To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.
—Emily Dickinson
Hello Herd Members:
It’s been seven months since I wrote you from my Spring retreat and much has happened in my life, as well as yours, I suspect. There certainly is a lot happening on our planet.
I am feeling gratitude during this autumn harvest season, in particular for the lovely equestrian students and coaching/counseling clients that grace my personal and professional life. The most wonderful horses help with sessions of all kinds and a friend welcomed a new daughter on the Autumn Equinox.
Life and Death, Hope and Tragedy, continue to dance hand in hand.
This newsletter contains a recap of summer highlights, a special announcement and a personal note.
Summer Highlights & Upcoming Event—Evening Meditation with the Herd
In May, Beth Bryce’s Daring Circle women came for a second annual custom equine coaching retreat (photo left). What incredible women, and Beth is a gift to this planet as a human being and a rockin’ career coach!
In July, I hosted Senior Level Centered Riding Clinician Lucile Bump for a wonderful two-day clinic and a day of private lessons at the beautiful Nizhoni Ranch & Stables. These quiet foundational principles improved everyone’s riding significantly.
Also in July, colleague Alice Griffin and I held an Open House Into to the Healing Power of Horses, and then co-facilitated Self Care for the Soul Mini-Retreat with Horses in August.
We’ll be offering an Evening Meditation with the Herd for four weeks at Arrowhead Ranch in Santa Fe starting this month. Click here for more information.
In September, colleague Mary Ann Menetry and I hosted Larry Green from North Carolina for a Kinesiology for Horses workshop where we learned about muscle testing and various healing modalities to help our beloved horses (photo left).
A Special Announcement
Although I was a licensed therapist in the state of North Carolina and have always maintained a passion for personal growth, I choose to focus my professional path on teaching equestrians and offering life coaching. Eventually, I let this license lapse.
Several soul searching years later, I decided to renew this direction here in New Mexico. I recently obtained my license as a Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and am now accepting counseling clients as well as continuing to offer life coaching. Sessions are available by phone, Skype/Facetime, in person—with or without horse.
What’s the difference between Life Coaching and Counseling? Loosely, Coaching is about discovering, while Counseling is about uncovering and recovering. As you can imagine, there is a time and a place for each of these things and I relish offering such comprehensive personal growth services through the following programs—
Your Authentic Life Counseling & Coaching
Horses Healing Being Equine Guided Counseling & Coaching
The Ride of Your Life:
The Inner Equestrian Counseling & Coaching for Riders
Interested in finding out more, for individual, couples or groups?
A Personal Note
Honestly, my heart hurts during these recent times. What has been happening around the globe and in neighboring towns is heartbreaking.
I’ve been seeking meaning amidst the chaos and destruction and offer the following practices in the event that they might serve you as well.
I’ve been reaching out. Connect with others: we are not alone. You might reach out to friends, join a like minded group and/or seek a mentor, coach or counselor.
Take action or inaction as you need. Be at choice where you can. I’m choosing to be courageous and gentle in my one on one interactions with people, including the check out clerk, the bank teller, a passerby, with my lover and friends.
Look in each others eyes. Be kind. And patient. Drive the speed limit. Leave space between you and the car in front of you. Pull over if someone is crowding you. Let someone go in front of you in line.
We’re nearly all suffering from loneliness, fear, overwhelm and isolation.
Remember there’s a larger conversation to be had here. This is about the details, but this is also about what is at the root of our greatest pain and suffering. What do we need personally and globally to heal at the core and the foundation?
Explore your discomfort and be willing to befriend it. The greatest love, connection and healing happens with those that are willing to be uncomfortable. My friend that recently had a baby went through 40 hours of labor. The result was a miracle.
Be in your body and release energy through riding, walking, a 15-minute chair massage (or longer!), yoga, your favorite forms of exercise or other means. I love unstructured dance and cooking. These things help us avoid accident and injury caused by disassociation and trauma reflexes that don’t serve us in the here and now.
Treasure the tiny things—your horse’s warm velvet nose, the color of an autumn leaf, the taste of your first sip of fresh brewed coffee, the weight of child or pet in your arms, soft sheets. What went well in the last hour of your life? It’s a practice in Presence when so much is going on “out there” in the world.
Boundaries also serve us by knowing when we’ve had enough. Limiting social media and news inputs to help our nervous systems reset, but also having boundaries around traumatizing conversations when you are not prepared or willing helps us regain a sense of equilibrium.
Turn it over. There’s a larger choreography that we are NOT in charge of…at all. One of the ways I connect with this is to go into silence in nature where I have a sense of being “right sized” in the larger landscape of elements. Some may pray, or find solace in other spiritual pursuits.
A deep and humble bow of gratitude to be alive. Right. Now.
If you would like support, please contact me to connect and find out what might be possible in our work together.
Love to each of you,
Lynn