Your Natural Path

Dharmahorse,
Simple, Natural

Greetings!

Your Path is your Passion. Deepak Chopra says, "Follow your passion now to the best of your abilities and by doing so you expand your time slot so you are able to follow your passion all the time".

It takes practice. This is a world of distractions. In Zen we have what we call our "practice", which is usually our meditation, but it can also be painting, riding, singing, etc. To "practice" isn't really doing something by rote over and over again - practice is doing something intentionally.

Go down your path intentionally, enthusiastically and with focus.

Everything else in your life will balance itself to fit into the passion or will fade away because it has no purpose or meaning on your journey. From the infinite possibilities, choose your experiences and live them fully. We will present some techniques in this letter.

Map the Journey

In your heart and in your mind you hold images of all the circumstances, places, objects, animals and people that you hope for in your life. The more you can envision them, the more you will resonate with them. As you become focused and can believe in the reality of your vision, it will unfold before you. You have to get the other stuff out of the way - The distractions and disappointments and the belief in lack and limitation. If you concentrate on these unwanted aspects, you map the journey to them. Surround yourself with images that remind you of your hopes and passions. Meditate on them by creating "vision boards" (cut pictures from magazines of scenes and things that you want to manifest in your life and glue them on a poster board to look at every day), notebooks full of affirmations (and journal to get in touch with your life) and watching videos of the things you love.

See yourself in desired situations no matter what you are experiencing right now. Find time throughout each day and each night to close your eyes and concentrate upon one sensation of your passion - the smells of that horse farm, new car, new house, ocean visit, etc.; the sounds of children, puppies, concerts, you singing and so on. As you connect with the sensations of your dream, your mind believes that the dream is real and, when your mind believes in it, the dream becomes real.

Enjoy every step along the path. So often, we tend to look down the road for its end and miss all the splendor that surrounds us. Staying focused on your passion does not mean that you negate all else. You just become selective and choose your experiences to move you along with the flow. It is sad to waste a day trying to get on to the "next thing"...what next thing? Isn't this moment enough?

"I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing Light of your own Being"

-Hafiz

Shine the light of your own being down the path of your passion through the illumination of your smile. If you keep smiling, your face will convince your brain that you are happy.

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Align Yourself

Those of us who spend time with horses know that they bring out the best in us! Horses work in many types of therapy programs for this very reason. If you want to become physically stronger, take care of a horse (or 2, or 3...). The daily moving of hay bales, mucking (cleaning) stalls and pastures, unrolling and re-rolling water hoses, grooming, riding, repairing fences, etc. will burn lots of calories and build muscle. An old friend (an herbalist in Las Cruces who now works with Dr. Weil) once advised me to "park the car as far away from the store as you can and walk to the entrance". It's good advice.

If you spend time with horses, you walk a lot! When others advise you to "make it easier on yourself" and "use the tractor" for something you can easily do yourself - thank them for their concern, but do tell them that The Path of Equus brings opportunity to move more and be more...truly healthy.

Do you ride? One way to expand your equestrian path is to "ALIGN YOURSELF" with mounted exercises that help to train your body to be in balance with your horse's body and have relationship with gravity and movement.

Do the exercises first at a stand still, then at a walk, then trot and finally at a canter (if you ride a laterally gaited horse - substitute your intermediate lateral gait for trot!). Use a round pen or have someone longe you on your horse, or do the movements while riding up an arroyo or through a meadow.

Arms out from the shoulders (like an airplane) will show your shoulders where to be - open and relaxed. Reaching straight up with your arms shows your spine how to stretch and center. Lifting your thigh (one side at a time) away from the saddle/horse will show your hips how to align and holding your ankle with the hand (on the same side), knee bent will show your knee and thigh how to stay back under your body.

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Canine Considerations:

Dogs live close to us and know us very well. Your dog can read the tone of your voice, your body language and your energy field well before you say anything to him or her. You can actually use this canine insight to help with your emotional wellbeing and communication skills with animals and with people. If a dog ignores you, it could be because he does not understand you - make yourself clear and consistent with whatever you are trying to communicate. The 4 C's of COMMUNICATION are:

CLARITY CONSISTENCY COMPASSION CALMNESS

Without these, your messages may not get through...to dogs, horses, people, anyone! If you find that your dog becomes confused, it could be that you are using too much "chatter". You may be giving too much information, asking for too many things at once or just overloading his "circuits".

Be aware of how your dog reacts to the tone of your voice throughout the day and let him teach you how to speak with the "4 C's". It will enhance all aspects of your life.

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We wish you well on your Life's Path!
Katharine