your first class. I’d love to see you there! 👏🏼

April Dig List (things I love that I think you might love, too):

• For all things horse training, my go-to guy is Warwick Schiller. He helped Takota and me at a clinic, and I’m forever grateful. Here’s a video about what went down.

• Move Your DNA by Katy Bowan is required reading for my continued yoga training. It’s completely changing the way I view moving my body in my daily life. Love it! And I’d recommend getting the paperback version, for the photos.

• For fun, I love the podcast Even the Rich. It’s a mix of gossip and history and entertainment that is often just what I need when I’m running errands.

What’s on your dig list right now? I could use a good book recommendation. Just sayin… 😀

That’s all for now, folks! Thanks for being here.