Somatic Rider and Energy Medicine

Move with Ease Monday 🌿

Take time to rest.

In this busy, go-go world, it can often feel difficult to take a moment for yourself.

But sometimes what your body needs most is simply rest.

Rest gives your nervous system an opportunity to settle. It allows your muscles to let go of some of their tension and gives you a moment to tune in to your body.

Notice how it feels. Notice your breath.

Often when I'm working with a client, I notice that their body, and often their energy, is asking them to slow down and get some rest.

Maybe yours is asking the same.

So, if this was a busy long weekend for you, before life gets hectic again, take a moment to pause.

Lie down. Sit quietly. Take a few easy breaths.

Give yourself permission to simply be.

✨ Rest is part of moving with ease.

Lunging — What Are You Seeing?

I love lunging horses. It gives us an opportunity to really watch how a horse moves and to notice subtle imbalances that can be harder to see when we’re riding.

Is your horse:
• Leaning onto one shoulder?
• Tracking straight on the circle?
• Carrying their head higher in one direction?
• Putting more pressure into the lead in one direction?
• Counter-bent?
• Are the footfalls even and rhythmic for the gait?
• Is the stride length and tempo consistent in both directions?

But there’s another important question:

How is your own body affecting their position?

Are you leading the circle with your line hand lifted?
Are you driving from behind?
Where is your body facing?
How are you using the whip? Is it low, high, or moving?
Is the line simply a connection between you and your horse, or are you using it as a tool to help the horse balance?

It all matters. And it all sends information to your horse.

Even the smallest responses can give us clues: the swish of a tail, a flick of an ear, a change in rhythm or balance.

Before assuming your horse is uncomfortable or out of alignment, check in with yourself first.

Did something in your body position, movement, or use of the equipment create the response?

If you feel confident that your position is balanced and consistent, then it’s time to look more closely at the horse.

If you’re not sure, that’s okay too. This is a great time to have someone with more experience watch you lunge. A second set of eyes may notice something in your position, body language, or use of the equipment that you can adjust to create a better response from your horse.

When checking the horse, one thing I like to do is take photos from above while standing on a mounting block. Looking down the horse’s topline can reveal things we might not notice from the ground:

• Alignment through the spine
• Levelness of the hips
• Balance through the shoulders
• Subtle differences from one side to the other

These observations can provide valuable information when developing a training plan, and our observations on the lunge circle can also help us become more aware of our own role in the conversation.

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A little example from these photos:

My whip is being used to keep him out on the circle. He is very light and sensitive, but he loves to make small circles!

I can either point my whip toward his girth line, or use the lash along the ground slowly from back to front to ask him to stay out on the circle.

If I feel him tense as he moves forward I can flex the line with my hand in rhythm with his footfalls to either ask for more bend or to regulate his speed.

I’m also walking the circle from a pushing position behind the girth, so that my own footfalls aren’t leading the circle and getting in front of him.

His tail is soft and his topline is relaxed.

I learned about over-vaccination issues around 2004 when a horse I was showing constantly came up sick and caused me to miss several shows. At the time we were competing in Quarter Horse shows and open shows. Vaccinations were required. I stopped vaccinating the following year and he never got sick again. I only did open shows with him after that.

Since then I have always questioned the need for so many vaccines...especially when given all at once, such as the 5-way and 6-way vaccines. If they absolutely have to be given to allow you to compete at least spread them out. That is part of the problem, the horse's system becomes overwhelmed with so many 'toxins' all at once. I heard of so many more horses having issues when these options appeared.

For the horse's I owned that competed regularly and were required to get vaccines, this is how I approached it. The vets often questioned me...why I would want to purchase separately, when they came in a convenient all in one shot.

If titer testing is available, that is also a great way to avoid the over-vaccination issues, but not recognized for shows...yet.
Here is a short article on titer testing: https://www.theholistichorse.com/equine-vaccinations-and-titer-testing/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FBKZ2YecA/

Send a message to learn more

Move with Ease Monday 🌿

Do you carry tension in your neck and shoulders?

Stress, working at a desk, or sitting for extended periods can all contribute to tension building up in this area.

Here’s a simple Somatic movement to explore:

✨ Sit comfortably, without leaning forward or back.

✨ Slowly begin to lift your shoulders toward your ears. Go very slowly and notice what you feel along the way.

Is the movement smooth and continuous—or does it feel jerky or clunky?

Do you notice any areas of tension or discomfort?

✨ Slowly lower your shoulders back down.

Again, notice the quality of the movement. Does it feel smooth and easy, or does it feel like your shoulders are moving down in little steps?

Now try it again, but even more slowly. Imagine you are feeling every tiny part of the movement.

And remember to breathe. 🌿

As you lift your shoulders, notice what your head and neck want to do. Does your head stay level? Does your chin lift? Does your head pull forward? Or does your neck seem to disappear as your head scrunches down, like a turtle retreating into its shell? 🐢

There is no right or wrong. You're simply noticing.

Then slowly release the movement and allow your shoulders to soften.

This is one of the principles of Somatics: rather than forcing a tight muscle to stretch, we gently contract and then slowly release it, giving the brain an opportunity to sense the muscle more clearly and learn how to let go of unnecessary tension.

With slow, mindful movement, we can begin to reconnect with areas that have become habitually tight and rediscover a greater sense of ease and control.

✨ Don't force. Don't stretch. Slow down and notice.

What do you notice in your neck and shoulders when you move this way?

✨ Energy Tip Thursday! When the World Feels Like Too Much ✨

My Energy Tip Tuesday was a little delayed this week, so today it’s Energy Tip Thursday! 😊

There is so much information coming at us every day. News, social media, conversations, opinions, and constant updates… it can become quite overwhelming.

If you find yourself having a hard time processing all of the information or feeling like your mind just needs a little space, try this simple energy hold.

🌿 The Forehead Hold

Place one hand gently on your forehead and breathe deeply for 2–5 minutes while thinking about what is causing you stress.

As you breathe, allow whatever emotions are present to surface. You don't need to push them away or figure them out. Simply notice them and continue holding.

When we're under stress, our body's natural fight, flight, or freeze response can make it more difficult to think clearly and process what we're experiencing. The Forehead Hold is a simple Eden Energy Medicine technique that can help calm and stabilize the nervous system and bring greater awareness and clarity.

💚 If you're experiencing grief:

Continue holding your forehead with one hand and place your other hand gently on the top of your head.

The top of the head is associated with both the Heart and Lung energies — Heart with heartache and Lung with grief.

Stay here for a few minutes and breathe.

You may find that simply creating this quiet space allows the intensity of the emotions to soften, giving you more room to process what you're feeling.

🐴 And if you're a rider, this is especially important.

Remember, your horse is incredibly sensitive to your energy and can sense when you're not quite yourself.

Taking a few minutes to settle your own stress and emotions before you work with your horse can help you become more grounded, present, and connected, and in turn, help your horse feel more settled too.

Pause. Breathe. Feel. Allow.

Then reconnect with yourself, and your horse, from a more grounded place. 💚