Compassion

As part of the final in-person module to get certified in Equine-Facilitated Learning by The HERD Institute, you are required to lead a mock session. I already knew after I was certified that I was going to want to combine EFL and the work I had been doing as a Daring Way™ Facilitator, so I decided to be brave and just give it a try. Having run courses on Brené Brown’s 10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living many times, I chose one that I am always working on: Cultivating play and rest: Letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth.
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The session went well. My co-facilitators were two horses named Admiral and Lucy, and there were lots of sweet moments of play and rest between them and the participants. I also got a taste for just how much there was to attend to when you combined two modalities that are each so powerful on their own, wowza! Afterwards we had a quick break for the trainer to make her notes, but then it was onto the next session as it was the final day of the three-day module and all five us needed to present.  

The next person had chosen to work with the miniature horses – Snowy and Thunder – for her session. While everyone was enchanted by Thunder and his big personality in a tiny pony body, I went to see Snowy who was standing off to the side. As I was hanging out with her, I noticed she was starting to drift off. At one point in my life I might have taken her drowsiness the wrong way and worried I was boring, but right then, it was profound permission.

I was TIRED. It had been three full days of people and learning, and I had just given out lots of energy in my session. And here she was, showing me it was okay to be however I was. Then she hammered the point by laying down. I about died at the cuteness and the connection. If there hadn’t been rules about not being on the ground - damn safety - I would have been right there with her. Instead, I squatted down and just closed my eyes for a moment, giving into rest.

I didn’t think it could get any better or more meaningful, but then it was shared that Snowy was Thunder’s mother. Relationships with mothers can often be complicated, and mine is no exception. And as evidenced by living in the country and caretaking 19 farm animals, I often find compassion and comfort from animals and mother Earth. I also have done a ton of self-compassion work to learn how to mother myself and my inner child well. To have been mothered well by Snowy in that session was pure loving magic.
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If you could use more rest and play in your life, I hope you will come retreat yourself at Braving Star Farms. The herd and flock and I would love to meet you! And if you want to mother yourself well please check out my book Self-Compassion Stories: 40 days of creative nurturing to help you remember you are rooted in love.

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