Cathy Woods, Creator of Body, Mind, Equine™
1. Present Moment Awareness: Life happens in the “now.” Multi-tasking takes us away from the present. Use breath and bodily sensations as tools to stay harnessed in the here and now.
2. A Training Ground for Life: Yoga and horsemanship are opportunities to come to know yourself better by exploring your multi-faceted levels. You observe the way you process, learn, act, react, interact, think, and feel.
3. Bring Consciousness to Everything: Pay attention to your body, your breathing, your energy. Journey through life being aware, conscious, and deliberate, experiencing all the moments.
4. Breathe Through Challenges: Move with the breath and not against it. Use breath as a tool at any time you feel challenged or unfocused.
5. Go Beyond the Mind: You can often do more than the mind thinks you can.
6. Energy Shifts: Notice when energy shifts and changes within yourself, your horse, and your surroundings.
7. Move with Grace: Bring as much grace as possible into a yoga posture, horsemanship, or any other situation, even when it feels difficult.
8. Accept: Work from where you are on that mat and with your horsemanship, holding a generous attitude of acceptance.
9. Stay Balanced: Maintain equanimity in all areas of life, not just physically. Balance inner and outer (internal and physical balance).
10. Slow Down: Don’t exhaust yourself by staying on the fast-paced treadmill of life. Slow down through yoga and when working with or around your equine friends. (They will appreciate it!)
11. Know Where You Are in Space and Time: Be aware of where the body is in space and time, physically and tangibly—where your bodily placement is on the mat and when you are around horses. Notice positioning, bodily sensations, alignment, distance, spacing, and orientation.
12. Drop Expectations: Release the energy spent on expectations of yourself, others, or life in general. Free up energy for better use, experience what unfolds.
13. Observe the Mind Chatter: Be an observer of the mind chatter, but know you don’t always have to buy into it. Listen to your inner voice and discern what is pertinent.
14. Experience and Celebrate: Stop and experience sensations, the release and energy after a yoga stretch. Stop, experience, and celebrate after an accomplishment with your horse.
