04/05/2024
My favorite part from this mornings reading.
The book: The Spell of the Horse by Pam Billinge
An absence of clarity
As a coach I was stumped – every exploratory question, every reflection elicited the same, flat response. She was well and truly stuck. The only thing that was clear was that for Bridget there was not much clarity. This could easily have been a result of the fatigue which weighed her down.
‘OxK then Bridget. Let’s work with ‘I don’t know’. Let’s explore how it is not to know, not to have clarity, and see what happens.’
In the paddock the horses didn’t want Bridget anywhere near her and kept moving away. Horses need to feel safe around people, and what helps them to do so is calm, clear leadership from someone who is present – in their body as well as their mind. She was none of those things.
As their illusive manoeuvres continued, Bridget became frustrated with the horses and increasingly deflated. She kept saying, ‘I don’t know what to do.’
We were getting nowhere quickly, so I suggested that we do something to help her clear her mind. She readily agreed and we undertook a short meditation, standing out in the field, working on releasing the physical tension caused by her indecision. An almost imperceptible rise and fall of her shoulders suggested that perhaps the serenity of the Wiltshire hills and the steady presence of the grazing horses was sinking in. I checked in with her:
‘What’s happening for you right now, Bridget?’
'Do you know, I feel so much more peaceful. I’m beginning to notice how lovely it is here; how nice it is to watch the horses. I don’t really feel like I need to do anything in particular with them. Think I’ll stop worrying about what to do and soak in the sunshine. Is it OK if I sit down in the field and watch them?’
I nodded, and she ambled over to a sunny spot in the centre of the field, and sat legs crossed, picking daisies out from the green blanket beneath.
