How to release stored tension from your body using your breath
Coming Back to Your Breath Yesterday I walked out to the herd and — nothing. No one came over. First thought: no one wants to say hi to me today. Second thought (the one I’ve trained myself to ask after seven-plus years of living with these horses at Tula Vida, even though the self-judgy one […]
What to expect at an equine wellness retreat
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply in need of a deeper reset, an equine wellness retreat may offer something many traditional vacations cannot: the opportunity to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and experience meaningful healing through nature and the presence of horses. Unlike a typical getaway focused on sightseeing or entertainment, an equine […]
Why somatic healing is easier when you are around horses
When we try to reconnect with our bodies after a long period of stress, doing it in a quiet room or at a desk can sometimes feel surprisingly difficult. I know it does for me (Sally). I sit down, close my eyes, and try to pay attention to my physical sensations, but our minds keep […]
Why stress is not an intellectual problem
I had a conversation with a friend the other day, and afterwards I noticed my chest was tight, my shoulders were somewhere up by my ears, and there was this low hum of unease I couldn’t quite place. Naturally, I did what we all do. I started trying to work out why. Was it something […]
How horses use their weight to feel grounded (and how we can too)
Ever caught yourself standing in the kitchen, holding your body like you’re trying to hover a few millimetres above the floor? Shoulders up, knees locked, breath held. We fight our own weight all day without even noticing. Horses do the opposite. Several hundred kilos, and not one ounce of anxious effort — they let gravity […]
Learning to listen to the messages behind physical fatigue
Most of us know physical fatigue well. Heavy limbs in the morning, dragging through the afternoon, collapsing onto the sofa at the end of the day. And our first reaction is usually frustration — fatigue as an inconvenience, a problem to solve so we can get back to it. Another coffee. Push through. Catch up […]
What does safety feel like in your body?
We spend a lot of time thinking about safety here at Tula Vida. We don’t always call it that — sometimes it’s peace, calm, security, even happiness — but underneath, what we’re often really looking for is safety: a place where we can finally drop the hypervigilance, that low hum of “something isn’t quite right.” […]
The Smallest and the Tallest Part 3: Learning to Begin
Nickel is still here. That feels important to say first. Because after Noah, after the grief of Part 1 and the questions of Part 2, here is something solid and alive and ongoing. A silver horse, tall and striking, learning — slowly, honestly — how to be in the world. He is not a quick […]
The smallest and the tallest part 2: What a life can hold
There is a particular kind of grief that comes with doing rescue work. It is not the sharp, sudden grief of unexpected loss. It is something quieter—the grief of knowing you did everything you could, and that everything was not enough to keep them here. The grief of loving something small and fragile back toward […]
The smallest and the tallest part 1: Two horses, one season at Tula Vida
There are stories from this land that we sit with for a long time before we know how to tell them. This is one of them. In the space of a few weeks earlier this year, two horses arrived at Tula Vida within days of each other. One was tiny and failing. One was enormous […]